Navigating Barbados for Visas and the Green Monkeys

An unusual sailing trip from Martinique to Barbados, in which unconventional decisions and official obligations collide on the unpredictable waves of the ocean.

When sailors cross the traditional trade wind route and traverse the Atlantic Ocean, Barbados is often the first island where their feet touch solid ground again. For most sailors, this usually means their only chance to visit Barbados. Due to its location on the windward side of other islands in the eastern Caribbean, few sailors venture against the prevailing trade winds to reach Barbados. But why then do we decide to sail towards Barbados against these prevailing winds during the hurricane season? The answer lies in our ability to arrange all three of our US B1/B2 visas here.

At the end of June, we completed all the necessary forms and arranged an interview appointment at the US Embassy in Barbados, scheduled for Tuesday, August 15 at 9:00 am. After saying goodbye to Hanneke, Teunis, Tessa and Jasper, we set course for Sainte Anne. We arrived here around six thirty in the evening and lowered the anchor. It is quiet around us and the fatigue, especially emotional, led us to our beds early. I sank into a deep sleep and didn’t wake up until around 9:30 the next morning. After breakfast I mainly concentrated on the progress of Hanneke, Teunis and the children, who were on their way and approaching Antwerp at that moment (they flew from Fort de France to Paris, where their car was). Later in the morning we checked the weather forecast for the coming week. We noticed that the wind would turn to the northeast from that evening, and without many words we understood that this was our chance. There was hardly time for rest; we got to work right away. We checked out and got bread in Sainte Anne, and after lunch we sailed with the dinghy to Le Marin, about half an hour by boat, to do some shopping. When we came back towards evening, it was approaching 6:30. Rajesh had started preparing dinner in the meantime. Once back on the boat, we put away the groceries and quickly rearranged some stuff (such as the big pile of laundry and items that still needed to be organized, now that there are three of us again) to make room on our passage bed for someone to to sleep. We quietly ate the Biryani prepared by Rajesh, before we pulled up the anchor around a quarter to eight. Jeroen and Rajesh were at the front with flashlights, navigating to avoid fishing nets. Once outside that risk area, we hoisted the sails. We still had 107 nautical miles to go to Port St. Charles in Barbados. The wind was blowing at speeds of 15 to 20 knots and the waves were about two meters high. During the night, the wind turned more to the northeast, allowing us to sail straight to Port St. Charles. With one reef in our sails we kept the same course all night long. Sometimes the boat tilted quite a bit due to higher waves, but nothing to complain about. We were spared the dreaded “crossing from hell” and we didn’t have to make much adjustments during our waiting times. We quietly enjoyed stargazing, reading or watching a movie. After 15 hours of sailing the wind turned to the southeast, exactly the direction we wanted. If we were tacking (zigzagging as close to the wind as possible), we would be underway for another seven hours or so before reaching Port St. Charles. However, we have decided to motor the last part, which means that we are only three hours away from our destination. We made this choice with a view to arriving before dark and to be checked in before the weekend.

At around 3:30 PM, we announced on channel 77 that we would arrive in Port St. Charles in 30 minutes and wanted to check in. This was a smart move, given the low season when customs and immigration personnel are not always present. We moored at the wooden jetty at the gas station before approaching customs and immigration. In Barbados, it is required to fill out a form with the health officer before you can proceed. Once approved, move up two seats to the Immigration Officer and then two more seats to the Customs Officer. After all formalities had been completed and we had raised the flag of Barbados, we did not move far to anchor there. Beer in hand, we celebrated our successful crossing to Barbados, which had taken a total of 18 hours and 40 minutes.

