Crossing Saint Martin to Martinique

Over the past few days, Jeroen and Rajesh have worked hard to complete various jobs on board. With a very happy wife/mother as a result, because I can now wash and/or dry on the boat and prepare the tastiest meals with the new gas stove/oven (which in turn has a positive effect on husband and son J) in my point of view a win-win situation. The day before departure we go to the immigration to check out and are told that the bridge will open for outgoing boats at 4 pm, we raise the anchor in time and already sail towards the bridge, not realizing that we already have a week in shallow water (only 20cm of water under the keel) and after sailing ten meters we run aground on a sandbank.. well done Jeroen.. :-).  We are well secured and attempts to free ourselves with the engine do not seem to work, a strong gust of wind helps us. The boat is blown crooked by a strong 30 knot wind gust and the boat comes loose from the sand, mother nature has lent us a hand and we are still in time for the bridge and then anchor in the outer bay.  Once there we prepare the boat, check whether we have enough to eat for our crossing and do the last small errands. Once back on the boat, we hoist the dinghy at the back of the boat and store the dinghy’s outboard motor. At that moment, the coastguard sails through the bay and asks us if we have just arrived, no we have just checked out and are leaving tomorrow morning. At first they were satisfied with this, but later they came back to announce that they wanted to do a control check.  Not only the papers, but also with the safety on board. Three coastguards came on board and, in addition to our paper, also looked at our certificate II, our flares (they mainly check if they are not out of date), whether we have enough life jackets on board, a life raft and when it was last inspected and the amount of fire extinguishers and whether they are still good.  In the end, everything turned out to be good and unfortunately we only received a verbal OK stamp and they wished us a safe journey.  It was nice to experience it once, especially because other people in the bay were very interested and were sitting on their boats watching if everything was going well.  (Perhaps someone recognizes this from camping sites, where people sit in front of their tent with a beer and watch when new people arrive and have to set up their tent….).

We have downloaded the latest Predictwind information and everything looks good for our crossing to Martinique.  It is a sailing trip of 240 NM which will be about 2.5 days.  We will have a half to a upwind course during the trip and a wind speed between 10 and 20 knots.  Wednesday 11 August at 11.15 am we give the sea a sip of rum for the blessing of a good crossing and we give ourselves a pill to prevent seasickness.  At 11:30 AM we raise the anchor and sail out Simpson Bay.  Soon after we leave the bay we hoist the sails and set course for Martinique.  During our trip, we will pass various islands, of which we will visit a few more when we return to the Bahamas in a few months. We sail at a nice speed between 6 and 7.5 knots.  Soon you see the flying fish jumping out of the water again and then they fly above the surface of the water, they touch the surface of the water about three times after which they dive under the water again. Sometimes you see just a few of them at a time and or a whole group. We also have seen a dolphin! Soon Saint Martin becomes smaller and the sun slowly sets. 

After dinner, our crossing schedule starts.  For now, that means one of us goes down below to sleep, the other stays in the cockpit and also tries to sleep, and someone is at the steering wheel. We switch places every three hours.  It is almost full moon and because of this the sky is beautifully lit and you have great  view over the sea during this night crossing. On the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis that we encounter along the way, lights are burning everywhere. This all contributes to making it a lot more comfortable sailing than the previous crossing. 

You learn not only to sail on a sailboat, but also to take initiative and decisions.  As relaxed as sailing can be, sometimes decisions can’t be postponed.  Sometimes you want to keep sailing a certain course, but the strength of the current and the strength of the wind does not always make it possible to keep it and you are pushed closer to shore than you would like.  As a result, it may be necessary to adjust or change the course.  It can also blow harder or softer in one go, so that you have to immediately take in sail (reef) or hoist more sails.  Actions therefore sometimes have to be decided and carried out immediately.  Choices must be adjusted according to the situation of the moment. This is certainly not easy in the beginning on your own, but by experiencing it and doing it, it feels more and more comfortable.  Ultimately, everything starts with a decision.  The beauty of a sailing trip is that no sailing trip is like another and that’s a good thing.  By adapting to whatever comes your way and by being guided by the wind and waves, you quickly develop a flexibility that also comes in handy in daily life.  Sailing is also letting your senses experience life. Feel the wind on your face, taste the salt on your lips, smell the salty sea air, hear the lapping of the water on the hull of the boat and the clatter of the water passing by, feel the wind in your hair.  Feel one with nature and experience how the sea runs its course, experience the beauty of a windless moment.  There is so much to see, feel, taste, smell and hear at sea.  Open up and discover more than you can imagine right now.  Sailing is taking care of the boat, yourself and each other.  You ensure proper and safe navigation and the safety of everyone on board.  It is very important for a sailor that all your first needs are met.  Hunger, cold, fear and fatigue are the most important enemies of sailors.  A great sailing experience is based on taking responsibility, and that starts with yourself!  Once at sea you are free.  An infinite amount of possibilities lie ahead.  You are free to go wherever you want.  I can honestly say that so far the choice to go sailing makes us happy and the learning and growth process we are all going through has lived up to our expectations.  After 44 hours, we sail into the bay at 6am at sunrise at Fort de France of Martinique.  We did it and it was a nice crossing.  After dropping anchor, we all close our eyes for a while before going to immigration to check in.