Bonjour la Martinique!

 

Leaving St. Lucia and the spectacular Pitons

A copy of an ancient Zemi.  Of course it was damaged during the latest French protests two months ago, for some odd reason.  Ah the French.

Deep inside a bay in Le Marin

Maria enjoying sightseeing in Le Marin via our dinghy

A sailing ship in Le Marin after what must have been a pretty rough passage

And then there was the Starlink dish I attached to Savannah Sky (the little rectactangle flat white thing next to our man overboard pole.  Our link to the outside world just got much much better with high speed internet!

A fun lunch with sailor friends in Ste. Anne, Martinique on the beach.  How about these for some boat names: Island Spirit, Lover of the Light, Elysium and Sirena.

S/Y Savannah Sky – February 11, 2025 – Log #22

Savannah Sky Position: 14 degrees 26’ N, 60 degrees 53’ W

Le Marin, Martinique, Caribbean

 

Bonjour la Martinique!

 

Since I’ve lived to be an old man
I’ll sail down to Martinique
I'm gonna buy me a sweat-stained Bogart suit
And an African parakeet
And then I'll sit him on my shoulder
And open up my trusty old mind
I’m gonna teach him how to cuss, teach him how to fuss
And pull the cork out of a bottle of wine

(modified from, who else, but Jimmy Buffett)

 

It’s great to be back in Martinique: the land of baguettes, French wine and cheeses.

 

It was a blustery sail from St. Lucia to Martinique, and as always, an eventful one.

 

We had both our genoa and mainsail reefed because of the 25 knot winds and large seas during the journey.  About half way across the windiest stretch of open water our furling line that holds the genoa at about half its size (reefed) decided to break.  With a loud pop, out went the entire genoa giving us a nice increase in speed but not what we needed in strong winds.

 

Without a furling line there was no way to decrease the size of the genoa so we just sailed on until we could drop the genoa in less boisterous conditions behind the lee of Martinique.  It’s always something it seems.

 

We’ve replaced the furling line in Martinique so all is well now and ready for the next adventure at sea.

 

Le Marin, Martinique is the Yachting Center of the Caribbean, for the French.  Massive catamarans line the docks or are tied to mooring balls throughout the well protected bay. 

 

Sailboats, like Savannah Sky, and smaller catamarans are for sailors and those of us who spend seasons or longer on the water in these little latitudes and who like to sail.

 

One could easily spend an entire sailing season here in Martinique.  There are so many anchorages to visit and sights to see, like world famous rum distilleries. 

 

Maria and I wonder why the French fly here from Euroland, jump on a massive catamaran and bash their way south, past Bequia, while never enjoying what Martinique has to offer.  It’s a strange world out there sometimes.

 

Savannah Sky is calmly attached to a highly-sought-after mooring ball in Le Marin’s Bay.

 

Getting a mooring ball in the heart of this Yachting Center is like winning the lottery it seems.  An online portal is used to request a mooring.  Then the response is received – No. 

 

So we try again and again and again, requesting a mooring ball.  Much of this is done in French of course.

 

With more than a lot of persistence and luck we finally received a reply, “Voilà” 

We were accepted!

 

We spend our days tied to this mooring ball, watching the antics of passing charter catamarans the size of condos jockeying for position at the fuel dock.  After all, it takes a lot of diesel fuel to motor, not sail, to neighboring islands.

 

Hundreds of tall masts crowd our horizon during the day in Martinique while sunset brings a new world to us.

 

A bit of Ti Punch, baguette, cheese, chocolate and some island music are all we need to count the falling stars in the night sky.

 

As Jimmy said, it’s also time to get that African parakeet and open up my trusty old mind, while I can still remember…

 

Sail on, sail on Savannah Sky…

St. Lucia

 

Savannah Sky in a berth at Rodney Bay Marina, St. Lucia

 Maria cooking up a 3-pound lobster in Bequia, along with some bacon ends

Our friends Hayden and Radeen on “Island Spirit” (Island Packet 35)

More friends: George and June on “Fathom This” and Maria (missing Hugh who took the picture) on “White Pearl”

Fishermen in Bequia with a great catch of three Yellow Fin Tuna (137 lbs, 138 lbs and 137 pounds).  Some say the fishermen just earned enough money for a new house.

Stag beer.  Trinidad advertising claims “It’s a Man’s beer.  But women like it too.”

S/Y Savannah Sky – February 8, 2025 – Log #21

Savannah Sky Position: 14 degrees 05’ N, 60 degrees 57’ W

Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, Caribbean

 

St. Lucia

 

After spending a month in Sweet Bequia it was time to set sail once again.

