Sailing in tranquillity, from Martinique’s sunset to St. Maarten’s starry sky

We are sailing towards Martinique’s sunset and reflections under the stars on the way to St. Maarten. Come aboard and let the wind determine the course. Our colourful spinnaker emerges, and our fishing lines become entangled.

We are en route from Carriacou to Martinique. The atmosphere slowly changes as the day gives way to the evening. The sun, a glowing orange ball, descends slowly toward the horizon. There is something magical about sunsets, isn’t there? We have yet to see a sunset that we didn’t find beautiful. The sky fills with warm shades of pink, red, orange, and yellow, and the horizon glows radiantly. At the same time, the sea transforms into a mirror of fiery colours. Amidst this spectacle, we enjoyed our meal: Chicken Biryani, which I had prepared earlier that day.

As evening falls, the silence deepens. The sea reflects the slowly fading sun rays like liquid glass. The wind fills the sails and propels the boat steadily forward while the waves ripple almost imperceptibly. The joy of the boat’s recovery and the fact that we are setting course for Martinique one last time is difficult to put into words. From now on, we sail slowly northward, slowly saying goodbye to the Eastern Caribbean, which we have enjoyed for over a year and a half and holds a special place in our memories. The constant progress and speed on the water evoke a sense of connection, excitement, tranquillity, freedom, and adventure. The persistent breeze feeds that sensation as the stars appear one by one in the sky.

Jeroen watches a movie during his watch, and the wind decreases slightly as soon as we pass behind the island of Saint Vincent. During my watch, I listen to the gentle lapping of the water against the hull, mixed with the sound of the wind through the sails. The wind increases as we sail between two islands, causing me to reef the sails slightly. Despite the reefed sails, the speed remains well above 8 knots, more than sufficient for the night. Other than that, I don’t have to change much, and I stare into the darkness while letting my thoughts wander freely. During Rajesh’s watch, the wind decreases, and he removes the reef.

At breakfast, the coastline of Martinique slowly comes into view. The wind shifted to the north in the morning, requiring us to tack several times before heading to Sainte Anne. Around 1:15 PM, we dropped anchor, launched the dinghy, and mounted the outboard motor. Soon, we were in the dinghy, heading to the store to pick up our wind meter and a spare circuit board, obtained under warranty. With this recently acquired equipment, we continued our journey to the immigration and customs facilities to check in officially. Then we made a short stop for some groceries.

Although theoretically, we could check out again at the immigration and customs facilities; Mother Nature had other plans. Heavy rain and wind kept us in Martinique for two more days. But then the weather cleared up. On a Saturday morning, Jeroen checked us out at the immigration and customs facilities. Meanwhile, I prepared some meals for the journey. At 10:45 AM, we gave Neptune a sip of rum, asked for a safe passage, and lifted the anchor. Our course will be to St. Maarten, a journey of 260 nautical miles that we anticipated with excitement and enthusiasm. We had some packages sent to St. Maarten. We planned to purchase additional solar panels, and the final repair of a small leak was still on our to-do list. I’m sure there will be a few more small things to add once you arrive in the “Mecca” of boat parts.

The wind is blowing less than predicted, but bit by bit, it picks up strength, and after an hour of motoring, we can hoist the sails again and enjoy the breeze in our hair. While sailing, we quickly put out two fishing rods. In the distance, we see numerous birds searching for their favourite prey. From experience, we know that where there are many birds, there are also large fish underwater, both hunting for the same meal.

We look forward to catching fresh fish during our journey. It has been a while since we last caught one. Before our departure, I prepared several meals. I froze some of them, mainly in case the weather suddenly turns rough or sickness occurs on board. This way, it’s easier to enjoy a tasty meal while keeping an eye on everything around the boat.

Fortunately, all three of us have remained healthy on board, except for sporadic episodes of seasickness. Only Rajesh and I experienced seasickness during our first sailing trip from the British Virgin Islands to St. Maarten. Rajesh has also suffered from seasickness during various sailing trips in the Bahamas. He seems to be the most sensitive to it, while Jeroen is the least affected.

