Refit, Refit and Work on the Boat

 

Martinique still has a few pirate ghosts around to harass Maria.

The St. Pierre, Martinique Zoo was an unexpected delight.  In all these years visiting St. Pierre it took us so long to discover this amazing place with crumbling colonial ruins and lots of animals.

Walking among flamingos at the St. Pierre, Martinique Zoo.

 

 A kind of stationary animal at the St. Pierre, Martinique Zoo.

Now we know where Castro escaped to – Gros Ilet, St. Lucia.

Our friend Gaza in St. Lucia waiting for some wind to blow his paddle board to the next boat job in the Marina.

Another Island Packet owner we met up with.  Tom on Ad Astra in St. Lucia.

Sailing off Fort de France, Martinique.  Our friends on White Pearl snapped this picture of us.

Our new Hydrovane self-steering gear mounts firmly in place on the stern of Savannah Sky.  This intense job only took two days and a lot of lost sleep worrying about everything.

S/Y Savannah Sky – March 2, 2026 – Log #26

Savannah Sky Position: 14 degrees 04’ N, 60 degrees 57’ W

Rodney Bay, St. Lucia Caribbean

 

Refit, Refit and Work on the Boat

 

As I said in the last missive – The work isn’t finished yet on Savannah Sky.

 

Exiting through the Dutch Side bridge on Sint Maarten brought back bad memories of our Covid Days imprisoned on that rock.

 

Dutch soldiers patrolled the entire island and no one was allowed on the streets or anywhere outside their homes.  It was like a futuristic movie gone bad at that time.

 

It took us over three months to get permission to convince the authorities to allow us to exit this same bridge we were now motoring under.  Three months that seemed like an eternity and paying nearly $1,000 USD for an agent to arrange for our escape.

 

Unfortunately, the agent did little more than hand us a piece of paper as he took our money.  The agent was supposed to arrange for the bridge tender to open the bridge so we could sail away, but that never happened.

 

Luckily, I saw the bridge tender at the Coast Guard dock as we motored around the Lagoon and asked him to open the bridge for us.  He only said yes because he recognized us, luckily.

 

This time was different at the bridge exit from Sint Maarten’s Lagoon.  Mega Yachts were lined up behind us as traffic was halted for the bridge opening.

 

Off we sailed south, past St. Barths, Statia, St. Kitts, Nevis and even beyond Guadeloupe to Portsmouth, Dominica.  It was an overnight sail beneath a large bright moon to guide the way.

 

Oh, I forgot to mention that when we exited the bridge on Sint Maarten our engine alternator decided not to charge the batteries.  Sint Maarten didn’t want us to leave once again.

 

Luckily, Maria and I know the drill about sailing with limited battery power – hope for sunshine to power our solar panels and wind to turn the wind generator for energy.

 

At daybreak the next day our batteries were low but not low enough to force us to stop yet.

 

We pressed forever onward, beating into Prince Rupert Bay, Portsmouth, Dominica.

 

An old friend and boat boy, Bounty, came out to greet us and he said he had a mooring ball we could use in order to make repairs to our charging system.  Yea Bounty!

 

At least it wasn’t quite dark yet as we tied to Bounty’s mooring ball.

 

However, four sweaty, dirty and bloody hours later our spare alternator was cranking out amps once again.  Why do they make boats so unfriendly to fix?  Oh well, a day in the life of sailors is what it is all about.

 

We yellow flagged our stay in Dominica for one overnight on the mooring ball.  Dawn saw us motoring out of the bay headed to St. Pierre Martinique.  Ah the French!

 

We had an appointment in St. Lucia to get to the Marina so a Hydrovane self-steering device could be installed.

 

It was a quick trip from Sint Maarten to St. Lucia via Martinique this time.  We’ll take a more leisurely pace when we sail back north in about a month.

 

But for now, we had a brutal Hydrovane installation waiting for us at St. Lucia.  Brutal???  Oh yes.  I detest and fear drilling holes in our boat or any boat for that matter.

 

After two days of sweating and lost sleep worrying about the installation, our local friend Robin and myself successfully drilled holes in Savannah Sky and bolted three large support brackets onto the stern.

 

Maria, who was supervising the installation activity, quickly realized that our dingy could not occupy the same space on the back of Savannah Sky at the Hydrovane. 

 

Luckily, I was able to dismantle the Hydrovane and store it safely down below, until it is time to cross another ocean.

