Martinique

With our dodger (canopy) repairs finished we decided to have the morning off and take a drive around Le Marin anchorage in the dinghy. We packed a yummy picnic lunch and after a few false landings (Ian didn't like the look of the cow and calf on one beach) we finally landed on the Club Med Resort Beach. How nice the sand was clean and raked and the trees were lovely and shady but with security hovering around we didn't feel real comfortable so we pushed the dinghy off and headed back to Faraway via the marina. I don't think we were exactly the kind of clients that Club Med welcomed on their beaches and the dinghy was a bit of a dead giveaway.

Nomad

Whilst in the bar doing our internet and catching up on our taste testing of local beers we met a Canadian couple who had a Amal yacht called Nomad. They were really interesting and Paul the Captain was a very experienced sailor and yacht master. They invited us onboard for sundowners that evening and we had a tour of their well equipped yacht with a very accessible engine. We were only staying for drinks but Paul insisted we have dinner so we shared sailing stories and I talked with Sue about her photography which was very good.

Martinique and making water

We arrived in Saint Anne anchorage in Martinique on March 12 after an uneventful sail and motor from St. Lucia (the wind wasn't favourable again). It had been 3 months since we left Saudi and arrived in St Maarten ready for our adventure. During sundowners we discussed how much we had learned on our trip so far and how differently we would have done things with a bit more experience behind us. After many repairs and a lot of despairs we were finally getting things together for our sail to Australia. The water maker was finally working and our fuel injectors for the engine had been replaced. We watched the sun set over Diamond Rock which is also a great dive site. The next day the morning brought a beautiful rainbow over our anchorage in Le Marin. I went into town to clear customs which was a breeze compared to St Lucia. Unfortunately nobody spoke English in the town and I really kicked myself again to not paying more attention to learning French in school. Anyway we managed to get bread and supplies without too much difficulty. Getting malaria tablets from the pharmacy was a different story and luckily a customer who had great French and English was able to assist us. We both decided that Martinique was a lovely place to visit and we really enjoyed our stay.

Leaving St Lucia and farewell to Pat

After a lovely sunset and a farewell dinner at the Rex hotel we hired a car and drove Pat to the airport which was located south of St Lucia island. Interestingly enough we could see Faraway at anchor from Pat's balcony which was really nice. The drive was about 2 hours long and we had lovely views of the wild east coast along the way. We had a nice stay in St Lucia but were a bit reluctant to visit again after my passport dramas and when we heard that 2 dinghies had been stolen from our friends yacht anchored in Rodney Bay. It's kind of the equivalent to stealing a car out of your garage. We subsequently have bought 3 metres of 8 mm chain for our dinghy just in case anyone gets tempted again.

Diving in St Lucia

On Saturday, March 12 I decided to take time out and go diving with a local dive company. The weather was great the day before I booked the trip but when I turned up for the dive people hadn't shown up and the guide said it was the worst weather in weeks! Not a good start. Anyway I decided to give it a try and headed out with a small group of 4 divers. We had a bumpy ride down the coast and didn't even make it to the planned dive site. When I got in the water I thought my mask had fogged up but it was the poor visibility that was making it difficult to see. Despite the poor conditions I really enjoyed both dives and saw some interesting critters including scorpion fish, snake eels, crabs, and drum fish (black and white fish). The guide told me if only I had of dived yesterday it would have been crystal clear. Well I guess that's diving for you. Overall we really haven't had much luck with the weather. Today we leave St Lucia bound for Martinique to get our new headsail. Hopefully we are at the last stages of all our repairs and can head off towards Panama in the next week or so.

Sunsets in Soufriere Bay

The evenings brought beautiful sunsets and we even managed to find time to bring the hammock out and give it a test run. Ian is seen in the photo demonstrating the hammock shyly. One of the tall ship cruise liners also came by at the right moment to capture the sails just as the sun was setting.

Horse Wash

On the beach near where we were moored I could hear horses calling. Some boys had taken their horses down to the beach and were washing them. I jumped off the boat and swam to shore for a closer look. It was a busy beach with men repairing fishing lines in amongst the horses. The boys told me that the horses didn't mind the salt water but I don't think they really had a choice. They got a pretty thorough scrub down with brushes and were then allowed to graze on the hill side.