From Gut Feeling to Various Victories; Adventures in the Caribbean Paradise

Let’s be honest: how many of you have ever woken up with that strange gut feeling whispering, “This is not your day. Just go back to sleep!” This morning was one of those moments for me. I can’t pinpoint why that feeling was there, especially on an important day! So, I decided to share it with Jeroen and Rajesh, and quickly, we all agreed that it would be wiser for me to take the dinghy to the shore to catch the lines when they arrived.

The day we had been eagerly anticipating we had finally arrived. Today, we were entering the harbour, and I was nervous due to the limited steering capabilities and the occasional wheel blockage. Before we could set off, Jeroen discovered that the anchor chain needed cleaning because the algae was attached. Jeroen and Rajesh had to go into the water to scrub the algae off. If you don’t thoroughly clean the chain before it goes into the anchor locker, it creates an odour suspiciously resembling spoiled fish. How do we know this? Unfortunately, through trial and error. About eight months ago, we were anchored here for three weeks, and we didn’t notice how much algae was on the chain. Three days later, we were desperately searching all the cabinets on the boat to figure out where that smell was coming from. When we finally discovered that the anchor chain wasn’t clean before entering the locker, we faced an unpleasant and time-consuming task. We had to clean the chain thoroughly, unroll the full hundred meters, and give the anchor locker a thorough cleaning. Let me tell you, we learned our lesson the hard way! Jeroen and Rajesh went into the water with scrub brushes at the ready. Fortunately, the algae growth was limited to the first 10 meters of the 40-meter-long anchor chain we had unrolled. Then, I hopped in the dinghy and went ahead to the shore in the harbour to be ready to catch the lines. Being already on the dock gave us more peace of mind than hoping someone on the dock would be there to catch the lines. As we headed to the harbour, Jeroen and Rajesh noticed that the compass wasn’t working correctly. Fortunately, they quickly realized that it was because there was a can of tuna too close to the compass.

As Jeroen and Rajesh approached the harbour, Jeroen hailed the harbour master on the VHF radio. I saw a boat from the harbour with an employee heading their way and stopped him for a moment to ask where our boat would dock. He pointed to the spot between an Amel 50 and a Beneteau where we had to go back in. I glanced at the Amel 50, a brand-new boat worth over a million euros. Hopefully, everything would go smoothly.

I informed the owner of the Beneteau about our steering issues and asked if he could provide an extra fender if needed. He smiled and asked if I was a bit nervous. I laughed and admitted that I was somewhat tense and wanted to dock without causing any damage to other boats. He gave me a reassuring wink and said, “It will be fine.” It’s always lovely when people react calmly and sense you could use a little support. The owner of the Amel wasn’t present; there were Amel technicians aboard.

The harbour employee moved an anchor buoy, allowing Jeroen to manoeuvre the boat backwards to the shore. Our bow thruster came in handy at that moment. Jeroen approached slowly, and the owner of the Beneteau informed Rajesh that he was ready with an extra fender if necessary so Rajesh could focus on throwing all the lines to the shore. Rajesh threw the first line to me, which I quickly secured, and then he tossed the other line. Afterwards, he rushed to the bow of the boat to hand the line to the harbour employee, who securely attached it to a forward anchor buoy. Yes! We breathed a sigh of relief, knowing we docked the boat without damaging other vessels.

At this moment, there is a calm before the approaching storm. Hurricane Tammy is on its way, and she probably will hit the mainland on Thursday or Friday. According to the current forecast, Martinique will likely be the first to be affected before Tammy moves north. We can only hope that the repair goes smoothly so we can depart on Wednesday. Jeroen is preparing to go to Amel to report our arrival and inquire if they can start work tomorrow morning. At that moment, an Amel technician approached us and asked if they could begin this afternoon. For us, this is good news, and we indicate that it’s not a problem. That afternoon, François begins the job, removing the worn-toothed strips for the rudder drive. One tooth of the toothed strips broke off, and some are worn. The Amel technician was installing the new toothed strips. The next day, François returns and checks all the bolts and cables running to the rudder. He replaces some bolts on the rudder, lubricates the wires, and adjusts them.

That afternoon, we make the final preparations for our crossing: we settle the bill with Amel, handle customs and immigration formalities, pay the harbour fees, and stock up on groceries for the next two weeks. We are excited to head to Carriacou to escape the approaching storm. The departure goes smoothly, and the steering wheel moves effortlessly in my hands, which is a beautiful feeling. Once we leave the channel, we hoist our sails and set course for Tyrell Bay in Carriacou. When we turn off the engine, we all exchange smiles. After five weeks of being stationary in Sainte Anne, we are finally sailing again.

Due to light winds, we sail at a leisurely pace of four knots, and I speak for all of us when I say that we don’t mind. Even if it takes two days to reach Carriacou, feeling the wind and the saltwater splashes on our faces, seeing flying fish leaping out of the water, and brown booby birds hunting for their favourite prey are familiar sights during our sailing journeys. Off the coast of Saint Lucia, dolphins come to say hello before continuing. For dinner, I prepared a chickpea curry with rice, and we enjoyed it during the sunset. We chat a bit before our watch schedule begins. We try to minimize the use of the engine. Still, when the wind completely dies down, we occasionally start the engine, especially when sailing behind islands where the wind often vanishes. During our trip, we saw no other boats. Our watches go smoothly. Jeroen and Rajesh both watch a movie, while I, in addition to writing, mainly gaze at the stars. Millions of stars shine brightly in the sky. I see four shooting stars, but there were likely many more, as I can’t look in all directions simultaneously.