 

Sail on, sail on Savannah Sky…

 

Steve and Maria

PS - 

1.     You can follow Savannah Sky’s route here, once we leave the dock: https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/SY_SavannahSky/

2.     Or here: https://share.garmin.com/SYSavannahSky

3.     www.savannah-sky.com for more news about The Longue Route 2027 voyage visit this website

 

Back in the Caribbean Again

 

                                                        Sunset at Great Bird Island, Antigua

                                                            Orient Beach on St. Martin

                                                    The Quay at Nelson’s Dockyard, Antigua

                                                            Savannah Sky’s mast coming off

                                                        Savannah Sky’s mast coming off

                  Maria and Patty modeling new fashions to support The Longue Route voyage

                      Maria and Patty modeling new fashions to support The Longue Route voyage

        

                                                                    Captain Steve and Patty

                                                            Jolly Harbour Marina in the night

                                    Sint Maarten’s Greenhouse Restaurant with two-for-one drinks

            The French decided to damage the French Side Bridge once again in a protest.  Ah the French…

S/Y Savannah Sky – January 23, 2026 – Log #25

Savannah Sky Position: 17 degrees 04’ N, 61 degrees 54’ W

Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten, Caribbean

 

Back in the Caribbean Again

 

Arriving in Antigua, Caribbean we found Savannah Sky just as we left her last April, waiting serenely on land for our return to Jolly Harbour Boatyard.

 

We flew from Denver with eight bags of boat parts.  I think that is a record for us.

 

Da Customs man in Antigua politely asked me to put the largest checked bag on his table and open it.

 

With a knowing smile he said, “What do you really have in all these bags?”

 

Oh boy.  In Grenada we would have been moved to the dreaded “Something to Declare” area and forced to pay a LOT of duty on boat in transit parts.

 

Yet in Antigua I told the Customs Mon, “I have clothes and LOTS of boat parts”.

 

Smiling at me once again, the uniformed man flipped my bag shut and said, “Welcome to Antigua” while waving me through and away from the Customs area.

 

Antigua is one of our favorite islands!

 

Seeing Savannah Sky at Jolly Harbour Boat Yard after seven months brought butterflies jumping in my stomach.

 

New bottom paint had already been applied to help control growth of aquatic life on the bottom of Savannah Sky while sailing in the tropical waters of the deep blue Caribbean Sea.

 

That dirty paint job was done before we arrived, something very different than down island too. 

 

A day later, the gigantic Jolly Harbour travel lift gently pulled Savannah Sky into the air from her solid supports, moving her to the slipways and lowering her into the water once again.  Savannah Sky floats!

 

Now, will the engine start?  That is kind of an important part as you might guess.

 

Yes!  The engine immediately turned over and we were on our way into a berth at Jolly Harbour Marina, about a 1-minute quick motor away.

 

Now the fun(?) began.

 

Several weeks were spent preparing Savannah Sky for sailing amongst the tiny latitudes of the Eastern Caribbean.

 

During this time in Antigua our good friend Patty joined us for Christmas in da islands, escaping winter’s grasp in snowy Colorado, spending her time snorkeling, exploring beaches and enjoying ginger beer with spectacular sunsets sailing around Antigua together.

 

Magical places like Falmouth Harbour, Nelson’s Dockyard and even remote Great Bird Island gave Patty a taste of Antigua’s treasures.

 

With the dawn of a new year, Patty was gone and Savannah Sky was sailing off the coast of St. Barths.

 

St. Barths, where the beautiful people and billionaires gather to enjoy a place like no other in the world.

 

The Christmas party at St. Barths that Jeff Bezos threw on his yacht Koru was legendary, or so we heard.  I guess typical sailors such as us were not invited, for some strange reason, haha.

 

We kept sailing on by.

 

Maria and I sailed Savannah Sky to a place we have known for over 37 years, Sint Maarten/St. Martin, the island where two countries sharing the same piece of rock in the sea, France and Holland. 

 

There was so much work to be done in Sint Maarten that we had reserved six months before we arrived.

 

Savannah Sky’s mast was pulled off and new stainless-steel rigging installed, a downwind whisker pole was mounted, new safety lifelines were put in place and a Code Zero sail was fitted for extended light weather sailing.

 

A new Raymarine autopilot was installed as well, something that is essential for ocean sailing.

 

Ah, the list of work was long and essential for a successful journey across the Atlantic to Portugal this spring and of course during the Longue Route 2027 I will be sailing solo.