The first thing you notice are the white beaches. We spent time swimming and paddle boarding before I started dinner. That night we went to bed early and woke up on time. After breakfast we started our exploration of Barbados. We needed passport photos for our visas and had to walk quite a bit to arrange this. We found the location in the village of Speightstown, but unfortunately the place was closed on Saturday. In the capital, Bridgetown, we would find a new place to take passport photos. Our appointment at the US Embassy was scheduled in Bridgetown on Tuesday. So on Sunday we sailed on to Bridgetown and found an anchorage near the beach. Jeroen and I went out to rent a car and look for a place for passport photos. We navigated with the dinghy through a canal, past the many party boats and catamarans. Under a bridge, we saw a ladder where we attached the dinghy and walked over to Voyager Rent-A-Car, a rental car company we found online. To our surprise it was open on Sundays. We rented a car for three days. Right next to the car rental company we found a photo shop, and on the other side was an optician. This was great as I need contact lenses and was hoping to order them here. The next morning we would collect the car at 9:00 am and then have passport photos taken. We got in and went looking for the US Embassy. Since Barbados has a British influence, it took some getting used to driving on the left again and sitting on the right side of the car. Without a navigation system, we had to use our map-reading skills. After some searching we found the embassy and had the rest of the day free to fill in. We drove to the town of Oistins. Here we were strolling around and the smell of barbecues made us think it was time for lunch. We sat down and enjoyed a traditional Bajan meal of fish, potatoes/rice and a mix of vegetables. On the way back we passed a large shopping centre where we stopped to have a look. There was a cinema that was now closed, but the movie “Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning part 1” was supposed to run next Wednesday. We drove back to the boat and spent the rest of the day in and on the water, taking a walk on the beach as well.

When we arrived at the American embassy, Jeroen commented that he had the feeling that he had ended up in a movie scene. Everything was extremely secured and all around are high heavy metal fences. You were not allowed to stop in front of the embassy and we were immediately led to the side of the building by the security guards. Here we joined a long line, under the burning sun and without a breath of wind. You were expected to be smartly dressed. There were Jeroen and Rajesh, in jeans and shirts, and for the first time in a long time I was wearing heeled shoes, along with a dress. Soon, sweat poured from every pore and my face was as red as a tomato. After 45 minutes of waiting, still outside, our passports and papers were checked. Before we were allowed to enter the embassy, watches, bags, telephones, laptops and belts had to be handed over. Nothing was allowed in. We had already read this in the papers and that is why we only had our papers with us. After an hour of waiting, the door finally opened and we were allowed inside, where there was air conditioning. What a relief. Here our papers, similar to hand luggage at an airport, were put through a security scanner and we went through a security gate. We were then led to a hall where our fingerprints were taken and the passport photos were checked and scanned. Then we took our seats and waited to line up for the interviews. After the interview, we had to go outside immediately and were not allowed to stand anywhere. Now we temporarily lost our passports and waiting to get them back. They gave no indication of how long this would take. We would get an email when we could collect our passports from a DHL location. That afternoon we drove to Holetown, where there is also a marine park for snorkeling. The sight of the coral almost brought tears to our eyes, because everything was so lifeless and we were surprised that there were still several fish to be seen. Towards the end of the afternoon, as the sun slowly set, we took a walk through the streets. Our eye fell on an Indian restaurant where we had a delicious meal in the evening. Late in the evening we returned to our boat. The next morning we started a new day early. In addition to the white beaches, Barbados is known for its green monkeys, which can be found in the Barbados Wildlife Reserve, among others. The monkeys move freely around the area, but they know that food is available at certain times. After their meal, they disappear back into the woods. We took a walk through the forest, observed the monkeys extensively and also saw numerous tortoises. It was mating season, which was evident as the tortoise pairs were everywhere, and the males sometimes lined up for a female’s attention.

We then drove to the Mount Gay Distillery, only to find out to our regret that we were not allowed to enter the grounds due to the lack of a booked tour. Since there were no available tours to join that day, we continued our journey to the east coast. Along the way, we stopped at several places to enjoy the coastal scenery and Rajesh took beautiful drone photos and videos. As the sun slowly set, we returned to the Mall, where we had something to eat before going to the cinema. Back on our boat, we enjoyed drinks as we discussed the day. The next day Jeroen and I returned the rental car early in the morning and we visited the optician. Luckily I was able to order new lenses. It would take about 1 to 2 weeks for them to arrive. We can’t go anywhere now anyway and we expect that getting our passports back will also take about 1 to 2 weeks. Back on the boat we sail towards the coast at Holetown. Here we enjoyed beautiful beach walks, but we also had to make several small repairs on board. The bilge pump stopped working, one of the toilets needed maintenance and some small cracks appeared on the Genoa, which we repaired.

Discover our next blog soon, in which Jeroen, Rajesh and myself look back on our adventurous first year on board our sailing boat.