Sailing Round the World on Sal Darago: April 2023

Thursday, 27 April 2023

Barbados to Martinique

Guess where?

We stayed in Barbados for a week. The catamaran, Pivot Point, joined us at anchor in Carlisle Bay. I think they found the loud music and the regular stream of tourist catamarans coming past from the nearby careenage too invasive and they moved to the opposite end of the bay.

Although we were supposed to be resting after our sea passage, we had to do the usual jobs – finding a Digicel store, obtaining Barbados dollars, filling up with diesel and water, locating a laundry and topping up our food supplies.

The careenage, Bridgetown, where we tied our dinghy

The careenage is a canal like passage which leads to a man made lagoon. A lifting bridge allows yachts and other vessels to pass through to moorings. Small dinghies can pass under the bridge and tie up in the centre of town. It is advisable to use a chain and padlock, which we did. All along the careenage, tourist catamarans, sports fishing boats and dive boats take on visitors. It’s a hive of activity at the beginning and end of each day.

Drinking water can be obtained in the careenage but it’s easier to take containers to the fishing port in the dinghy. Diesel and petrol can be purchased there also – cash only. You might need a funnel for filling small petrol cans.


Jeremy and John

Jeremy’s brother, Gavin, has a friend called John, who lives in Barbados, not far from Bridgetown. Last time we were there in 2008/9, John and Janice looked after us. Sadly, Janice died a few years ago. With Gavin’s help and Jeremy’s new Digicel SIM card, we were able to contact John and visit him in his beautiful house that overlooks the ocean. He was recovering from a cornea transplant he’d had only a few days’ previously. He was being very well looked after by three women.

Leda and Jeremy

We spent about two hours chatting to John. His housekeeper, Lynne, remembered us from our previous visit, made us welcome and offered us coffee, which we drank as we talked. John arranged for Leda, to come from Bridgetown to take us to the nearby gas filling station, where we filled our Australian gas bottle for only 5.50 USD. We invited Leda to have lunch with us in Bridgetown. She accepted. Leda and her sister have started a successful business in Barbados producing handmade yoghurt.

Horses at Carlisle Bay

It’s 113 nautical miles from Carlisle Bay, Barbados to Le Marin, Martinique, an overnight sail for us. First, we hauled up the dinghy and Jeremy made some repairs to the Hypalon. I made a mince stew in the pressure cooker. We weighed anchor on Thursdsay 20^th April and motored to the cruise ship dock to clear out. A cruise ship was tied up and several other ships and tugs, leaving little space for Sal Darago. With some difficulty, we managed to tie up to huge ship fenders between a tug and a ship. We had a short wait for Port Control. We paid 100 Barbados dollars (about £45) and took the receipt to Immigration. After another short wait, Customs arrived and we were cleared to leave.

In with the big ships

I found the motion of the sea uncomfortable. We motored at first. In the afternoon a good easterly sailing wind arrived and we had almost 2knots of current with us. By 0800 on Friday 21^st April, we were at the entrance to Le Marin. There were many vessels and fishing pots to avoid. On arrival at the port, the area was overcrowded with vessels making it difficult to find a space to anchor.

Le Marin

Clearing in was easy at the shop on the fuel dock using the computer and only 5 euros to pay. While we were in Marin, we explored the many chandleries, used the dinghy dock at the supermarket, Leader Price, and stocked up with heavy goods like UHT milk and beer. We kept meeting an Australian sailing couple and shared some of our experiences with each other.

Diamond Rock

Jeremy needed to see a dentist, but the surgery was closed until Monday afternoon. He took matters into his own hands and stuck his loose crown back in place with super glue.

Anse Noir

We left Marin on Sunday 23^rd April and motorsailed 22nm to Anse Noir, passing inside Diamond Rock on the way. As it was a hot Sunday, the anchorage was crowded. We were just in front of a large yacht on entering and anchored before they arrived. We went ashore, climbed up lots of steps, walked down into Anse Dufour and waited for an hour in a busy restaurant for lunch. We met a French family at the next table. The husband spoke good English and helped us with the menu.