 

Ah but the work isn’t finished yet. 

 

Next, we’re sailing south and down island to St. Lucia.  But that is for another day and another time.

 

Sint Maarten is the winter home to the massive mega and super yachts of the world.  So much wealth lines all the berths at Sint Maarten’s Lagoon Marinas that it is becoming another billionaire’s showroom, seeing so much stainless glistening in the morning light.

 

I promise to post more frequent updates as we sail down island, enjoying the beauty in these little latitudes, one day at a time.

 

Sail on, sail on Savannah Sky…

 

Well, That’s Another Sailing Season

Antigua's Jump Up at Shirley Heights with Hayden, Rachelle & Susan (they bought our Aspen), Maria, Radeen (Island Spirit with Hayden) and Captain Steve

Barbuda

Captain Steve, always fixing something

 

Maria is watching Fred (Dakota Dream) and Steve clean freshly caught conch.  Yum!

Dinner with sailing friends in Antigua

The women's dinner table!

More dinner time, this time with Skip (Peacekeeper) in the foreground and Sandy (Dakota Dream) on the far right

Shirley Heights, Antigua - the Jump Up

S/Y Savannah Sky – April 6, 2025 – Log #24

Savannah Sky Position: 17 degrees 04’ N, 61 degrees 54’ W

Jolly Harbour, Antigua, Caribbean

 

Well, That’s Another Sailing Season

 

We sailed off to Antigua.

 

Leaving the rolly west coast of Guadeloupe, it was a treat to be out at sea once more. 

 

Neither Maria nor I like being anchored as Savannah Sky rolls from side to side, forcing Maria to gimble the stove when we’re supposed to be in a calm place for the night.

 

Gimbling the stove means things in the galley could fly everywhere with food flung onto Maria as she tries to cook.  That isn’t nice.  So Maria releases the trusty stove and lets it swing as Savannah Sky pitches from side to side with cooking pans staying mostly in place since gimbling usually helps stabilize things. 

 

After too much of an uncomfortable night, Antigua waters were such a treat. 

 

Turquoise colors flash under our keel as we make our way through protecting reefs.  It reminds us of sailing in the Bahamas where starfish lie about on the sea floor, easily viewed from our deck.

 

Jolly Harbour is on the west coast of Antigua, our destination.  We anchored in 12 feet of water as strong trade winds sweep through our rigging.

 

Clearing customs & immigration at Jolly Harbour only took 1.5 hours, something we always expect when negotiating various offices with hand printed forms to be stamped and stamped and stamped again.  At least we were allowed to enter the eastern-most island in the Caribbean.

 

The neighboring island of Barbuda, only 40 miles north of Antigua, was totally destroyed by hurricane Irma on the night that Barbuda died in 2017.

 

Aspen was stored for hurricane season in Antigua during hurricane season 2017.  Luckily the main island of Antigua suffered very little damage from Irma that year, unlike the devastation of her sister island of Barbuda.

 

We decided to sail 40 nautical miles to Barbuda and see what the island looked like now.

 

There was a good sailing weather window, or so we thought, as we made landfall on the west coast of Barbuda and anchored in shallow, crystal clear water opposite 11-Mile pink sand beach.  Ah, paradise!

 

Our friends on the Catamaran Dakota Dream also sailed up to Barbuda and anchored beside us for the night so we had nice company, before the swells started.

 

Swells?  Yes, those nasty waves that cause Savannah Sky to roll sideways, side to side, throughout the night just like in Guadeloupe but even worse this time.  Ouch!

 

As dawn broke, Captain Steve asked himself if he should shave or hoist sail?

 

Sailing, after a sleepless night, was the choice as we beat a hasty retreat back to Antigua’s protected North Sound anchorage.

 

There is very little on Barbuda now, but there wasn’t much on Barbuda even before hurricane Irma.  Well, there is a frigate bird colony that is world famous but we are not really bird people.

 

Snorkeling and visiting the frigate birds are the two main attractions on Barbuda.  After the hurricane there is nothing to see while snorkeling since nearly every reef was ground up and changed into sand with very little remaining of any reefs to see.

 

Oh, but there is a political uproar about Barbuda right now. 

 

Mega wealthy investors, including Robert De Niro, are building a billionaire’s haven on the southern part of the destroyed island.  Investors even built a new airport to handle private jets landing on Barbuda, thanks to a welcoming Antigua government who granted new land concessions to private companies like De Niro.