After a little over 25 hours of sailing, we reach Tyrell Bay. Once we drop anchor, Jeroen and Rajesh launch the dinghy and attach the outboard motor. Through SailClear, an online check-in system used by many islands, I had already made an arrival notification. Then Jeroen goes to the customs and immigration office. Only 15 minutes later, he returns. He got lucky; the employees were about to close the doors early to go home. They asked Jeroen if he had registered through SailClear, and when he confirmed, the doors quickly reopened. Within less than 10 minutes, all formalities were completed. Then, the employees escorted Jeroen back outside and promptly closed the doors.

We decide to take a walk to stretch our legs on land together. We tied up the dinghy at the harbour, where we are scheduled to be hauled out on Tuesday. In the harbour office, we reported our arrival in Carriacou, and they confirmed that the appointment was in their system. Everything checked out, and we were given some forms to fill out and return on Tuesday. We strolled along the familiar street that runs along the bay and headed to the restaurant called “The Gallery Bistro.” This charming restaurant is run by a friendly British couple named Ann and John Osborne. John has a particular passion for cooking, especially in Indian cuisine, while Ann serves guests and engages in pleasant conversations with them. That evening, we decided to dine here and made a reservation. We were not disappointed once again, enjoying a delightful Chicken Tikka Masala prepared extra hot to suit Rajesh and Jeroen’s tastes and delivered with fresh naan bread. We couldn’t stop licking our fingers since it was so delicious..

The following day, we sailed to Sandy Island in about 30 minutes. It’s pretty crowded, but there is one available mooring buoy right by the beach. Before we head to that buoy, Jeroen gets in the dinghy with a depth sounder to check if the water isn’t too shallow for our boat. After receiving a reassuring signal, I steer the boat toward the mooring buoy while Rajesh prepares to attach the line to the anchor chain at the bow.

Our propeller problem, causing reduced engine RPM, potentially harmful to the engine, has kept Jeroen busy for almost two months and brought a lot of frustration. Through François, he obtained the email address of a former Amel technician who had dealt with similar issues. Jeroen sent him a detailed email, and the response he received was that he shouldn’t just focus on the propeller but also consider that there might be a problem with the engine itself. Various issues can be present in the engine, such as a faulty turbo, a blocked exhaust bend, or poor diesel flow, contributing to the reduced RPM.

With the planned haul-out of our boat on Tuesday, it’s wise for Jeroen to inspect these matters over the weekend. The prolonged search for a solution has brought significant tension, but a backyard like we have at Sandy Island it makes it a bit more enjoyable between the work. We snorkel a lot in the vicinity of Sandy Island and also at the neighbouring island of Mabouya, where we sailed with the dinghy. Once ashore, we hoped to hike to the summit but unfortunately found it impossible due to thick, thorny bushes and high rocks. Next, we explore the island by dinghy, looking for a suitable snorkelling spot. We don’t find a mooring buoy where we can attach the dinghy, so Jeroen decides to tow the dinghy behind him while snorkelling. It doesn’t take long before large schools of anchovies surround us. The waters here are deeper than around Sandy Island, resulting in more vibrant coral and a greater variety of fish.

In between snorkelling, Jeroen has disassembled the turbo and exhaust bend and replaced the diesel filters to make sure they are not causing the problem. He could only conclude that everything looked good. After everything was reassembled and tested, the conclusion was that the propeller pitch setting was incorrect. On Tuesday morning, we left Sandy Island early, heading to the haul-out in Tyrell Bay, where we had to be at 8:00 a.m. Everything went smoothly, and once on dry land, we collectively disassembled the propeller during breaks in the rain. We discovered that the settings, which Jeroen had adjusted with the MAX-Prop specialist and should be on K-E, were incorrectly set to L-E. Total amazement prevailed, and Jeroen wondered how this could have happened. He concluded that both probably wore the wrong reading glasses that day. After double-checking repeatedly, the setting was finally correctly set to K-E, and now we hoped this was indeed the correct pitch. After lunch, the marina employees launched our boat back into the water, and we sailed slowly out of the slip.

Outside the channel, we tested everything again. Then it happened: the correct engine RPM was reached once more. Words cannot express the immense relief we felt at that moment. A shout of joy escaped our throats, and we hugged each other in happiness. I felt a small tear of joy run down my cheek. We did it! We are entirely free again, and the burden of weeks of worry fell off our shoulders.

Before we sail north, we spend a few more days at one of our favourite anchorages: Anse La Roche Beach. Here, we hike along the High North Peak Trail, a challenging 1.5-hour climb through the forest to the viewpoint at the top. It’s a beautiful journey we had walked before. After the hike, we celebrate our success by dining at Tim’s Garraway Beach Barbecue, where we enjoy a delicious meal of fish, chicken, lobster, rice, and vegetable curry. It was truly delightful.

With renewed energy, we sail toward Tyrell Bay to check out. This time, Jeroen had less luck, as it took him three hours of waiting. Just when Jeroen was about to be served, it was time for their lunch break, meaning everyone took a break simultaneously. All you can do in such a situation is wait patiently and converse with your neighbour.

Once Jeroen returned, we completed the last few errands, and at 3:35 p.m., we left Tyrell Bay, setting course for Martinique. Here, we must make a brief stop for some boat parts that have arrived. As we watch Carriacou shrink in the distance, we enjoy a 20-knot breeze, sailing at about 8 knots toward Martinique. Bon Voyage!