S/V Koinonia Weekly Sailing Log - Leaving Martinique for Guadeloupe (Wed Dec 6th - Tue Dec 5, 2023)
Highlights this week: leaving from Sainte-Anne and sailing north to Guadeloupe; a salty passage; picking up a ball at the perfect time in Deshaies; clearing in and getting reacquainted with this charming town. Ben and Amber have a date night; snorkeling as a family; super windy and rainy.
Wed Dec 6 - regular school day; Ben paper traded again today and met his daily goal by 11am. Ben dove on the boat while Amber snorkeled keeping an eye on Ben and the surroundings. Fortunately, there was nothing blocking the intake for the water maker. In the afternoon, the kids brought their scooters and skateboards ashore and rode at the park in front of the town square of Sainte Anne. Went to the Carrefour Express to stock up on meat and fresh produce items before we leave tomorrow. Secured everything on the boat for the passage tomorrow and prepared the boat.
Thu Dec 7 - after spending 30 minutes or more cleaning our anchor chain of growth, we got underway, departing from Sainte Anne around 9am and went to the fuel dock in Le Marin to top off on diesel and clear customs; easy in and out. We departed for Guadeloupe in the midst of squalls; at times we had heavy rain and gusts up to 30kts. Waves were about 4-6ft with about a 6 second interval. We were double reefed with the staysail and were as comfortable as possible under the circumstances. We saw lots of rainbows between the squalls. Tried fishing the entire trip but got no action - there was no sign of birds or frankly any tell-tale signs of life. Rain and squalls continued but made excellent time with breeze averaging 16-18kts with a positive current. Amber warmed some Campbell’s chicken noodle soup for dinner. Amber took the first watch.
Fri Dec 8 - our intended port was the southernmost islands of Guadeloupe at Les Sainte, but our ETA was much earlier than we expected (2am), so we made for Deshaies, Guadeloupe in the north, arriving by 9am. The conditions were finally calm once we were behind the main island of Guadeloupe. We hoped to anchor but with no spaces available, we reluctantly picked up a mooring ball for 25€ day (5 days + 2 free). Everyone cleaned up the boat and put things back after being secured for the passage. Cleared in and grabbed some quick lunch at the local boulangerie. Returned to the boat, ate lunch, got showers, and went to bed. Ben had trouble sleeping on the passage and was completely exhausted. Woke up around 5pm. Ben made potato leek soup for dinner with a toasted baguette. The kids had a video call with their friends on SV Bagia. The older girls watched “Never Been Kissed” for the first time.
Sat Dec 9 - extremely windy and rainy all morning; slept in a bit and woke up refreshed. The air is nice and cool. Slow morning on the boat getting the cabin cleaned and organized and watching Christmas movies. Amber made toasted sandwiches from the baguette we bought at the bakery and Ben did a load of laundry, then made water. Ben and Amber have a date night shore at Mahina restaurant; tapas and a bottle of wine; Ben had the duck and Amber had shrimp, then desserts and espresso.
Sun Dec 10 - slow day; decided to go snorkeling in the afternoon; the visibility was less than great due to the wind and rain, but it was good to get in the water and get some exercise. The kids made hamantaschen because they have been learning about Purim in their history class; it’s a type of Jewish pastry. Then we watched the movie “Ester,” the events of which Purim celebrates. Amber finished making her rag garland, which we hung with some battery operated lights around the cabin saloon. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Amber made a broccoli and chicken casserole for dinner.
Mon Dec 11 - regular school day and Ben traded until mid-day; rainy and very windy; Ben started a book with the kids over lunch called, “Unshakeable Foundations” by Norman Geisler. Amber washed a load of laundry and had to hang all the clothes inside the boat due to the rain. The kids had a call with their friends on SV BAGIA. Amber made vegetable beef stew for dinner.
Tue Dec 12 - regular school day and Ben traded until mid-day; another off and on rainy day. Everyone went ashore in the late afternoon and had an early dinner at Chez Mina; they had 2 cats roaming around in the kitchen. The food and service were very good (PS - no one makes French fries like the French)! Filled gas in our small jerry can and then went looking for some ice cream; sadly the ice cream shop had closed, but the grocery store had some ice cream in the freezer, to the satisfaction of the junior crew.
God Bless
S/V Koinonia