We finally got to leave Grenada. We’ve hungered to get north to union Island, one of our favorite Caribbean islands 8 years ago.  The plan is to spend Christmas on Union Island and New Year’s on Tobago Cays.  The weather forecast has promised good sailing weather (strange – it IS Vinni and Carsten sailing) so promptly at 9:00 we hauled the hook and set our course northwards.

Even here in the lee of Grenada we had good wind – 14-15 knots from the southeast and Capri, whose bottom is slick clean) blasts through the water making 7 knots.  Clearly, she is a “happy boat”.  Behind us we see a sailboat hoist its Kevlar sails and head north in our wake.

Hmmm – a little match race to make the day exciting?

All morning they chased us. When we came out of the lee of Grenada and the wind picked up, we reefed our genua so we didn’t have to “walk on the walls”.   The other boat didn’t and now they hauled in and passed us.  Ok – it was an XC43.  No way we can outsail an XC43.  But it took him all morning to catch us and it was only after we reefed our genua down that he really caught up to us.

The sun was shining from a totally clear sky and seriously – does it get any better than this?  No dear friends, it does not – this is what sailing is all about.

Six and a half hours after pulling the hook, we entered Clifton bay at Union Island.  We made just over 7 knots on the average – a pace that can bring a tear to the eyes of even an old salt like me.

We skipped the islands of Carriacou, Petit Martinique and Petit St. Vincent.  We have seen the videos of the devastation wreaked by hurricane Beryl.  We have seen this type of devastation before – 7 years ago when we came southward from the US on the tail end of the hurricanes Irma and Maria.  Then, it was the northern Caribbean Islands we saw – or rather – what was left of them.  If you have seen this type of destruction once, you don’t need to see it again.

We hoped that Union Island had managed to rebuild most of the towns.  We were sadly mistaken. As we approached Clifton Bay and looked through our binoculars, the town seemed ok – the buildings looked like they were functional.  Once we were on the anchor buoy we could see the remnants of what once was.  The buildings were, for the most part, only shells – no roofs, just walls without doors or windows.  A few buildings had obviously new windows and roofs.  These were the government buildings.

Down by the harbor, there was a tent city, occupied by those whose houses had been completely destroyed.  At the town square (what was left of it), there was a soup kitchen, doling out meals three times a day.  The wonderfully charming dinghy harbor was no more.  The lay behind a concrete seawall and entrance was gained by sailing the dinghy under a raised bridge.  Once inside, there was a long wooden dock and a (lively) bar.  Next to the bar was a small Italian restaurant where Vinni and I had the best tuna carpaccio we have ever experienced.  Everything is gone.  The bar walls still stood and a tiny portion of the roof.  The little Italian restaurant was gone – only a pile of bricks and wooden poles lay helter-skelter on the grounds.  The charming little bridge we sailed under was still there, but the water surge had broken the concrete and moved the bridge to one side.  Everything needs to be rebuilt.

From here, we walked up into what once was a thriving little village.  At the square, a sign proclaimed that the government was issuing interest free loans up to 20,000 ECD (Eastern Caribbean Dollars), roughly 8,000USD.  That’s wonderful, but it is a loan.  USD 8,000 doesn’t buy a lot of building materials and the loan has to be paid back.  Paying it back means you have to earn money and here the only way to earn money is by catering to the tourists.  But the tourists aren’t coming because there is nothing to see or do.  A catch-22 situation.  Many have criticized the big corporations and equity funds that seem to own most of the businesses in the Caribbean, but unless they, or someone else comes along with a big bag of money, these islands will live in poverty for many years to come.  The government can’t afford to rebuild and neither can the locals.

Union Island used to be the “Kitesurfing Capital of the World”.  The bay was filled with kitesurfers and the town with tourists.  Now there is no one.  Vinni and I walked around, as did another couple from a sailboat on a buoy in the bay.  Vinni and I would have liked to buy lunch and a beer, but nothing was open.

We stayed a couple of days.  We wanted to celebrate Christmas here but the surroundings were much too sad.  We debated – should we sail out to Tobago Cays and celebrate Christmas there?  We decided not, the winds were picking up and it would be blowing close to gale force out there.  We had seen a number of boats heading out so clearly the bay would be overcrowded.

Bequia was the answer and early the next morning we weighed anchor and headed north.  The winds were wonderful again, blowing 14-15 knots, Capri was a “happy boat” and made 7-7,5 knots most of the way ( I know – you must be wondering, this is Vinni and Carsten sailing and they are writing about “wonderful sailing”.  Has Carsten be emptying the gin bottle?).  40 nm later we sailed into Admiralty Bay, dropped anchor and looked around.  Bequia was hit by Beryl, but nowhere near as hard as the islands further south.  The town looked just as it did 7 years ago and was filled with tourists and sailors. 

