by Judy Handley | Dec 10, 2005 | Caribbean - St Martin, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 54, Year 1: We Made It!
Date: Saturday, December 10, 2005
Weather: Beautiful!
Air Temperature: 84 degrees F
Latitude: N 18 degrees 04.08 minutes
Longitude: W 63 degrees 05.58 minutes
Location: Marigot Bay, St. Martin
Wow! We have successfully completed our first passage. It was a long thirteen and a half days from Hampton, Virginia, to St. Martin, but as we came into Baie de Marigot and watched the water color change from cobalt blue to turquoise, we knew the rough times had been worth it. As we sit here in the anchorage, we can watch tiny minnows swim around the dinghy. The water is crystal clear.
I came on watch at 0400 this morning and saw the first light of day trying to break through in the eastern sky. Unlike most of the other mornings of our passage, this one was overcast, with storm clouds all around. Despite the clouds, it was obvious that things were different. There were sea birds flying in groups, dolphins swimming along with us, and at about 0600 Mark got up and spotted the first sight of land. On the charts, it is just noted as “Sombrero.” It was just a rock in the middle of the ocean with a couple of manmade structures, but it was land. Around 0800, we could see the next land mark, Dog Island off Anguilla. It remained cloudy, but by midmorning we could see the shadow of St. Martin in the distance. It was a good feeling to know land was so near.
We made a quick trip into town when we got here to check in with immigration, but it was late in the day, so exploring will happen tomorrow. The one thing we did find out is that everyone speaks French.. This is definitely a French port with one exception. The one place we went to buy something rang up in US dollars and when the person opened the cash register, there were only US dollars inside. Where’s the Euro?
This evening we lie at anchor for the first time in weeks. There is a slight swell coming into the bay and the boat rolls gently from side to side. The breeze has almost died, and it promises to be a hot night. That’s what we came here for, but now we have to adjust to it.
by Judy Handley | Dec 9, 2005 | Passage To Caribbean, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 53, Year 1: The Home Stretch
Date: Friday, December 9, 2005
Weather: Winds 35 then down to 20 knots, Rough Seas
Air Temperature: 80 degrees F
Latitude: N 20 degrees 02.75 minutes
Longitude: W 63 degrees 34.65 minutes
Location: Passage from Norfolk to St. Martin, Day 13
124 miles to go to St. Martin!!! If we continue as we have, that means we should be headed into Marigot Bay about this time tomorrow. The last 24 hours have been rough, but things are starting to settle down. By 2200 last night, the winds had built to 28 to 35 knots and they stayed that way all night and into the morning. Finally around 1400 this afternoon, they started dropping into the lower 20’s and are now 18 to 24. But the seas were the bigger challenge during the night. They were a consistent 12 to 15 and sometimes there were monster waves that looked more like 20 to me. They have settled down as well, so we should have a good run into St. Martin.
We continue to stand our watches, but we have seen very little traffic. I saw a tanker about a mile to starboard this morning which is only the second commercial ship we have seen in the past eight days. We have seen two navy war ships and a sailboat, but that is about it.
I’ve mentioned before that every day at 1430 we check in with the weather net run by Herb Hilgenberg in Canada. I really don’t know what we would have done without that contact. He has a set protocol where everyone out here who wants weather advice checks in by calling and identifying the boat between 1430 and 1500, “Southbound II, Southbound II, this is Windbird, Windbird, standing by.” Boat after boat checks in and then at 1500 he groups the boats by area and talks to each one of us individually giving the current weather for our location. It takes him two hours to talk to each boat and he does all of this out of the kindness of his heart. He must love it and I know that from our experience, those of out here appreciate what he does more than a thank you can express. That 1430 check in each day has been our life line. Thank you, Herb, for your expertise and guidance.
I do hope to be sending the next log from Marigot Bay, the French side of St. Martin. Thanks to so many of you have sent e-mails of best wishes to us during this first passage of the voyage of Windbird. Let’s all hope for a successful conclusion of the Chesapeake to Caribbean passage tomorrow.
