What do you do when you complete your captain’s license? You travel to the Caribbean, of course. After passing my masters upgrade and endorsements, I wasted no time and the next day hopped on a plane bound for Martinique to sail with friends John and Tadji. From my experience, the only easy way to fly to Martinique from the states is through Norwegian airlines. Unfortunately, there is rumor that Norwegian plans to discontinue flights to Martinique in the near future. Hopefully, they can continue the flights out of JFK and FLL airports as the 3 hour nonstop flight is much better than 3 layovers upon leaving the states. After a delayed late night arrival in Lauderdale, I caught the shuttle to the wonderful Morrison Hotel and enjoyed a few restful hours sleeping in an actual bed (instead of slumming it on the floor of the airport which I had, briefly, considered). After catching the hotel’s shuttle, I made my way to FLL to catch my 70% full flight to Martinique. Once arriving and clearing customs, I walked out to meet friends of John and Tadji who were picking me up from the airport.
The scenic trip to Le Marin took me past fields of grass and livestock, busy city streets, and mountainous peaks rising up from dark blue waters that occasionally were just feet from the roadside. I hopped out by the boulangerie and glanced down the sidewalk to see the tall and stoic figure of John cheerfully strolling my way. After our meeting, we made our way to our perpetual first stop: somewhere that sells wine. After loading our arms with nectar, we made our way down a maze of docks towards Quetzal. You may remember Quetzal as the boat I wrote about in April. Though that voyage barely lasted beyond the mooring ball, this time, we were able to avoid accident. Not only did we make it off the dock, but we had an amazing time and got in some pretty sweet Caribbean sailing.
Once our final crew member, Brian, made it to the marina to join John, Tadji, Roger and I made the short walk to L`Annex. This AWESOME restaurant served your choice of raw meat (I chose the dorado) on a platter with fries and a small salad. Next they brought out a smoking hot stone which they placed in the middle of the table for everyone to cook to their preference. Apparently we weren’t the only ones who thought the food was good. Many cats roamed the area and even a dog walked through at one point to visit everyone. Despite all the sweet aromas of fish, beef and pork smoking away, none of the animals were begging for food. Maybe it was because they were already full? Regardless, it was an awesome experience and we spent the evening catching up over a few bottles of wine.
After a good night of rest (I think the wine may have helped a bit too) I woke to a beautiful sunny morning and joined the crew for a cup of coffee and breakfast before preparing for departure. The boat was med moored (which means the boat’s stern is against the dock and the bow is tied off to an underwater mooring or anchor). The boats tied up next to you are very close and all the boats hulls are covered in fenders for obvious reasons. After saying bye to our friendly neighbors aboard a Dehler (of course, only cool people sail Dehlers 😉 ) and using the Island Packet to port as a springboard with the wind coming over the starboard bow, we managed to clear all the underwater obstacles and make our way out. In the process, we dropped a fender, but our gracious neighbors fished it from the sea and returned it to us. After saying our goodbyes again, we cautiously made our way out of the harbor and raised the new genoa John had onboard. His previous sail blew apart almost hours before I arrived. Always prepared, John had a new backup sail. Once raising the headsail and throwing a reef in the main, we were heading west and leaving Le Marin behind.
After spending the day tacking back and forth across the perfect winds before setting our rum line towards the small town of St.Pierre with the intention of making it there for captain’s hour. Upon locating a cozy spot in the anchorage, we were able to find a “shallow” spot at 60 feet deep. (I’m not on Carlyle anymore!)
After setting out a large portion of our rode we mixed ourselves cuban rum drinks and sat back for what we knew would be a magnificent sunset. With a clear sky and nothing on the horizon, we were surprised to see the famous green flash. After all the sunsets I have seen I was starting to become quite skeptical of this sailor’s lore. But, upon witnessing the flash, my fellow male crewmembers and I cheered with excitement. Tadji, still a non-believer, was turned away at that magical moment. Up until that moment I was a non believer for that same reason, though Emily has sworn she saw one while we were in Alaska. Damn. There’ll be no living with her now, I thought.
After an additional celebratory drink, we found sleeping quite pleasant and fell into a deep slumber in the calm anchorage. That was until the current and wind started doing funny things with our boat and others. Tight anchorages, lots of necessary rode and a humorous neptune can sometimes lead to boats getting a little too close in the wee hours of the night. After setting up a shift to take watch, I woke to take the morning shift and watch the beautiful sunrise cascade its light down the mountain side and onto quetzal’s deck.
