destination: Caribbean

destination: Caribbean
52
April 2012
destination: Caribbean
&
Stand
deliver
Newly retired school teacher Bob Hamill goes to
the Caribbean in search of a boat and within days
of arriving he finds himself crewing on a luxury
catamaran with a colourful skipper and heading
for new and exciting anchorages and cultures.
The stunning
island of St Lucia.
THINKSTOCK PHOTO
If he’d have been born in another century,
I’m sure he would have sailed with the
pirates Blackbeard or Jack Sparro, such is his
adventurous and independent spirit, but today
Jages Martin manages the Moorings bareboat
base on the island of Canouan in the Caribbean.
I had the good fortune to meet this modern-day
Scottish adventurer while looking to buy a boat
in the Caribbean from the Moorings. Jages was
supervising the haul-out for survey on the island
of St Vincent when he asked if I’d like to join him
on a delivery trip. He was taking a new Leopard
46 catamaran north to the island of St Lucia.
Naturally I couldn’t say “yes” quick enough.
INSET: Jages enjoys
a quick swim in the
Atlantic while en
route to the island
of St Lucia.
On the nose
We left mid-morning with a gentle 10-knot
north-easterly, you guessed it, right on the
nose. We cruised along the western side of the
island with the twin Yanmars giving us an easy
seven plus knots of boat speed. St Vincent is a
rugged volcanic island with steep mountains
ridges coming all the way down to the coast. The
vegetation was lush with coconut palms lining
the shore. The Leopard catamaran was luxury
plus with air-conditioning, plush upholstery and
a back verandah the West Indies cricket team
could use for practice. While I am a committed
April 2012
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destination: Caribbean
ABOVE: The
catamaran was
comfortable and
spacious.
monohull devotee, I had to admit this was
comfortable cruising.
We all know in the cruising world that all good
things only last so long. As we left the protection of
the island the big Atlantic swells and wind-driven
waves made for a very uncomfortable ride. The
wind began to show its true colours, rising to 20
knots and the Leopard began to fight against the
unfriendly and steep sea. Jages had the full main
up but gave the Yanmars a few more revs. To her
credit the Leopard responded and we continued
with speed averaging between six and seven knots.
The ride was bumpy but St Lucia Island could be
seen clearly in the distance.
The most prominent landmarks of St Lucia
are twin extinct volcanic peaks: the Pitons. We
headed their way and as we approached the coast
the ruggedness of the landform was obvious.
Clouds shrouded the steep mountain peaks and
very soon a squall headed our way. With the
wind speed hitting 25 knots, Jages asked Zee,
the West Indian crew man, to put the first reef
in. Zee moves around on a bouncy deck like
a cat: sure-footed and fast. The wind and sea
continued to increase and soon the second reef
was in place. The Leopard pounded into the steep
seas with spray drenching anyone forward of the
“verandah”. We were heading for Marigot Bay on
the western sheltered side of the island. Jages said
the entrance was hidden and would not be seen
until we were right on it; a fact all good pirates
would have been aware of in times past. He said
an English Admiral successfully hid his fleet in
there from the French some centuries ago.
Marigot Bay
Marigot Bay was picture-postcard perfect, just
like you imagine the Caribbean to be with sandy
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April 2012
beaches, turquoise water and swaying palm
trees. The dogleg entrance made for a beautiful
flat anchorage. Boat boys came out to meet us
in their dinghies with a mooring costing about
$15 per night. We rafted alongside another
Moorings boat and Jages went ashore to clear
us in with customs. We had only travelled about
40 miles and here we were clearing into customs
for a new country, so different to our Australian
cruising grounds. The Moorings office in
Marigot Bay can be found in a beautiful and very
tastefully designed two-storey timber building
alongside the marina. The anchorage was packed
with yachts of all sizes including a beautiful
square-rigger.
Keen to experience the local culture, Jages,
Zee and I went ashore in search of a restaurant.
We walked up a steep roadway that tested my
level of fitness but eventually found the local
watering hole. It was more a covered verandah
with tables decorated by plastic tablecloths.
Across the road a local guy cooked food on a
barbecue and reggae music blasted out, and I
mean blasted out, at full volume. We had a few
local Hairoun beers and ordered Fish Creole
from the menu. Beers and fish went down well.
Of course, no trip to the Caribbean is complete
without trying a rum or two or three. What the
place lacked in style it more than made up for in
atmosphere. I noticed a few locals dancing with
gay abandon about the same time I began to pick
up the scent of something sweet the locals were
smoking. After several last drinks for the road
we headed back to the comfort of the Leopard
and a sound night’s sleep.
Back into it
A little slow at getting underway next day, but
we soon found ourselves once again pounding
into the stiff 20-knot northeast trade winds.
The over-indulgence of the night before was
felt by all on board but nobody would admit to
it. I think it was only 70nm to Martinique but
it seemed longer. We rocketed along and soon
the amazing sight of Port Marin came into view.
Martinique is a French territory and the Port of
Marin is the Caribbean’s largest yacht centre.
A virtual forest of yacht masts came into view.
The port has a massive marina where yachts tie
up stern inwards, a haul-out facility and boating
services of every type necessary are available.
I walked into one shop where on one wall were
arranged a collection of new Yanmar diesels
and the adjoining wall had a collection of Volvo
Pentas. You could buy a new diesel motor of any
size off the shelf.