by Judy Handley | Dec 8, 2005 | Passage To Caribbean, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 52, Year 1: What A Difference A Day Makes
Date: Thursday, December 8, 2005
Weather: Winds 25 knots, Rough Seas
Air Temperature: 75 degrees F
Latitude: N 22 degrees 22.19 minutes
Longitude: W 63 degrees 44.19 minutes
Location: Passage from Norfolk to St. Martin, Day 12
Yesterday at this time, we were having a perfect day. That ended abruptly at 2200 last night when the 25 knot winds came a few hours earlier than predicted. Along with the 25+ knot winds came the 10 to 12 foot seas, so we have had a rip roaring ride all night and day. This should continue into tomorrow and then the winds should settle down to a mere 20 knots. I think that will feel like a walk in the park, at least, that is my hope. We have 263 miles to go to St. Martin. Unfortunately, we will probably get there late in the day on Saturday. We’re not sure we want to head into a strange port at night, so we might have to heave to and wait until Sunday morning to go into the harbor. In any case, after two weeks at sea, I’m looking forward to a nice long walk on terra firma.
by Judy Handley | Dec 7, 2005 | Passage To Caribbean, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 51, Year 1: A Cruiser’s Dream
Date: Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Weather: Winds NE 12-15, Sunny and Warm
Air Temperature: 75 degrees F
Latitude: N 24 degrees 44.29 minutes
Longitude: W 63 degrees 58.72 minutes
Location: Passage from Norfolk to St. Martin, Day 11
Today is that kind of day. The kind of day cruising sailors dream about. The winds have been a steady 12 to 15 from the northeast, which is allowing us to sail south and be right on course for St. Martin. It has been a sunny, glorious day and the cobalt blue water has been calm. We have been out here eleven days since leaving the Chesapeake and probably have four more days before we reach St. Martin which is about 405 miles from where we are right now. The winds should continue to come from the north and then east, although the prediction is for 20 to 25 knot winds by tomorrow afternoon, calming back to 20 on Friday, and 15 on Saturday. Actually, we couldn’t ask for a better forecast, so it looks like our pushing to get to this latitude and longitude by today is going to pay off. The winds will be strong, but we’ll just reef down and enjoy the ride.
When I reached for a banana this morning, I realized we ate the last one yesterday. We have also run out of fresh green veggies except for some baby spinach and lettuce. We still have Clementine’s, apples, and a cantaloupe, but other than that we are going to have to start digging into the canned goods.
I finally found the strength to tackle the piles of books on the v-berth today and get them back on the shelves. Most survived, but I found a few damp ones that I have brought out into the cockpit to dry. Other than that, reading is the activity that fills our time. We have both finished reading Kite Runner-great book, and now I am reading By the Grace of the Sea and Mark is reading a Nicholas Sparks book, The Guardian. By the Grace of the Sea is the story of Pat Henry’s circumnavigation. She called herself the oldest woman to first round the world in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. The book was given to my by Laura Wuellenweber, our office assistant back in the Concord, NH, school district. Thanks, Laura. It is a great story.
Moonsong, Shaboomi, Tranquility, Abudea, Sweet Mary, Alvin, Traveler, Alice, and Paradise are the nine other boats in our general area headed for Puerto Rico, the British Virgin Islands, and St. Martin. One of them passed us during the night last night, but that was our only ship traffic for last night. The moon is helping us out at night now. It is starting to fill and serves as our night light during the early part of the night. It is directly overhead right now and is ready to guide us as soon as the sun goes down.
by Judy Handley | Dec 6, 2005 | Passage To Caribbean, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 50, Year 1: Heat Wave
Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2005
Weather: Winds SE, Sudden Rise in Air Temperature
Air Temperature: 87 degrees F
Latitude: N 26 degrees 47.03 minutes
Longitude: W 63 degrees 57.83 minutes
Location: Passage from Norfolk to St. Martin, Day 10
We are once again motoring as the winds persist in coming at us from the southeast, precisely the direction in which we need to sail. We are hopeful that by tomorrow evening we will reach the trade winds and have fair sailing to St. Martin. But of course, that is our hope. We shall see what really develops. One thing that has definitely happened in the last 24 hours is that the air temperature has increased. We needed no polar fleece vests last night on watch and today we had to take out most of the panels in our plastic cockpit enclosure. That enclosure has been a life saver for us in the past month and half, but it did feel good to be able to roll it up and prepare for warmer weather.
We are starting to plan for our arrival in St. Martin by making lists of all the things we need to do once at an anchorage. We are also carefully reading the Caribbean cruising guides to plan other stops on our way to St. Lucia. We will not be stopping at many of the islands as we hope to be in St. Lucia by December 19 to greet our kids who are flying in for Christmas. But once we reach St. Lucia, we can slow down a bit and enjoy just being there.
