LORD'S PRAYER LOG, Part 22:
Tuesday, February 22, 2000
0615 Martinique is in sight. The passage between Saint Lucia and Martinique has
been in some very rough water.
0625 Sunrise.
0630 Diamond Rock is in sight. It rises almost vertically out of the water to
574' near the south shore of Martinique. The following is paraphrased from my
great grandfather James H. Stark's book "Stark's History and Guide to
Barbados and Caribbee Islands": At one time " Sir Thomas Hood, serving
under Rodney flaunted the British flag from the peak of this rock in the face of
the Frenchmen at Martinique. He put a crew of sailors on the peak with armament
and provisions. From their citadel, Hood's sailors blazed away with their
long-tom at every kind of craft that came within their reach. The crew was
finally starved out and the Frenchmen took possession and have held it ever
since."
0645 A wave just came aboard and penetrated a fully closed companionway. It
looked as if someone had thrown a bucket of water into the cabin. Everything in
the vicinity of the companionway is soaked - The galley stove, the refrigerator,
the battery monitors, companion ladder, cabin sole, binoculars, the nav table
and the forward end of the quarter berth. I clean up the mess.
0900 Now in the lee of the southern tip of Martinique the water has become
considerably flatter. I put the French Tricolor Flag at the starboard spreader
and the yellow "Q" flag beneath it; the latter announces my need to
process through French customs. The island of Martinique belongs to France. When
a person steps ashore in Martinique, he or she is considered to be in France.
0930 I turn the boat into a marvelous big bay (Baie de Fort de France). It
reminds me for some reason of the wide entry to Halifax - although I do not
think it is quite as large. This is some of the most sheltered water that I have
seen since leaving the Chesapeake. The sailing here is marvelous. I stand right
in under sail until I am a quarter mile from the anchorage, where I turn into
the wind drop the mainsail and roll up the jib.
1045 I am anchored 50 yards off the dinghy dock and adjacent to the customs
office at Fort de France, Martinique.
1100 I hoist the dinghy into the water and make preparations for going ashore. I
do not put the outboard on the dinghy this time because I am anchored so close
to the landing that it hardly seems worth the trouble. I row in and make fast to
the dinghy landing. I scramble up onto the landing and find that the top is in
terrible condition. It is decked with wooden planks but many are missing. I pick
my way carefully across the deck and go find customs. The customs officer is
processing another person; he tells me he is going to take his lunch break and
to come back about 1330. I head out into town. There is a chandlery listed in
the guidebook; I look around for it without success. I start to feel hungry
myself so I find a money exchange where I pick up some French francs and then I
find a restaurant. I order a cold seafood salad and some bottled water. It comes
with three little rolls of French bread. Wow what a feast. It is marvelous. I do
not think there is anyone who can cook like the French! After lunch I stop at
another shop and get myself a chocolate mint ice cream cone.
1345 I return to Customs and clear in. The customs officer wants to know what
will be my next port of call. I ask if I can go to the French island of
Guadalupe and clear out there with the paperwork we are doing today. He says
that I can, so I tell him that is what I would like to do and that my next port
after that will be Antigua. He fixes the paperwork so I can do all of that. This
will also allow me to stop at Les Saints (The Saints), a small island group -
also French - located just to the south of Guadalupe. Boy oh boy I am as happy
as a pig in mud! And I don't even have to pay any fees either! Whoopee!
1415 I look around more and finally find the chandlery. I pick up a locking
cable for the dinghy - something that seems to be recommended hereabouts. I also
find a piece of slit tubing to cover the shroud, which is missing its
shroud-roller (since the night the carbon-fiber whisker pole was damaged). I
stop by a deli and order a cappuccino. I find a fruit stand and pick up some
fresh fruit
and then return to the boat.
1600 I take a look at the navigation to Les Saints, Guadalupe, and Antigua. I
decide to get underway tonight. . I lay out the nav route to Les Saints and load
it into the GPS nav system.
1700 I transfer 12 gallons of fuel from deck jugs into the main tank I install
the new shroud-cover on the shroud for the protection of the jib. I stow loose
gear. I leave the dinghy tied astern and will tow it tonight.
1811 Sunset.
1820 Lord's Prayer is underway from Fort de France, Martinique bound for Les
Saints. As soon as I am clear of the anchorage, I turn the boat into the wind
and heave up the mainsail. I turn on course and give steering control to the
autopilot. As soon as I am clear of land I will switch over to the wind vane.
1915 As I leave Baie de Fort de France behind I am struck by the beauty of the
lights on the hills around the bay at night. Its appearance reminds me of the
bay at Naples, Italy. Fort de France is a thriving community - the healthiest
one (economically) that I have seen in the Eastern Caribbean.
1955 The first significant puff of wind hits the boat since getting underway and
the autopilot immediately announces a "rudder response failure".
Although I am sliding north along the coast of Martinique barely a mile off
shore, I shift steering to the wind vane. I will have to pay close attention to
any wind shifts that might turn the boat toward the coast - at least until I get
some additional separation from the island.
2010 The wind goes totally flat and the wind vane is useless in this condition.
I start the engine and engage the autopilot. It holds the course.
2030 With a gust of wind the autopilot gives it up again. I switch back to the
wind vane.
2135 Position 14-49N 061-16W or 2 < NM off the NW coast of Martinique.
2155 The wind is completely flat and I have entered the heavy seas between
Martinique and Dominica. I have stowed the sails for the time being.
2330 The wind is back up to 20-24 kts out of the east. Lord's Prayer is on a
broad starboard reach under main and partial jib making hull speed with the
engine secured.
END OF LORD'S PRAYER LOG, Part 22
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