Christmas Eve dinner was a leg of lamb we purchased on Grenada.  Better to call it mutton – it was tough and not tasty.  But the wine and the ambiance was good.  Our tiny Christmas tree sparkled and the Christmas spirit descended on Capri.

We should have stayed on Bequia for New Year’s, but we decided we wanted to be on Martinique.  We wanted to get dressed up and go out on the town for our final New Year in the tropics.

Early morning on 27/12 we weighed anchor and set our course for St. Lucia, where we will take an overnight pitstop before heading the rest of the way to Martinique.

Our third fantastic sailing.  The wind was steady at 14-16 hitting us right on the beam and even with our mainsail in the second reef and only showing a half genua, Capri decided to show us just what she is capable of.  83 nm in 12 hours – just under 7 knots per hour and this with several hours in lee of St. Vincent.  What a wild ride.

The wind gods smiled on us the next morning for the 5 hours run over to Martinique.  Once again, 7-7.5 knots.  Safely at anchor in Le Marin, we went ashore to provision (and provision we did) and buy some of the spare parts for the small repairs Capri needed (Capri is a boat – there are always some small repairs).  Thankfully, our “Wailing Wall” is empty – nothing major needed.

We wandered around on the docks, looking for a restaurant that was open New Year’s Eve.  They were virtually all closed (they must earn too much money).  We finally found one where the menu should good and the price was ok.

New Year’s Eve, I donned my tuxedo, Vinni her long gown and high heels – wait a second, that is what we would have donned if we were in Denmark and had all our things.  We live on a boat and don’t have a tuxedo or a long gown (more’s the pity).  Vinni put on the white dress she has been wearing to all occasions for the past nine years and I donned my white ducks and a Hawaii shirt.

Life as a cruising sailor is hard – all the things you have to forego.

Dinner was a disappointment.  The food was ok, but just ok.  The ambiance was dead – no one seemed to be in the restaurant to celebrate New Year’s.  We left at 10:00 o’clock and went back to Capri (nothing else was open).  We sat on the deck drinking cold G&Ts and watching what few fireworks were being shot off.  Not one of our best New Year’s Eves.

At the moment, we are waiting for our liferaft to be serviced.  It needs servicing every third year and that is now, or rather, now was 2 years ago.  No one in the US or Mexico would service it as Zodiac got out of the liferaft for pleasure boats business.  The Zodiac dealer here has said he will service it.  As with everything else on a boat, it will be expensive, but it needs to be done.  As soon as everything is ready, we will weigh anchor for St John in the USVI.  We have always wanted to see St. John but had to pass by the other times we were close.  Most of the island and the surrounding waters are a National Park, the snorkeling and diving are supposed to be world class.

Here on Martinique they race their traditional small sailboats. They are colorful and everyone takes it all very seriously.

Some of you know that I am Moderator on a website called Cruiser’s Forum, the largest sailing website in the world.  Frequently, someone will start a thread asking; “What size boat should I buy to circumnavigate?  Or, My wife says there is no way she will go cruising if the boat is less than 60 feet”.

Cruising boats just get bigger and bigger.  When we left Denmark 9 years ago, Capri and her 40 feet was one of the smaller boats, the average size was around 45 feet.  Now Capri is always the smallest boat, 50 feet is common, larger is not unusual.

When one of those threads comes up, there is always someone who answers, “People sail around the world in bathtubs – you don’t need a huge boat”.  A statement that is both true and false.  There are some daredevils that circumnavigate in tiny boats. Webb Chiles circumnavigated in a 14-foot open boat.  Others have done the same or tried to do it in a smaller open boat.  I don’t know what the record is at the moment.  No one seems to keep track.

Here in Le Marin, we saw a tiny sailboat tied up to the dinghy dock.  It was tiny, and when I asked the owner, jokingly, if he was circumnavigating, he answered “yes”.  The boat is 4 meters, (just over 13 feet).  No engine, naturally, just a long oar for when there is no wind.  Not quite a bathtub – but almost.

And to those sceptics that are now saying; “yeah, yeah – he won’t get far – idiots try all kinds of weird things”.  This is his second circumnavigation in that sailboat – he has been around once already.  He cheats by putting it on a trailer to cross Panama – but he does sail around south of Africa via Cape Hope.  And no, he doesn’t look or sound like someone who has escaped from an institution.

All I can say is – Respect for that!

N.B. – Breaking News!!! When we lowered the liferaft into the dinghy we found out the fiberglass container was cracked and breaking up.   Bad news!  The dealer has a new case, but it is actually cheaper to buy a new raft – which we did.

So – we are now ready and will sail to St. John.

 Oops! Well maybe not.  The weather forecast is showing gale force winds and 3 meter swells the next couple of weeks.  Vinni and I are not going out in that.  Time to buy some more tonic and gin.