Goodbye, Martinique, you have taken good care of us. As we slowly say goodbye and the island becomes smaller, we cherish the memories we have made here and the visits from beloved family members. In the cockpit, we chat for a long time about these lovely moments while gazing at the green-covered peaks of Mount Pelée. Slowly, we all get into the rhythm of our crossing. The Genoa flutters restlessly with a broad reach and a wind speed of 9-10 knots, which is not enough for good sailing. Therefore, we decided to grab the spinnaker to stabilize the course. After some preparations, we hoist this colourful sail, making a significant difference in comfort and speed. The spinnaker, specially designed for downwind and broad reach courses, is hoisted at the front of the boat and resembles a balloon. The light sail catches the wind from behind or the side, giving the boat extra speed. Although the spinnaker is sensitive to wind changes and easily tears in winds above 15 knots, we enjoy a delightful sail, two knots faster than before. It is a beautiful sight as you look along the sail with rainbow colours towards the endless horizon. The endless horizon is not just a boundary between sky and sea for me; it is my personal promise of unlimited possibilities, an invitation to look beyond what is visible and discover what lies beyond my familiar world.

When I am about to start warming up dinner in the kitchen, I hear Rajesh excitedly shout that we have caught a fish. YES! I immediately turn off the stove under the pan and look from the kitchen to see which fish we have hooked. Ultimately, it turns out to be a substantial barracuda, which was trailing behind the boat for a while. We hadn’t noticed that we had a bite, and the line had completely unravelled. The fishing line got tangled with the line from our other rod, revealing that we had caught something only after the entanglement. We released the big barracuda, and after catching its breath, it swam away. It’s going to be just green bean curry with chapati for tonight. 

After dinner, the wind picks up, and we lower the spinnaker. The wind shifts more to the east, allowing us to make good progress with a beam reach and over 20 knots of wind. There was still a patient and time-consuming task waiting for Rajesh and Jeroen: untangling the fishing lines that had become entwined. After that, our watch system resumes, and during his watch, Jeroen notes that the wind has slightly decreased, but we are still making good progress with about 16 to 18 knots of wind. We especially notice more cargo ships at night and regularly check their positions, calculating if any course adjustments are needed. For now, no course adjustments are necessary. I take over from Jeroen, and as Dominica comes into sight, I try to avoid sailing too close to Dominica’s coasts because the islands block a lot of wind, resulting in less wind in the sails. By sailing further off the coast, I plan to avoid this. Nevertheless, the wind decreases further until I see only 4 knots of wind on the screen. I could no longer avoid it and had to start the engine. Then I roll up all the sails and take my place in the cockpit again, gazing at the stars.

It is fascinating that I can observe myself from a distance during moments of self-reflection, especially when I am under the enchanting sight of the starry sky. The cosmic emptiness of the nighttime sky not only evokes a sense of insignificance but also of deep wonder and mystery. This experience invites me to philosophical contemplations about the nature of time, space, the purpose of life, and the deeper meaning of my existence.

Since we embarked on this sailing adventure, I often find myself trying to understand why things happen. Especially in the nighttime hours when the world quiets down, various insights into significant life questions seem to become clearer. It inspires me to let my thoughts wander into the profound mysteries of the universe and life. Stargazing is a gateway to self-reflection for me. Here, I explore my thoughts and gain insights that help me better understand challenging situations.

After a short hour of sailing on the engine, I could hoist the sails again. The moment the engine turns off and the silence returns is very pleasant, especially for those sleeping. I decide to grab a book and read for the remaining time of my night watch. Even though we are moving slowly, 3.5 to 4.0 knots, it feels good. We only start the engine when the speed drops below 1.5 knots. We have time. Rajesh takes over the watch from me and does not have to make further changes to the sails. Rajesh does keep an eye on two cargo ships. By morning, he contacted one of them, through the mariphone to verify if they noticed us. Rajesh suggests that we pass each other from port to port. As a result, both the cargo ship and we adjusted our course slightly.

The next day, the wind kept us busy. We hoisted and lowered the spinnaker multiple times and installed the downwind pole to extend the spinnaker further. We could also bring the Genoa further outside when the wind gets stronger. The broad reach is a pleasant course where you can sit calmly on the deck and gaze over the water. Time passed quickly, mainly because we often changed and adjusted the sails. That afternoon, we caught another fish; this time, it turned out to be a mahi-mahi. Unfortunately, it was tiny, so we released it to continue growing.

For tonight, I had prepared a tasty chickpea curry with rice. During the ensuing night, we all had little to do. The broad reach continued, and the wind remained stable at around 11-12 knots. Fewer cargo ships were on our route that night, allowing us to read a good book, listen to an audiobook, or watch a movie.

The following day, the wind weakened further to about 8 knots. As a result, we sailed slowly with 2.5 to 3.5 knots. Around 5:00 PM, we could drop anchor in Marigot Bay. It took us two days, 6 hours, and 12 minutes. The three of us enjoyed a cosy movie night in the cockpit that evening. When we woke up the following day, we could start the check-in process, pick up packages that had already arrived, and shop for the solar panels.