 

Leaving Bequia’s harbor at 1:30 am was quite a challenge because of all the unlit sailboats and ferries blocking our exit.  It seems seamanship has been lost at sea these days.

 

Luckily our engine started, more about that later, and we sailed into the black of night along the west coast of surly St. Vincent.

 

The volcano at the north end of St. Vincent is always something to dread.  Many sailing vessels have been damaged, dismasted and sunk in this treacherous stretch of water due to confused winds and seas.  The volcano rules everything around it including the sea.

 

Savannah Sky leapt through tumultuous waves as strong trade winds filled her sails.

 

There was green water flying across our deck as Savannah Sky’s bow knifed through the towering sea.

 

Luckily our windlass was already non-functional as more salt water could not cause any more damage with the anchor bubbling underwater.

 

Daylight come and we just wanted to be in the lee of St. Lucia, taking shelter from wind and waves.

 

The picturesque St. Lucia Pitons cast long shadows across our sails as the sun rose in the east. 

 

Winds always shift behind da islands and sailors rely on engine power to make their way up and down these leeward coasts.  Savannah Sky’s engine purred like a well-trained kitten pushing us further north towards Rodney Bay, St. Lucia.

 

Ah the engine story…

 

We arrived into Rodney Bay Marina and docked in a nice slip without any drama.  I switched the engine off once we were safely secured and ready for some rest.

 

I decided to restart the engine to check something and guess what?  The engine was dead.  Dead, as in DEAD.

 

Luckily, we managed to escape Bequia in the dark of night before our engine decided to take a rest.

 

It only took two weeks to get the mysterious hidden part to fix the blasted engine.  It seems we have a secondary solenoid that is necessary to start our engine, unbeknownst to Captain Steve.  Several hundred dollars later we had the part, repaired the engine and even got a new windlass installed and functional.  Ah, life at the dock is always filled with a long list of repairs, maintenance items and of course happy hour after happy hour with oh so many sailor friends in St. Lucia.

 

St. Lucia’s Rodney Bay has become a mecca for sailors we have met throughout the years down in the Caribbean.  It is always like coming home when we arrive here.

 

Restaurants, bars and even a gelato place line the “Boardwalk”, beckoning sailors to imbibe, visit with like-minded adventurers and even make new friends.

 

The southern Windward Islands tend to be the more remote and undeveloped part of the Eastern Caribbean.  Yet Rodney Bay gives sailors a chance to experience what lies ahead, to the north, with much sought after amenities we all seek, like modern well-stocked grocery stores!

 

Sail on, sail on Savannah Sky…

 

Christmas in the Caribbean

 

                                        Our Christmas picture from Spring, Bequia, St. Vincent

   Patty and Maria enjoying Savannah Sky

 

Bequia hiking group to Cinnamon Park with St. Vincent in the background: Chis and Hilary, Patty, Maria, Maria, Dawn, Steve and Laurie with the florescent headdress.
 

Bequia anchorage at night with Christmas light everywhere

Palm trees at Spring Bay, Bequia

The sailing fleet anchored in Admiralty Bay, Bequia, St. Vincent for the holidays

137 pounds of yellow fin tuna, plus 2 more identical ones, just caught by local fishermen in Bequia

Spa Day at the Plantation, Bequia for Maria and Patty

Christmas Parrot on Savannah Sky

Sailboat umbilical cords at Port Louis Marina.  If you don’t disconnect, you never leave the dock.

Savanna Sky at Port Louis Marina, Grenada

Port Louis Marina, St. George’s, Grenada with the Fort in the distance

Dawn, Maria, Maria, Hugh, Laurie and Steve in Grenada

Grenada hike to the Friday BBQ at the Grenada Yacht Club.  Maria, Dawn, Maria, Steve and Laurie

S/Y Savannah Sky – December 24, 2024 – Log #20

Savannah Sky Position: 13 degrees 00’ N, 61 degrees 15’ W

Bequia, St. Vincent, Caribbean

 

Christmas in the Caribbean

 

Launching Savannah Sky into the blue Caribbean Sea in Grenada is always stressful.  Will she float?  What gremlins might appear that we have to find and eradicate quickly?

 

Ah, it is a sailboat so the unexpected becomes the expected, or so it seems.

 

Putting Savannah Sky back in order at Port Louis Marina was hot hot hot.  There isn’t much breeze in the bay and our heat tolerance had to built-up once again.

 

Our days were spent cleaning, fixing, putting sails on, checking all systems and going over our trusty engine and generator making sure things worked as expected.

 

Then there were day hikes with our friends, Dawn and Laurie on their catamaran Cat Tales to grocery stores and restaurants.  New friends Hugh and Maria, also from New Brunswick, Canada on their 56-foot massive power boat White Pearl, brightened up our days in the steamy tropics.