After a few cups of coffee, the crew launched the inflatable dinghy and we made our way into to the quaint town of St.Pierre. Making our way through the beaten concrete and brick roads led us past many closed shops on that Sunday morning as most the locals attended church or slept off the late night before. There was, however, a fabulous market setup right by our dinghy dock and Tadji found fresh fruit and other surprise items to bring aboard. We made a relatively early departure to attempt and arrive at our destination of the island of Dominica before sunset. Had we been able to take advantage of our planned beam reach across, that may have worked out. Instead we were greeted with every wind condition and direction imaginable as we battled squalls and katabatic winds. Rounding north of Martinique we received the expected heading winds as we rounded the island and entered the pass. What we didn’t count on was the squalls that sent winds up above 30 knots barreling into us along with a driven sea state to go with it. After one of the more exhilarating sails of my life, we finally turned onto a screaming beam reach towards Dominica. After reefing and unreefing multiple times we found our winds lightening as we approached the island. As we aimed to squeeze every knot out of Quetzal, we were ultimately forced to the realization that we would be entering the harbor with the sun well below the horizon. John, having been these waters multiple times had not visited after the destructive hurricane Irma barreled it’s way across the Caribbean Islands. There was a rumor that the island had been littered with wrecks from the storm. Armed with a cantankerous flashlight I went to the bow to periodically scan the horizon for any uncharted obstructions that may lay ahead. In between scanning I noticed a faint glow moving slowly across the water and in our direction accompanied by a faint murmur of an idling outboard engine. The skiff turned out to be Albert, one of Dominica’s boat boys. The boat boys of the Caribbean help pilot boats, locate supplies and even take you on guided tours. John was good friends with a man named Edison who was partaking in the sunday night cruisers barbeque on shore. Albert showed us a good anchoring spot for the night and let Edison know of our arrival.
Coming into harbor in the pitch dark, all we could see were the lights from houses that dotted the hill side. When I climbed out of the companionway the next morning, I was surrounded by a beautiful island with lush green forests climbing the steep mountains. While sitting in the cockpit with Roger and Brian sipping our coffee, I noticed a dinghy heading our way at planing speed. What set this particular boat apart was the large wolffish figure that stood stoically on the bow as if leading it’s human counterpart in the direction intended. There are a lot of dinghies in the Caribbean, but very few, if any, sport a massive black dog that prefers dinghy rides over car rides. This one in particular happened to be a good friend of mine from Carlyle. What a small world. Brian saw my ping the night before and swung by to say hi. It was great to meet up in a different part of the world.
Soon, John’s friend, Edison, was alongside Quetzal and aboard admiring all the new work and personal touches John and Tadji have put into the boat since their last time in Dominica. After another round of coffee, breakfast and goodbyes we were on our way once again hauling anchor and sailing through the cut between Dominica and Guadeloupe. After another day of exhilarating sailing we finally arrived at our destination for the evening: Les Saintses.
Tucked beneath the larger island of Guadeloupe, Les Saintes are a small island chain with beautiful scenery but much less elevation. However, the island has cliffs shooting from the sea creating a scenic view. Arriving in the afternoon like we did unfortunately means you most likely won’t find a mooring. Fortunately, there is a nice anchorage just outside of the mooring field and we found a perfect spot to drop Quetzal’s new anchor in a new record for us, only 40 feet of water. Once the anchor was properly set we took advantage of the crystal clear water for a swim and a good rinse. The crew and I put on our fancy shirts, or at least the only ones we had that didn’t smell like saltwater, and took the dinghy into the town of Terre-de-haut. After wandering up and down the streets and capturing magnificent pictures of sunset we made our way towards the center of town where we met John and Tadji for a quick drink at the Cafe de la marine. After the sun finally set we walked across the street to Au bon Vivre: an amazing place serving fantastic French cuisine. I decided on the yellowfin and aligot and finished it all off with an amazing dessert pictured below. With our bellies full we made our way to our sleeping stations. This particular night was too nice not to spend the evening beneath the stars. That was until the rain and squalls came in. I’ll admit, it took me a while to notice the rain until I felt a damp sensation on my foot coming through my portable hammock I use as a sleeping bag and the boat swaying back and forth as the wind and Quetzal’s keel played a tug of war game throughout the night.
Another round of stout sailor coffee and we were off on what would be a wet close-hauled sail to the island of Marie-Galante. After making multiple tacks through the short steep waves, we arrived at the small town of Grand-Bourg. We decided to anchor just outside the entrance which was protected by a windward reef. Once the anchor was set we fired up the watermaker. Once the tanks were filled, we celebrated captain’s hour before sitting down for a fabulous dinner made by Tadji. I slept in the cockpit again listening to the sound of waves crashing on the nearby shore and the boat slowly rolling from the waves passing over the reef. The next morning I awoke to the sound of the ferry departing. We took the dinghy into town to wander the streets and provision before our departure and overnight sail back to Martinique. We ventured through the streets checking out all checking out the local shops and art. There was also an older church that was beautiful despite having weathered many storms. Once we had our fun and stretched our legs it was back to the boat to start our sail back to Martinique.
