Maverick in St.Lucia and on

Timing one's arrival at chosen spot is sometimes a wee bit tricky. Easy
enough to slow down, speeding up not so easy. We arrived at St.Lucia just
after midnight. On previous occasions I would run up to Marigot Bay anyway
and do a night entry. Not recommended if you are not familiar with the
place. Sailing into St.Lucia after three weeks at sea always takes your
breath away. The lush green, the pitons, the soft rain at times, the
rainbows that follow. I have had many magical moments arriving at this most
beautiful island of the Caribbean. I think it is the most beautiful one
anyway. The owner on board and my crew member have never seen St.Lucia,
and I wanted them to see the pitons which are south of Marigot Bay. On the
southern tip is Vieux Fort Bay and we dropped anchor in the lee of the
Moule Achique Promontory and had a good night's rest there. I find it hard
to sleep on a boat that is not moving after being at sea for weeks. The
quietness, the gentle rocking, and the excitement of going on land in a
few hours adds to this bout of insomnia :-)))

Early up and kettle on the gas stove, coffee anyone? Weighed anchor and
slowly motor sailed towards Marigot Bay. The pitons showed spectacular as
usual, and everywhere sail boats were appearing out of the anchorages and
marinas. First of course were the local fishing boats out to sea and waving
as the fishermen waving at us. Something that boaters do everywhere, wave
at each other as they pass each other. Just yesterday a sportfishing boat
motored passed us from astern, I waved and got no wave back. I threw both
my hands in the air, like wtf, and they waved back at us :-))) We arrived
at Marigot a few hours later and tied up to a mooring buoy. An incredibly
beautiful little hideaway as you will see if you look at our footage posed.
We cleared in, paid our dues, arranged for a taxi to the airport, and at
noon Joe and Peter was on the way to the airport to fetch Joe's son Mike
who flew in from the States to join our adventure. When they returned, we
went for some of the best pizza you will ever find, a few beers, and then
meandered across the bay to another establishment with a few pool tables.
Shot a few games and turned out Joe was quite the hustler. At 72 years old
he showed us youngsters:-))) a thing or two and walked away the champ.
These little stops also allows us to catch up a bit on our emails and
social media, and best of all, time to catch up with our families a bit.
Having wifi is wonderful after extended periods at sea.

The next morning at first light we slipped the mooring buoy and pointed our
bows in the direction of St.Thomas. I googled where the best place would be
to clear into the US, as our boat is US flagged, and St.Thomas and St.Johns
were mentioned. As St.Thomas is a rather big and busy port, we opted for
St.Johns, just a few miles east of St.Thomas. We had a wonderful sail up
with the wind on our beam, but once again arrived at night. Very shallow
anchorage, checked the tide, and tentatively made our way in and dropped
anchor in less than two metres of water. The Maverick is known for it's
shallow draught, and even if you touch bottom, you won't damage the props or
rudders. In fact, you can beach the Maverick, but be sure the bottom is sand
:-))) I just recently learned that Maverick Yachts is now also building a
Hybrid model as well. Fantastic news!!! Long overdue. Check their website at
maverickyachts.co.za. The next morning early we moved to a slightly deeper
anchorage, as the tide left us with us with just over a metre of water
where we were. We got our paperwork and passports together, dropped the
dinghy and proceeded to the Customs and Immigration offices. My First Mate
Peter has an ESTA visa, which one applies for online if you want to enter
the US. Turned out you either have to enter on a commercial plane or boat
and we were given a few options. Motor into twenty knots of wind and choppy
seas back to Tortola. Clear in there, get Peter on a ferry back to St.John,
and then they can legally clear him in. Or pay a heavty $3000 fine. Jokingly
I informed the immigration officer "No speaky da English, non comprehendo"
and we made or way back to our yacht. Going back to Tortola would be very
unpleasant, take a long time and burn a lot of diesel, thus not an option. I
have a friend, Christian, in Vieques, part of Puerto Rico, which falls under
the US. On a previous occasion we cleared into the US in Vieques at the
airport, and rather opted for this possible option. Just forty miles away,
and we arrived at Vieques just before dark and tied onto a mooring buoy. I
was in coms with Christian who followed our tracker, and we arranged to meet
at seven thirty the next morning. He took us to the airport and the
immigration officer arrived just after eight. He was also happy with all our
visas, except Peter's. In his own words, "I don't make the rules, I just
enforce them" Christian offered to fly us to Puerto Rico in his Cessna 205
to go sort out our problem there, and we excepted gratefully and thankfully.
Just a short flight and once we were airborne, Christian told me to take
over the control. I shook my head vehemently, but he just smiled and guided
me how to keep the plane flying at an even level. I was seriously nervous
and totally focused, but what an amazing experience. A pirate being a pilot,
pilots of the Caribbean :-))) He sailed with me about six months ago with
our friend Nathan from Vieques to Fort Lauderdale, and I showed him the
ropes. Ten days at sea and he was a natural, a quick learner and excellent
company. Now he was teaching me his favourite mode of transport. In Puerto
Rico the official issued Peter a visa waiver for a fee of $585, and Joe had
to pay import duties into the US on his boat which costed him over $8000.
And no, they don't except credit cards. Cash or a personal cheque. We could
also work through a broker, which would take at least three days and cost
even more. Our only option was for Joe to find a bank and draw the cash,
which was also quite tricky and understandably so. I sent Nicolas, our crew
member with Joe and Christian, as Joe's body guard, just in case. Nicolas is
a big boy, which always comes in handy under certain circumstances :-))) It
too us a couple of hours, but we got it all sorted, and flew back to Vieques
at about five pm, hungry, tired and thirsty :-))) Went back to the yacht,
freshened up, and went to Duffy's for some food and a few beers. Christian
brought his family down a little bit later to introduce us, wonderful
wonderful.

