We left the marina on the 20th and anchored in Rodney Bay South, waiting for a weather window to sail to Martinique.
We took the dinghy to town to drop off our dirty laundry (which, by the way, cost $80 (!) to wash and dry, although it was probably three loads). When we got in the dinghy later that afternoon to pick up the laundry, the motor wouldn’t start. We tried for some time, then left it alone for 15 minutes so it could sulk since it was clearly having one of those days. 😉
This time it started right up. We took off towards the marina (the laundry is there) but about halfway there, the motor stopped. We couldn’t get it going so we were preparing to row the rest of the way. Turns out we didn’t have to do that because a couple in another dinghy asked us if we wanted a tow. We did!
We picked up our laundry and went back to the dinghy. The motor started and ran all the way back to Seahike.
But it appeared that the dinghy had a leak. There was more water in the bottom than usual, even after a good rain. Michael decided this was probably as good a time as any to buy a new dinghy.
For those who don’t know or don’t recall, the dinghy we were using was made specifically for us in Cairo, Egypt in December of 2022. We had been completely unsuccessful in finding a dinghy since we bought Seahike in the Seychelles on September 1, 2022. So, there we were in Port Ghalib (Egypt) in December, and we still didn’t have a dinghy. We would be going through the Suez Canal, then to Cyprus and then to the Med, so we truly needed a dinghy. It would be rather difficult to visit islands in the Med without one. We went to many stores, but no one had what we needed. So, our agent (sailors need an agent in the middle east to make everything go smoothly) arranged to have one made for us. We put the specs in writing to the manufacturer and paid half up front.
Yes, this was risky. We hadn’t seen any product, not even a picture, but we gave them the $$. We were rather desperate at this point, and the price was actually much less than we planned to pay for a dinghy. We figured that if it only lasted one season it was worth it.
But it lasted two full seasons and more! (I should note in the end that we don’t think the dinghy had a leak, but this seemed like as good a time as any to get a new dinghy.)
Two of our new sailing friends had purchased their dinghy at this exact location, so we visited the shop and picked out the dinghy we wanted. It was ready for us the next day! It wasn’t until we rode in it that I realized just how great a dinghy ride could be. (Keep in mind that I hadn’t been in a dinghy for some time and was used to the “home made” one by this time.) This one flew through the water! It was a dream.
Here are a couple of pictures of our lovely new dinghy:
Okay, back to the story. But first, this cat that hung around the marina in St. Lucia. Can’t you just picture where the genes from one parent left off and the others kicked in!
Okay, now back to the story. But wait, first pictures of lunch.
We ate lunch ashore one day while waiting for the weather window. I was somewhat amused by Michael’s “cutting board” plate and his waffles and syrup. In the US, we (I, anyway) drown our waffles in syrup. That wouldn’t be happening any time soon for Michael, since the board had no edges. So he just dipped waffle bites in the syrup. Which is actually quite fine and rather tidy. My meal was bread covered with a tomato and something or other topping. It was just okay. Too filling, so I just ate half. The veggies that accompanied the sandwich were actually the best part of the meal.
As we waited, I made scones for the first time on Seahike. The veggie steaming tray made for a good cooling rack. I’d also purchased two puzzles at a mall somewhat near the marina and we assembled one of them.
The sign pictured below amuses me. I saw it every time I took a walk or run in that area. Yes, when I think, “Hong Kong,” I always think, “Heineken.”
And, then the weather window appeared. Good bye St. Lucia! You sure are pretty! Leaving Rodney Bay:
We sailed to Martinique with two reefs in the main and two in the genoa. We anchored at Grande Anse d’Arlet our first two nights in Martinique. We weren’t planning to visit Martinique on this pass, as two of our friends are visiting us for 10 days in March in Martinique. So we left for Dominica just two days after arriving in Martinique.
The second night at anchor in Martinique:
The beautiful coast of Martinique as we left on January 30th:
The wind was really wonky along the coast. Sometimes it was from the east, sometimes from the west, others times from the NE or NW. The mountains on the island were wreaking havoc with the winds.
Once we got beyond the island, the seas got a bit crazy (six to nine meters) and the wind gusted to the high 20s. This was not what was predicted at all. I actually felt a bit seasick even though I’d taken my meds. Thankfully, we had put two reefs in the main and were able to easily set the genoa with only two reefs.
But we made it to Dominica safely. Michael was at the helm the entire time since I needed to lie down to keep from getting sicker.
We moored in a small quiet area about ¼ mile from the cruise terminal in Roseau, Dominica. The mooring ball cost $20/night.
Then it was time to check into Dominica. That was fun! Not. It took us quite a few tries to figure out where to take the dinghy to check in. We ended up putting the dinghy in a “restricted” area of the ferry terminal. When we walked up to the Customs and Immigration area, we were told that we needed to wait for the ferry passengers (the ferry had just arrived, bad timing) before we could clear in. They said it could take up to an hour.
So we sat. And we sat. And we sat. After what seemed to be plenty of time for the ferry passengers to be “processed,” I told Michael I thought they’d forgotten about us and asked him to check. They had. There was no one in line. It took all of five minutes for the guy to check us in.
Back to Seahike. There was a weird odor coming from the shore. Weird, as in unpleasant. We decided to check out Pringles Bay, about a 15-minute trip up the coast. We were not impressed, so we headed back to where we’d been. But this time we told them we were probably staying for three or four nights, so they put us on a ball farther away from the building from which the smell emanated. We also arranged to go on a tour with them. They told us they’d get back to us to see if we could join another group to reduce the cost.
Views of the coast:
We went ashore for dinner that night (January 31st) and had a nice meal. I thought we were just going for a beer (I wasn’t hungry), but Michael said he was ready for dinner. I ordered wings (yep wings in Dominica) and Michael ordered a real meal of seafood pasta.
We could see Seahike from the restaurant (she is circled in green):
It was a beautiful sunset that night.
We got the go-ahead to take the tour with the other group the next day. I will share that wonderful experience in the next post.