 

Because a sailing rally called the ARC+ with 96 boats was due to arrive in the Marina, we had no choice but to sail away before we were really ready.  But plan B is always lurking in our minds down in these little latitudes.

 

We bashed our way north from Grenada to Carriacou in lively conditions.  Carriacou was essentially destroyed when category 5 hurricane Beryl leveled the island in July of this year.  Destruction is everywhere with what were houses and businesses completely gone.

 

As we attempted to anchor in Carriacou’s Tyrell Bay, taking care to avoid any debris on the seabed from the hurricane, our trusty anchor lowering system, a windlass, decided to self-destruct leaving over 100 pounds of anchor and stainless-steel chain uselessly dangling in the clear water.

 

Thinking quickly (ha ha), we remember there were untrustworthy moorings scattered about the bay that might hold us in place for a day.  Grabbing a mooring, we secured Savannah Sky before working on our wayward half deployed anchor.

 

The windlass itself was beyond repair and unworkable.  So Captain Steve had to retrieve the 90 pound anchor and associated chain lifting by hand.  How difficult could that be?

 

Yeow.  Luckily no fingers were lost in the process. 

 

Dropping our mooring ball at dawn the next day, it was more bashing north to Sweet Bequia and another mooring ball due to our wayward windlass.

Maria’s long-time nursing friend Patty flew into St. Vincent where we met her at the ferry dock and escorted her back to Bequia and a waiting Savannah Sky for her 11-day sojourn on the warm Caribbean sea in the tropics. 

 

It was fun having a guest on Savannah Sky, something we hardly ever do.  Patty was the perfect guest: meeting and partying with all our sailor friends, hiking, drinking, wandering around Bequia, drinking, eating, drinking, swimming, spa day, massages and oh so much more.

 

Christmas in Bequia is always very special with sailors from every point of the globe gathering for these festivities and trying to party like the locals.  It simply doesn’t get any better than this.

 

Here’s wishing all our family and friends a very Merry Christmas!

 

Sail on, sail on Savannah Sky…

A New Sailing Season in the Sunny Caribbean

 

 

Boat yard fun at Spice Island Marine, Grenada

Our friends Cat Tales (Dawn & Laurie) launching before us in Grenada

Spice Island Boat Yard, Grenada

Savannah Sky touching the warm Caribbean Sea

Steve mashing the little white ball on Barbados

Maria riding the famous New York City subway

Tim at sea on the cruise ship

Oh the food!

Dinner on the Oceania cruise ship

Rihanna's home on Barbados

Where it all began for Maria at Ellis Island

Our Oceania Insignia cruise ship is the little one!

Le Select bar on St. Barths.  Where Jimmy Buffett spent a LOT of time.

Culture on the cruise ship with the ladies from Warsaw, Poland

Visiting Saline Beach on St. Barths with Maria, Tim and Debbie

Just an old sailor on Barbados

The Lady who we visited in New York City

Maria enjoying a nice walk around the cruise ship

Ellis Island

A sporty and wet ride on a cattlemaran to Bequia from mainland St. Vincent

S/Y Savannah Sky – November 27, 2024 – Log #19 Savannah Sky 

Position: 12 degrees 02’ N, 61 degrees 45’ W 

St. Georges, Grenada, Caribbean 

A New Sailing Season in the Sunny Caribbean 

We took a different route to get back to Savannah Sky this year. Flying just seemed too easy so we took an Oceania cruise ship that left from New York City and made stops all the way to Grenada where we jumped ship after 10 food inspired days at sea. 

Our friends Tim and Debbie were along on the cruise too, so we had someone to eat, drink, party, hike and explore islands together. 

We stopped along the way at Bermuda, St. Barths, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Vincent & Bequia and finally Grenada. 

The ship continued to the ABC’s but without us onboard. 

Once in Grenada we launched Savannah Sky into the blue Caribbean Sea and are now putting her back together for another sunny and fun-filled cruising season in these little latitudes. 

Yes, there is a lot of sweating going on 24/7! 

Sail on, sail on Savannah Sky…

Back in Grenada

Cas en Bas beach, St. Lucia with an old rocket booster that landed here

Maria hiking in St. Lucia

"Vision", the Ocean Cruising Club Port Officer in St. Lucia with his family

An Ocean Cruising Club dinner in St. Lucia

Maria and Jen (Tanglewood) at Cas en Bas beach

Cas en Bas beach, St. Lucia

Drone picture of the entrance to Rodney Bay Marina, St. Lucia

Our trusty Yanmar engine getting some much needed care...

