January 5
My last blog was on Christmas Day. We were in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia. I feel I should write more often; those who read these blogs tell me they enjoy them. Yet, our life on Komeekha is somewhat repetitive (hikes, happy hours with friends, good local food, etc.); and I don’t want to bore you by bringing the same subjects up in every blog. With the boat repairs this season, our mindset is not focused on having lots of interesting experiences; it’s a lot of troubleshooting in books and the internet, getting repair parts, repairing, testing. If it’s not working still, Frank repeats these steps. If it’s working, we take a big breath, relax and celebrate. I’m trying to tell give you a true perspective of our cruising life: the frustrating and the good fun.
The sail from St. Lucia a couple of days after Christmas was perfect. I was at the wheel for 2/3 of the 4-hour sail. It was a bit of a bronco ride with 1.5 metre swells and waves. The wind was on our side at 19 knots, gusts at 21 knots. I love steering Komeekha in these waves, trying to predict my next move as I felt the rudder through the wheel in my hands. As I was constantly standing up, the boat heeling 20-25 degrees, I reluctantly gave the helm to Frank when my legs and arms got tired. When the boat bounces a lot, I don’t like to turn on the auto pilot. It’s too jerky.
The bay of Sainte-Anne near the South tip of Martinique is where we spent the last week. It’s a big bay, quiet waters, lots of space for anchoring. The town is quaint: little shops, a good bakery with fresh baguettes every morning, a fish market. At the end of a long beach is a Club Med.
Theo and Ellie (Elizabeth, Frank’s niece) arrived on Martinique during that week but stayed at AirBnbs as they explored the island before joining us on Komeekha. However, we had a chance to spend a day with them after their arrival with a hike to Les Salines, as they join us and our friends. Les Salines is a flood plain where locals would control the water flow in order to harvest the salt of the water: flood, let the water evaporate, harvest the remaining salt. Today, Les Salines is no longer fonctional but its beach is amazing. The hike to Les Salines is mostly along the coast, under trees. It’s very pleasant and not difficult. At the bar, after the hike, we had a chance to get to know Ellie and Theo better which is very important when you’re going to live together on a 37-foot boat. LOL!
We hooked up with Natalie and Jocelyn (boat name: Nordicus) from Lac Megantic, Quebec. They are friends we met in Sint. Maartens two years ago. They sail for 3 months only as they have an excavation company in Sherbrooke. Their season has its own challenge: a new mast they ordered from France was dropped as it was hoisted on the freighter for the trip to Martinique. So now, they have no mast until end of February (apparently). It’s very sad to see a sailboat without a mast. It’s like seeing a maimed animal. They too have a spare dinghie motor they have lent to us. We indeed have very generous friends! We’re using it until Theo and Ellie return home on January 10th.
We arrived at Anse Dufour yesterday, just for a night. It is a very small bay, just enough space for a couple of boats. Theo and Ellie enjoyed a couple hours of snorkeling. They put their cell phones in a sealed bag to take pictures and videos. It’s not as sharp and colourful as an underwater camera, but they still got very nice photos of turtles, weird fish and corals.
This morning, we’ll sail to Saint-Pierre. Saint-Pierre has a lot of history, being dubbed in the 1800’s as Le Paris des Antilles. I’ll tell you all about it in my next blog.
HAPPY NEW YEAR !!! May 2025 bring the best in you and for you.
