St. Lucia
St. Lucia was our first landfall after 14 days crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Cape Verde. Putting the boat back in order for just the two of us and cleaning up from having crew on board was a lengthy, multi-step process. Also, one of our crew broke our whisker pole at the beginning of our Atlantic crossing, and we have been trying to organize the repair and make other essential repairs before we leave on January 11th. Meanwhile, we received more bad news today after a professional rigger examined our mast and found the sheave on the top of the mast had been severely damaged. It could also be that we have to leave for Panama after the World ARC Rally leaves.
St Lucia is a beautiful island. It is lush and green with many flowering trees and plants. Banana crops are everywhere.
It is a soverign state with Queen Elizabeth II as the reigning constitutional monarch and head of state. The language is English; however, most of the locals (95%) speak St. Lucian French Creole, also known as Patois. The population of the island is around 170,000. The currency is the East Caribbean dollar.
Martinique
The island of Martinique is about a 3 hour sail north of St. Lucia (around 21 nautical miles). Over the month of December, we spent lots of time in Marin, Martinique repairing our mast and whisker pole. In fact, we obtained a second pole! There is a huge business called Caraibe Marine which has separate departments for each specialty. Kind of like a Home Depot for sailboat repair. We were able to solve each problem albeit slowly due to the strikes in France and the difficulty to receive parts.
Martinique, also known as the island of flowers, is considered a region of France. French is the official language and most of the locals speak Antillian Creole. The Euro is the currency and like St. Lucia, the economy is dependent on tourism and limited agriculture.
We visited a rum distillery/ sugar cane plantation and that was quite interesting and well presented. Probably the best outdoor museum we’ve seen since the Canary Islands.
Most distilleries here were started in the late 1800s and the houses on site have the feel of the Antebellum homes in the Southern US. This was both an open museum of the old distillery site with old machinery and the new distillery, combined with a museum of the plantation house and a huge contemporary art exhibit.
Over the past month, we patiently waited for people to come and help us fix all the little problems that we were unable to fix. We had so many questions about our chart plotter and electronics and finally had them answered! They changed the generator oil and impeller. There was also the deck wash pump valve change. Our mast had 4 out of 6 damaged sheaves and initial galvanic corrosion on the spreader tips. All repaired now. And the list goes on and on and on. One thing is crossed off the list and another added…!
Both islands have a strange atmosphere with many people just hanging around. There seems to be a lot of unemployment, although the skilled workers are very busy. The ports and coastal towns center mainly on tourism and so there are many restaurants and shops, none of which are very high end. However, the nature is incredible- tropical- lush, green foliage with lots of flowers. The soil is rich and the crops of bananas, pineapples, and sugarcane are everywhere– but it’s like the money is in the hands of a few people.
It didn’t seem like Christmas! There was always a warm, inviting breeze with penetrating heat from the sun.
Back to St. Lucia
St. Lucia was the island we enjoyed the most since both of our sons came to visit us. Our fun and relaxation started the day Robbie arrived and ended the day Marco left.
Robbie’s visit
Robbie arrived in Soufriere where we hiked the Gros Piton and spent time snorkeling. We then we sailed to Rodney Bay so that he could scuba dive for the first time. The day of his departure, we took him to the airport in Vieux Fort where Marco arrived the same day.
Robbie and Marco’s visit together!
Robbie and Marco had not seen each other for 2 years! They were able to meet in the airport as Marco arrived and as Robbie was leaving. We were grateful for those precious minutes together.
Marco’s visit
Marco arrived a few days before his college buddy David arrived. We sailed back to the Pitons where we snorkeled and met David in Soufriere. The weather was overcast but we were still awed by the beauty of the Petit Piton and the Gros Piton. After sailing back to Rodney Bay, David and Marco were able to get in a scuba dive and a round of golf before going back to work. All very short…but sweet!
We miss our boys, but are ready for our next adventure.
So we will not miss the Rally departure date after all. We will leave on Saturday January 11th with the World ARC and 32 other boats for Santa Marta, Columbia!
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(Choose from St. Lucia to Mackay)
The Adventures of SV JAN 