Savannah Sky in Sweet Bequia

Dinner with our Blue Water Rally sailing friends, Katrin and Steve (Dorado)

Sweet Bequia. Savannah Sky is the last boat at the bottom of the picture.  Note the anchor and keel scars behind her, indicating boats that hit the reef located there. Geeze.

Savannah Sky under sail - taken by Cat Tales, off Union Island, St. Vincent

Sweet Bequia as I first saw her in 1970

Sunset in Sweet Bequia

Mick outside the Bequia liquor store

Sailors in Bequia headed for the floating bar, Bar One, on the left side of the picture

St. Georges, Grenada.  It has changed a little since this picture was taken, ha ha.

 

                               Cassada Bay, Carriacou

 

S/Y Savannah Sky – March 31, 2024 – Log #18

Savannah Sky Position: 12 degrees 02’ N, 61 degrees 45’ W

St. Georges, Grenada, Caribbean

 

Back in Grenada

 

Let’s see, a lot of water has passed beneath our keel since the last blog entry, or so it seems.

 

We left St. Lucia with our fully serviced and repaired engine, new high pressure water maker hose, new sails and lots of groceries for the voyage south.

 

Our next landfall was in Sweet Bequia, once again.

 

Winter sailing crowds have departed, so all we get to watch were wayward charter boats running aground on the reef right behind where Savannah Sky was moored or anchor too close to other boats in the dark of night.

 

At least we are not lacking for entertainment with all the activity!

 

We spent our days hiking, eating lunch with friends and even a few Happy Hours at a great place called the Cocktail Lab.

 

The mixologist at the Cocktail Lab, Ivor, was amazing at what he could whip up, given just a name of a particular drink.  Of course he has his specialties too, as well as local Hairoun beer and an assortment of RUM.

 

Dawn and Laurie (Cat Tales), their guests for a week (Leo and Jo-Anne from Canada), Linda and Garry (x-July Indian) as well as Charlie and Anina (Prism – who crewed with us across the Atlantic this season) were fun to be with as we lounged in Bequia.

 

Mick Jagger even made a visit to Bequia, from his home on the neighboring island of Mustique.  Mick (well, as everyone knows his name) even posted a picture of himself outside the local liquor store, of all places.

 

The infamous “Boley Bash” even took place where musicians gather and jam the night away.  Some sailors are ‘retired’ musicians who never forget how to play or entertain an audience to keep things rocking.

 

Then it was time for more fare-the-wells, as sailors always tend to do during the waning sailing season that is upon us.

 

Prism went to Trinidad, x-July Indian went back to Canada while Cat Tales stayed around to keep us company before we sailed down to Carriacou.

 

Arrival at the smallish island of Carriacou (part of Grenada) took place just before a monster storm tore through the Bahamas, sending long swells from the far-off storm into the bay we were anchored.  That same storm also destroyed our beloved Trade winds, giving us a strange west wind that blew directly into the anchorage.

 

Luckily, we departed Carriacou’s Tyrell Bay just before the nasty wind and seas penetrated this far south, where it created very uncomfortable conditions for those boats at anchor in the bay.

 

We followed Cat Tales around to the seldom visited eastern side of Carriacou and a lovely anchorage called Cassada Bay.  This remote place gave us a bit of shelter from the unfavorable weather on the other, western side of Carriacou.

 

However, all was not as smooth as we hoped at Cassada Bay. 

 

Around midnight and again at 2:30 in the morning we were hit by what Maria thought was a volcanic eruption under our boat.

 

Savannah Sky bounced, as well as rock and rolled to a beat that was pretty incredible and very uncomfortable for a few minutes each time.

 

Sometimes, when the strong tide changes on the east side of Carriacou, bad things can still happen, as we felt the nasty waves that awoke us from a nice relaxing sleep.

 

The mainland of Grenada could easily be seen from our anchorage so we left the deserted bay and sailed further south, arriving in time for lunch at Port Louis Marina.

 

Port Louis Marina: where we made landfall after crossing the Atlantic Ocean in December.  PLM, as it is known, also has the absolute best hot showers in the entire Caribbean.

 

Funny how that all worked out, ha ha.

 

Now it is time to prepare Savannah Sky for summer hurricane storage in Grenada.

 

Our storage preparation will take us the good part of two weeks with another week’s worth of work while she is out of the water and secured on dry land.

 

Maria is pretty much ready for life on land again, after nearly a year away out at sea and at anchor.

 

Having sailed over 5,200 nm this season is far enough for her; she reminds me from time to time.

 

Captain Steve, well… he’s got salt water on his brain.

 

Sail on, sail on Savannah Sky…