After once again clearing customs we
explored the town. We may well have been in
France because the spoken language was French
and the shops sold French food and wines.
destination: Caribbean
“Before entering the harbour a giant superyacht
appeared. It turned out to be Mick Jagger’s yacht.
You just never know who you may run into while
sailing in Caribbean waters”
Baguettes were quickly consumed and we
booked into a restaurant for the evening meal.
The Mango Bay restaurant built on the harbour
foreshore was a popular spot for something
to eat and drink with yachties on their laptops
taking advantage of the free wireless internet.
We had anchored well out, meaning a long
dinghy ride each way, but this was a small
price to pay for such an amazing experience.
Superyachts were common as were old 20-foot
timber antiques. The anchorage was flat and
amazingly quiet given the massive number of
yachts at anchor or at the marina.
French family
Jages had come to Martinique to pick up a
French family who live in the village where
Jages and his French Canadian wife spend part
of the year. The two families had planned to
spend Christmas and New Year together and
they were arriving in Martinique direct by plane
from France. Quite a life for a pirate, sailing in
the Caribbean for part of the year and living in
the Alps for the remainder. Some people do it
tough, but this pirate had earned his time in the
sun (and the snow). You learn a great deal about
people when you spend time together on a boat.
Jages explained to me how he had a “troubled”
time at school and was eventually sent to a
school for difficult students. This was the best
thing for him, he claimed, because he trained
as a diesel mechanic, learnt stone masonry
and worked on a farm. He later added the title
of electrician to his long list of skills. It seems
Jages has put his stone masonry skills to good
use, having built several ski chalets in the Alps.
With only five years’ sailing experience behind
him, he is already a very skilled sailor and
boatman. Despite these numerous qualifications
his greatest asset is clearly his excellent people
April 2012
ABOVE: The beautiful
and secure anchorage
of Marigot Bay on the
island of St Lucia.
INSET: A free local
ferry provides transport
across Marigot Bay.
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destination: Caribbean
skills. His sense of humour and zest for life is
infectious. As I heard him say on board: “There
are no problems in life, only solutions”. I’m sure
I was not the only person to recognise this man’s
talents. Someone in the Moorings bareboat
organisation has recruited well.
The opportunity to purchase some gear for my
new boat was too great to resist while walking
among this maze of boating equipment. I bought
a four-person liferaft off the shelf in one shop
and bought a secondhand Zodiac dinghy from a
French local. This purchase came with the added
bonus of a pillion ride on his scooter to a nearby
bank. Zooming through the streets on the wrong
side of the road for an Australian, was a thrill
in itself. I finished off buying a four-stroke
outboard and numerous blocks and shackles,
all within a short walking distance.
Homeward bound
After two nights in Marin we got the anchor
up at 4am to quietly slip out of the harbour and
return to Marigot Bay. Zee and I sat up on the
bows with torches to help Jages manoeuvre
through the maze of anchor lines, floating
mooring lines and unlit yachts. I was looking
forward now to a downhill ride under full
sail, and I was not disappointed. The 46-foot
Leopard relished the off-the-wind work and
we were soon slipping along at a steady 8/9
knots under full main and genoa in a breeze
TOP: The view from the
Mango Bay restaurant
takes in one section of the
massive marina in the port
of Marin on the island of
Martinique.
ABOVE: Mango Bay
Restaurant overlooks Port
Marin on the French island
of Martinique.
RIGHT: The beautiful timber
building is the Sunsail base
and shops in Marigot Bay.
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April 2012
destination: Caribbean
rising slowly to 20 knots. The sea was flat and
building but soon Marigot Bay came into view.
Before entering the harbour a giant superyacht
appeared. It turned out to be Mick Jagger’s
yacht. You just never know who you may run
into while sailing in Caribbean waters. We tied
up at the marina to change vessels and pick up
another Moorings skipper transferring to St
Vincent. After ice creams and more baguettes
we cast off for St Vincent and the Moorings
base at Blue Lagoon Bay.
Downwind ride
The wind piped in for the return downwind ride
and once again this Leopard cat sat on eight
knots plus. One incident on the return journey
promoted some interesting analysis. We heard
a woman on the VHF asking for a tow from the
rescue services for her yacht because they had
lost engine power. The rescue services asked
if their sails were still operating. After some
conversation back and forth the rescue services
said they could come and tow them in for a fee
of US$2500. The radio went quiet for some time
then the woman said they had the sails up again
and were heading for home. Who said necessity
was the mother of invention?
We slipped into Blue Lagoon Bay about
10pm in a strong 20-knot wind and rather
than attempt to tie up to a crowded jetty in
a cross-wind we took the easy option of a
mooring. I’d experienced five magic days.
We’d been to three different countries and
experienced several different cultures without
ever sailing very far. While a tropical island
in the Caribbean looks very similar to a
tropical island in Queensland, the similarity
ends there. The French culture of Martinique
and Port Marin had been intoxicating and
the raw vibrancy of West Indian culture on
the island of St Lucia was exciting. Add this
to some great sailing and wonderful sailing
companions and my first few days in the
Caribbean were beyond my wildest dreams. I
also felt I had met the reincarnation of a pirate
from centuries past.
Bob Hamill
Bob is a semi-retired history teacher.
Normally sailing the coastal areas
of FNQ, he went to the Caribbean in
search of a new boat. This will be his
fifth yacht in more than 20 years of messing around
in boats that includes two years as owner-operator
of a charter yacht working out of Cairns.
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