 

Change happens it seems.

 

Quickly sailing back to Antigua’s North Sound and Great Bird Island, we spent a week with strong winds, but luckily no swells.  Dakota Dream joined us too, making our stay more pleasant with friends.

 

Eventually, we took a berth in Jolly Harbour Marina, and started disassembling Savannah Sky for her summer hurricane storage in Antigua.

 

Storage preparations are an incredibly difficult and time-consuming process.  The list of things to be done contains 50 items, so far.

 

Ah, but soon we will be winging our way back north to Colorado and hopefully some weather that doesn’t include snow?!?

 

I did see that African parakeet flittering about in the small rain forest here early one morning on my run.  But I couldn’t catch it to teach it about cussing, rum or sailing…

 

Sail on, sail on Savannah Sky…

Oh La La – Marie Galante

 

Maria waiting for the sunset anchored at Marie Galante, Guadeloupe on Savannah Sky

Waiting for the sunset over Îles des Saintes, Guadeloupe

Kalinago and slave sacred burial ground near L'Anse à l'Âne, Martinique

l’Abricot view from our mooring in Fort de France, Martinique

Happy Hour on Cat Tales with Charlie and Anina (Prism)

A great dinghy dock with locking rings at Marie Galante, Guadeloupe.  Other islands should be so nice as providing this kind of nice dinghy dock.

A busy street in Saint Louis, Marie Galante, Guadeloupe

Life is just a tire swing at Saint Louis, Marie Galante, Guadeloupe

 

A nice bike race on Marie Galante.  The French come over from mainland Guadeloupe because there is no traffic here and the roads are also pretty flat!

A typical Ox cart on the streets in Saint Louis, Marie Galante, Guadeloupe, going to pick up a load of sugar cane.

Maria practicing her coffee handling skills on Savannah Sky.  She doesn’t want to lose her touch, ha ha.

Our anchorage at Saint Louis, Marie Galante, Guadeloupe.  9 years ago, there were 5 boats in this anchorage.  Today there are probably 50 boats, mainly French of course.

S/Y Savannah Sky – March 9, 2025 – Log #23

Savannah Sky Position: 15 degrees 57’ N, 61 degrees 19’ W

Marie Galante, Guadeloupe, Caribbean

 

Oh La La – Marie Galante

 

It has been 9 years since we first sailed to Marie Galante, a small round island off the south coast of Guadeloupe, where we are now.

 

Columbus would still recognize this peaceful island where oxen pull carts and clomp down deserted streets carrying loads of sugar cane. 

 

Columbus was here in 1493 and chose the name Marie Galante because he had run out of saintly names, so the story goes.

 

March has arrived in the tropics with puffy white clouds that ride through a deep blue azure sky on these Caribbean Trade Winds like sails upon the ocean.

 

Our long time sailing friends have scattered far and wide now, leaving Maria and I to ourselves at anchor among the French boats here.

 

We have a lot of time to reflect during these endless tropical days.

 

Some of our fellow sailors are heading north, some south, yet all heading for their eventual resting place for another upcoming hurricane season in the tropics.

 

It has been an interesting sailing season this year, as always.  There have been lunches, dinners, happy hours, hikes, making new friends, dreams and oh so much more with our fellow adventurous sailors.

 

“We’ve mingled with the good people we meet, yeah
Good friends we have had, oh, good friends we've lost along the way, yeah
In this great future you can't forget your past
So dry your tears I say, yeah” – Thanks Bob Marley

 

Soon, we too will sail Savannah Sky further north to Antigua and the nice boatyard at Jolly Harbour for hurricane season. 

 

Our insurance company tells us where and IF we can store Savannah Sky inside the hurricane box, helping us make the proper decision.  This year they said yes to Antigua.

 

Maria and I decided we wanted to take a break from the more basic/rustic and hotter southern Caribbean Island of Grenada where we usually store Savannah Sky for hurricane season.

 

We’ve stayed in Antigua with “Aspen” during hurricane season before and the location suits our decision this year, along with the blessing of our insurance company, luckily.

 

We’ve still got a lot of water to sail this season but the finish line is definitely getting closer.   

 

Sometimes I feel like a tire swinging in the breeze, living it day to day with the promise of tomorrow and a bright sunshiny day, I remind myself.

 

I’ve yet to find that African parakeet to teach him how to cuss, teach him how to fuss and pull a cork out of a bottle of wine though.

 

Sail on, sail on Savannah Sky…