Originally, our sailing forecast set us on a leisurely beam reach making good time and a smooth ride. Apparently the wind gods had other ideas, and we ended up sailing close-hauled for the majority of the trip. Fortunately, Quetzal sails well to windward; something not many cruising boats can boast. As we made our way slowly around Dominica we took advantage of the clear skies and noon hour and grabbed a sight on our sextants. The last time I used a sextant was sailing to the Bahamas a few years ago so it was nice to test my brain and spend some more time holding one to the horizon. They are amazing instruments and really make you realize how much the world has changed over the past century. GPS accuracy is within a few feet nowadays where as if you were within a few miles with a sextant it was a good sight.
Eventually the wind slowly started to increase and move in a more favorable direction for our course. Quetzal kept a good pace charging through the large, slow moving swell that had traveled all the way from the West African coast line to meet us. As the sun slowly began receding over the Caribbean, we chowed down on some delicious chicken stew cooked in the pressure cooker. Traversing the steep companionway to grab a jacket led me into a cabin filled with the aroma of chicken and spices as the pressure cooker steamed like a locomotive. After finishing our meals, having a fabulous Captain’s hour, and cleaning dishes, we received our shifts. Tadji and I would take the first shift into the night and wake early the next morning. The small squalls that frequent the Caribbean kept their distance as we galloped our way towards the southern Cross.
One of the most memorable experiences from all my offshore sailing trips are the remarkable night skies. This particular evening allowed not only a view of Polaris, the North Star, but also the Southern Cross and Milky Way. We were also fortunate to have the rolling ocean turn a bioluminescent green from plankton alarmed by Quetzal’s presence. Tadji and I swapped stories before the next shift took over. Brian and Roger took the helm and we conversed our course before heading to the cabin to grab a few hours of rest. I clambered into my pilot berth on the windward side of the boat, set my footing and arms in place and dozed off. One of my biggest struggles has always been waking up to alarms, and I hate turning my phone on full volume when on a boat with other crew. When my it was my shift, John woke me and asked if I even slept. Apparently, I looked like a goat perched on a mountain side. I climbed into the cockpit to see the southern tip of Martinique a few miles away.
We were sailing downwind slowly making our turn back to the coastal town of Marin. We were early to get our slip, so we took advantage of the shallow water that is hard to find in the Caribbean and went for a dip in the crystal clear water. Swimming over our anchor visibly showed we picked a perfect spot. Feet away in every direction laid piles of junk. It would not have been fun untangling that mess! Climbing up the stern ladder, I looked to my left and saw a curious sea turtle. After watching me for about a minute he slowly slipped beneath the surface and disappeared into the blue abyss. After our swim, we got the all clear to head towards our slip. Once med moored to the large concrete dock we completed a few onboard tasks before taking showers. Dinner was an easy choice and back to L`Annex we went. After another amazing meal of mahi on the rock we went back to the boat to crack open a few more bottles of fine wine John picked out while listening to music and chatting about the past, the trip and the future.
After passing out in my favorite bunk for the last time I quickly fell asleep as Quetzal lay still in the protected harbor. A few hours later my alarm was ringing in my face and it was time to depart towards my next journey. After saying our goodbyes to John, I hopped in the same van that brought me to Marin and off to the airport Brian, Roger and myself went. While waiting for the plane to board, Brian and Roger bought me a breakfast sandwich and a European-sized coffee. It was a kind gesture and we said our final goodbyes as they called for my flight to board. The flight was uneventful and upon arriving at the Ft. Lauderdale, I was greeted by a friendly rental car associate who upgraded me to a full-size truck. Bingo. Just what I needed: some American horsepower for cruising the Keys. Away I drove towards familiar Marathon. One of my good friends, Mike, who was a fellow liveaboard in Illinois now lives in Marathon and I figured I couldn’t miss a night of drinks when I was so close! I made the trip and met him and his wife Kathy at Overseas: a cool restaurant with good food and Sailor Jerry rum, our old go-to refreshment. After a few drinks we moved the gathering to their place and eventually made our way to bed.
The next morning I took an actual shower with warm water. It’s all about the little things. Mike had to stay on schedule with work so Kathy and I went to Porky’s for breakfast. Afterwards, we met up with Mike one last time to say goodbye before heading through the Everglades dodging alligators to spend a few days with family on the west coast of FLA before returning home to my lovely wife who turned out to be right about the green flash all along.