Bibliotheque Schoelcher, Fort de France

Back on Sal Darago, we decided to leave Anse Noir as more boats had arrived and deafeningly loud music was blasting out over the small bay. We motored 4nm to Fort de France, the capital of Martinique, and anchored close to the old fort. My tooth broke and the filling dropped out as I was eating crisps and cashew nuts.

Anyone for crepes?

The next day we exchanged Brazilian and Barbados currency for euros at a dreadful exchange rate. Tourist Information were very helpful. There was a dentists just around the corner. After a half hour wait, my tooth was repaired for a little over 70 euros. Jeremy took both our phones to the Digicel shop and bought SIM cards that will work on all the islands (45 euros each). More items for SD were bought at Sea Services. We wanted to exchange our empty camping gaz bottle. The fuel dock where this could be done was a mile away. We could walk, catch a bus, or take the dinghy. We took the dinghy, exchanged the gaz and found a local place for lunch that served up enormous plates of Creole food. Jeremy bought some diesel additive at a chandlery. Unfortunately, it was for essence (petrol) so we had to return it the next day. We walked there and back. Brunch of crepes with ham and cheese back in town was a rare, tasty treat. On our return to SD, we prepared to leave for St Pierre, about 10nm further north. Once again, the anchorage was crowded. We found a space at the north end, but we were only just on the sandy ledge, with depths plunging behind us. Fortunately, there was little wind. The next day, we used a coin operated laundrette and washed all our seat covers, bedding and clothes.

Anchorage at Fort de France

Today, Thursday 26^th April, we re-anchored once a German yacht left and now we are the only vessel in the northern part of St Pierre. Jeremy went ashore for water, fresh food and to clear out. We leave for Antigua in the morning, 152nm north.

Sunday, 16 April 2023

St Helena to Barbados

We arrived in Barbados in the late afternoon of Friday 14^th April. We are well and Sal Darago is fine but we have had some problems on the way and had to make some changes to our original plan.

We left St Helena on 7^th March. We’d checked the weather and saw that we needed to make the most of the wind in the first few days as it was likely to be lighter later on. We sailed slowly with the wind speeds ranging from 7-12 knots ESE to SE. From time to time there would be a squall bringing sudden bursts of wind up to 20+knots. We flew our ghoster (a light wind sail – like half a spinnaker) but nearly always struggled to take it down when a squall arrived. It was very hot without the cooling wind, but the calm seas meant we could have portholes and hatches open. It was too hot to wear clothes. We were glad we had a bimini and awnings to give us some shade.

We were on our way to French Guyana admiring the superb display of stars and planets at night. Venus and Saturn shone in the western sky after sunset until the moon rose and lit up the sky. We had stowaway seabirds that spent the night on our radar mast, pulpit rail and safety rails.

Stowaway sea bird

Between midnight and 0300 on 11^th March a block broke at the top of the mast. We were taking down the ghoster and putting up the much smaller number 2 jib. As Jeremy hauled up the halyard, the jib fell down on top of him along with the halyard. We were 300 miles from Ascension Island, the nearest place where we could go for repairs. We altered course

Broken masthead block

We managed to contact Ascension Island Radio as we approached three days later, but communication became more broken as we closed with the island. Eventually, Sea Rescue made contact and then Port Control. We motored into Clarence Bay, Ascension Island in the dark. There was a French catamaran already anchored and many local boats on moorings. In addition, a long, snake like floating oil pipe stretched from a buoy to the shore. I stood on the bow with a spotlight and the French skipper shone his spotlight at nearby hazards. We anchored behind the catamaran just before 2100.

Approaching Ascension

Next morning at 0800, Jeremy was up the mast replacing the block. We were allowed to go ashore for essential supplies. We paid £15 port fees and £3.20 for water. We were taken by car to see the police, who act as Immigration, and allowed to buy food at the supermarket. Back on SD, we were strongly advised not to swim as there have been recent shark attacks. We heeded the warning.

