The Anderson Charter Party

As noted on the last blog we had a pretty intense few days of cleaning and school to get ready for the trip with Lars and his family.  We hung out at the anchorage for the first part of the week and then moved into the Rodney Bay Marina for the last few days.

Gregory with his very mobile if somewhat unseaworthy floating fruit and veg stall

The boat is looking great apart from a gash where Scott managed to connect with the dock whilst manouvering into the slip.  OK it was gusting a bit and we were trying to reverse into the slip but still he was pretty annoyed all the same.  The gash went through the gelcoat into the fibreglass but luckily not that deep or long.  We managed to get it sealed immediately with help from the marina boatyard.  Apart from that the boat is looking spic and span and the deck is all gleaming after a new round of polishing.

We went out for dinner on a couple of occassions while waiting for Lars to arrive.  On Friday we went to a local village just along the bay a bit where they have local food cooking in the streets.  The guide book and taxi drivers warns you not to leave the main street as it has a bit of a rough reputation.  The food was pretty average and the scene did not look too rough just very run down and quite shabby.  Good to get out and about but not as colourful an affair as we thought it was going to be.

The last week and the remainder of this week have been about taking Lars and family out sailing and sightseeing around St Lucia and Martinique.  We have put the kids school on hold so they can hang out with their cousins.  We will try and get a couple of lessons in but figure since they hardly ever see them they should spend the time with them rather than at school.  Plus their teachers need a break! 

We greeted our guests on the Saturday afternoon and once they had rested for the night immediately set off for Martinique.  The crossing was uneventful with a steady trade wind around 20kts and only one minor squall.  We pulled into a place called St Anne first which is on the south coast.  In the morning we moved a couple of miles around to a town called Le Marin to clear in.  The French are pretty relaxed with the clearance formalities - it is just a matter of filling in a form on the computer and paying 4 Euros. 

Le Marin is a small town but there must be around 500 or 600 boats moored here either on one of the half a dozen piers or anchored in the bay.  It is obviously a base for a number of charter companies but there are also a lot of private boats.  It was that crowded that we had trouble finding a spot to anchor and had to eventually anchor out at the edge of the boats.  The great thing about the French islands as we have mentioned before is the food onshore.  We typically go onshore for a delicious lunch and that sets us up for the rest of the day.  Thats after someone doing an early morning croissant run of course.

Local fisherman setting fish traps - They bait these with baguettes - no joke

We moved around the coast to the main town on Martinique called Fort de France stopping off for a couple of days at a place called Petit Anse D’Arlet.  We had stayed here overnight on our way south and it was a beautiful quiet bay with a small village at one end.  Everyone just relaxed, swam and visited the town.  At Fort de France we anchored beneath the walls of the Napoleonic fort and then had a look around the town.  This is the biggest town we have seen since San Juan in Puerto Rico which was back in April.  Its all very exciting.  The town is just like a shabby area of Paris so not particularly attractive but has lots of shops, a post office, a market and of course lots of cafes and restaurants.  Nic especially cheers up when she can spend a quiet half hour in a cafe.

Nic at home

Fort de France waterfront

We got back to St Lucia yesterday after a couple more days in Martinique.  Martinique would be a nice island to hire a car and have a drive around.  It is big enough and developed enough to spend a couple of days touring the interior.

Coming off the Martinique coast Sam was on the helm and we got hit with a squall which gusted to 27kts and had some serious rain which cut the visibility to zero.  Sam helmed us through the worst of it with help from Lars braving the rain.  He was a bit anxious as the boat responded and started to heel but I think he is slowly getting the hang of it.  Ever since the 40kt gust we took in Rosseau we (well Scott anyway) is a lot more comfortable with what the boat can handle.  With a deep reefed main and staysail the boat can comfortably sail in 35kts just off the wind.  The trick around here is to ensure that you do not put up too much sail early on and then get hit with the squalls later.

Currently in a lovely little anchorage in a place called Marigot Bay.  We will move south along the coast of St Lucia for the rest of the week before dropping Lars and family off in a place called Vieux  Fort.  Everyone is having a great time just hanging out although Scott tends to get a bit edgy with so many kids onboard.  He is bad enough in a normal domestic situation so on a 63ft boat he is really testing his limits.