Sailing trip Karbik 2024, 1st week

Saturday, March 2nd, 2024

My exciting trip to the Caribbean starts today.

At 8:00 a.m. I'm taken to the airport. Everything is going smoothly, so I still have plenty of time.

I'm worried because I only have 1 hour and 35 minutes to change trains in Paris and I think I have to go through security. The security check turns out to be a passport check, no queue, I get through in a minute and reach the departure gate on time.

As we approach Fort de France it begins to get dark. When we leave the plane it is dark, it is 6:45 p.m. You are already pretty close to the equator. Then we take a taxi to Le Marin, where our skipper Stefan and the other cruise participants, Gabi, Udo and Andi, are waiting for me. We spend the evening in the L'Annexe restaurant right at the harbor. There is live music playing right next door. Great flair and good atmosphere at 26 degrees.

Our sailboat is moored in the bay outside the crowded harbor. We reach it by dinghy.

Sunday, March 3, 2024

The sun rises at 6 a.m., time for the first photos. Then the first bath in warm water.

Before we set sail we have to clear ourselves out. Martinique belongs to France and therefore to the EU, our next destination Saint Lucia belongs to the Commonwealth. Stefan and Andi take the dinghy and our passports to the harbor master and take care of it.

We are sailing towards the south in a moderate wind that is blowing from astern rather than abeam, i.e. diagonally from behind. This is very relaxed sailing without any lean angle. However, the waves also come from there. After we are out of the cover of Martinique, our eyesight is put to the first test. A large pod of dolphins accompanies us on the way. Unfortunately, they are difficult to photograph. At around 4:30 p.m. we reach our destination today, Marigot Bay on Saint Lucia.

Monday, March 4th, 2024

The weather has changed, rain and no wind. We have a big push today and start at 6am and head south under Moter along the coast of Saint Lucia. After an hour, the Pitons come into view, two spherical mountains and the island's landmark.

The expected wind after passing Saint Lucia sets in and we can continue sailing. However, there is a bad weather front ahead of us, which we are approaching at a speed of over 8 knots. In the bad weather front, heavy rain and no more wind. It continues under engine.

The plan was to call a bay south of Chateaubelair on Saint Vincent. Due to the bad weather we continue to Bequia. Near Kingstown, the capital of Saint Vincent, a local comes up to us on his boat and offers us two tuna fish. We buy the largest one for $25 and Stefan deftly dismantles it.

At around 5 p.m., after 61 nautical miles, we reach our destination, Admiralty Bay on Bequia with the small town and a ferry port. In the evening we go ashore for dinner and go to the Mac's Pizza & Kitchen restaurant, which serves delicious food. Unfortunately the bad weather reached us here too.

Tuesday, March 5th, 2024

After several rain showers during the night, it is cloudy but dry this morning. We take the dinghy over to Port Elisabeth, see the little town and experience the Caribbean feeling for the first time. All buildings are painted in fun bright colors. After about 2 hours we go back to the boat. Stefan calls the supply boat, we need supplies. The supply boat delivers water and fuel and offers a laundry service.

We then leave Bequia and sail past an abandoned settlement to Canouan. The weather is improving, there are only a few short rain showers and we are making good progress with a steady wind. We reach Charlestown Bay at 4 p.m. Before the anchor beer we jump into the turquoise water. For dinner we have the tuna we bought yesterday and lasagne, excellently prepared by Stefan.

Today there are a few pictures of the ship, a Beneteau Oceanis 57 feet (17.20 m) with a center cockpit. The ship is called “Fred” and sails under the Greek flag. I share the extremely spacious and comfortable rear cabin with Andi.

Every evening we experience a very beautiful and always different sunset.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Today was the best day of sailing so far and for very different reasons:

1. The rain has moved away, the weather is perfect with a steady wind.
2. The last few days we have been sailing with aft wind, which means setting sails and autopilot on in the morning and autopilot off and retrieving sails in the evening. There are also the waves from astern that cause the ship to roll. Today we sailed against the wind with several sailing maneuvers and leaning angles and had a lot of fun.
3. Our winemaker Andi received an award for a Riesling and is really proud, also of his daughter, who accepted the honor on his behalf.
4. Stefan throws out the fishing rod every morning and we drag it along all day. Today we caught a baracuda.

Our destination today is Mustique, the island of the beautiful and rich. The island has been privately owned for 50 years. With the right amount of money you can buy in and become neighbors with Mick Jagger, Bryan Adams or Tommy Hilfiger. If you want something cheaper you can rent a villa.

For dinner there is the caught barracuda, excellently prepared by Stefan. Afterwards we visit Basil's Bar, the most famous bar in the Caribbean with live music. Johnny Depp and Boris Johnson have also been here. Today the bar has one more attraction, Fred's Crew was here.

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Today we are sailing again with wind and waves from abeam to the south, past the east coast of Canouan to the Tobago Cays. The Tbago Cays are part of Grenadia, which consists of a large number of islands. Access is a challenge due to the reefs and sandbanks and requires careful navigation. We anchor our ship between the two small islands of Petit Rameau and Petit Bateau. The water glows a bright turquoise and looks simply fantastic.

There are reefs around the islands where we can snorkel. I'm trying out my new Schochchel mask. She looks a bit ugly, but after a short while I got used to her, I got along very well. After snorkeling, you can have a drink at a small bar on Petit Rameau before swimming back to the boat. Swimming is not that easy, as the dinghies from the ships are often on the move and there is considerable disturbance between the islands.

Friday, March 8, 2024

We sail a different course between the reefs to the south. On the starboard side is Union Island with the town of Clinton. In the foreground a black sailing yacht. With our AIS (Automatic Identification System) we look at the data of the ship, it is 80 m long. Who on earth needs an 80 m long sailing yacht? On the port side is another private island, Palm Island. There is a resort on the island, you can also land there by boat and visit the restaurant.

Our destination today is Sandy Island, a sand and coral island with palm trees and mangroves off Carriacou. This is pure Caribbean, just as you imagine it. After anchoring we head into the water. We swim to the island. Because of the current we land in the southern part of the island and then go to the north side where there is a coral reef. Snorkeling is a great experience with the fantastic underwater world. We stay on the reef for over an hour before swimming back to the ship. Even if I repeat myself, my snorkel mask is a hit.

In the evening we are picked up by a boat from the Paradise Beach Bar restaurant. We enjoy a Bahama Mama, a slightly too sweet cocktail with plenty of rum and then a delicious dinner.