The offending block

On Wednesday 15^th March, we weighed anchor and left Clarence Bay. Marrant, the French catamaran, followed a little later, but we soon lost sight of them. Slow progress continued and an adverse current made our speed even slower. One day the wind came from the west, which was a big surprise, as we were in the South East Trade Wind belt! Light winds and frequent squalls continued. When the wind dropped to only 3knots, we motored going through most of the 365 litres of diesel we carry on board. It became clear that we would have to stop at the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronho for diesel, water and fresh food.

French Cat Marrant, Clarence Bay, Ascension

We anchored off the harbour at Fernando on Saturday 25^th March. The Canadian yacht, Kiaja Song, which we’d first met in Cape Town and again in St Helena, had already been at anchor for four days. They were very helpful in giving us information about Fernando. We launched the dinghy and went ashore to the Port Captain’s office. He was most helpful and used Google Translate to communicate in English. Immigration came and stamped us in and out. The officer took us to the nearest ATM in his car and directed us to the nearby supermarket. After buying a few supplies, we took a taxi back to the port and retuned to SD. At 1400 hours we were back in the Port Captain’s office filling in forms for the Brazilian Navy, observed by three navy officials.

Improvised Brazil flag using Ellie's vest and crayons

Over the next few days, we had our laundry done and bought more food supplies. We used the local bus and taxis. Sometimes people would stop and give us a lift. They were very friendly. The Lord sent heavy rain, which was enough to fill our tanks and water bottles. Otherwise, we would have had to buy bottles of water from the supermarket. The day before we left, we paid our fees at the Port Captain’s office – approximately £55 per day for anchoring, which included a per person environmental charge. This has to be the most we have paid anywhere, including marinas with pontoon berths, water, electricity and showers.

Fernando de Noronho

We left Fernando on 28^th March bound for French Guyana. The anchor windlass broke as we weighed anchor. Jeremy fixed it at sea a few days later. Remember we were still in the South Atlantic and expected SE Trade Winds. The ITCZ (Doldrums) was not supposed to affect us until north of the Equator. Nobody told the winds! We had NW, NNE and N winds ranging from 0-7knots. We motored. Dolphins came to swim at our bow. Some of the stowaway seabirds returned. About two days out from Fernando, we found ourselves crossing mats and lines of seaweed, possibly kelp. I thought this had washed out of the huge Amazon Basin, but we continued to experience this weed all the way to Barbados, 1750 miles away.

The dreadful weed

We used up all but our last tank of diesel motoring north to find the NE Trades. We crossed the Equator and shared brandy and biscuits with Neptune. At about 3 degrees north, the wind began to blow from the N and NE. Jeremy went down with a cold and sore throat first. Then it was my turn. A winch broke off from the side of the mast and dropped to the deck. Fortunately, we don’t use it very much and could continue without it. The new port side genoa sheet chafed on the clew of the sail, probably against a shroud. It’s a little shorter now but still okay to use.

We had a discussion after realising how far behind our schedule we were. It was decided to miss French Guyana and make directly for Barbados. The cooking gas ran out. Jeremy changed the bottle, so we’re now on propane. It was a relief to be sailing again with fewer squalls. We had no eggs for Easter. I was able to put together an Easter Treasure Hunt and smiles were brought to our faces as Jeremy searched for “treasure” (a cereal bar, which he shared with me – aahh.)

Sunset at sea

On Friday, 14^th April, we approached Bridgetown, Barbados and called on the VHF for permission to enter the port. Everyone had gone home as the last cruise ship had left. We knew that Health, Customs and Immigration were on duty until 2200, so we entered the port and tied up in front of catamaran Pivot Point with Conrad from Buffalo River YC, East London on board and other crew. A voice shouted, “Hello Jeremy!” and two men helped us tie up to the cruise ship dock. We had last seen Pivot Point in St Helena when Jeremy helped them to tie to one of the moorings.

With the help of rope ladders, we scaled the dock and cleared in with the officials. Afterwards, we cast off and motored to Carlisle Bay and anchored. We were just in time to see the last rays of the sun disappear over the horizon as we celebrated our second circumnavigation of the world with beers.