At Duffy's I checked the weather and it looked like a good run ahead from
there to Annapolis. I checked on Windy.com, and Fastseas to see what the
recommended route would be. The next morning, just to make double sure, we
went ashore one last time to check the weather forecast and get a few final
provisions, which we could not do the day before. We had about eight days of
fuel in our tanks left and set of confidently that we will make Annapolis
based on the weather predicted. Four days later the weather predicted did
not materialise and I had to make a different plan. When I took watch over
from Joe at six am, I discussed with him our situation, and our only hope
was to make a ninety degree turn and head for the Bahamas to get fuel. He
was in total agreement and without further adieu, changed course. Annapolis
was about eight hundred miles away, the Bahamas about four hundred. And no
wind. You don't want to run out of fuel in the middle of the ocean, for very
many reasons. The water turned glassy, the fuel gauge kept dropping, and I
was stressing somewhat. I could not sleep and one morning at about four I
decided to unscrew one of the covers on one of our fuel tanks to see how
much fuel we really have, and to see what type of gauge the Maverick has. It
turned out the gauges were very accurate and we sill had some distance to
cover before we will get to the Bahamas. I guessed we had about sixty litres
left which gives us about thirty hours of motoring. The last hundred miles
was really stressful as we got some counter current and were making slow
progress. A ship passed us close by and I considered asking them for fuel if
possible, but decided not to. They mostly run on crude oil and highly unlike
that they will have diesel. It was a massive relief when we made the Bahamas
with probably ten litres of fuel in each tank, the gauges were deep in the
red. None of the crew stressed, they all trusted me completely. Instead of
stressing, we stopped the boat every day for half an hour or so, dived into
the deep blue and had loads of fun. These are stresses that captains often
have to carry alone. But with a huge reserve of luck, I somehow manage not
to get into deep trouble.

I have been to the Bahamas twice before. Once running in with six metre
swell behind me caused by a hurricane close by. I was lucky then too, and
like then, very relieved to be there. We moored against the fuel dock at
about five in the afternoon, announced our arrival at the marina office.
Marcel, the manager there sorted us out quickly. What excellent service we
received at Harbour View Marina in Marsh harbour. We went for a snack and
some beers a Snappas, great food, and as it was Friday night, great lively
live music too. And as usual, got onto wifi and caught up with the world at
large. Saturday morning we took on 120 gallons of fuel, or in my terms 456
litres of diesel, cleared Customs and Immigration, paid our dues, did some
provisioning and departed for Annapolis just after noon. We will now
optimize the Gulf Stream, a solid current that runs up the east coast of
North America, which will expediate our progress greatly. Pacing ourselves a
bit, again, to not run too fast and get the headwinds predicted further up.
If we time it perfectly, we will get most wind from behind, and some just
aft of the beam. Wind against current is not a pleasant experience, and we
try to avoid that. We should be in Annapolis in about five days time. It is
hot out here, a few cumulus nimbus clouds forming every day now. Those big
towering anvil shaped clouds that flattens out at the top as it hits the
colder stratosphere. Powerful clouds with lots of thunder and lightning and
rain. Spectacular to say the least.

Catch you on the flip side :-)))

A slice of life on a yacht on an ocean crossing

St.Helena....always an immense pleasure to visit her shores. The remnants
of a volcanic eruption smack bang in the middle of the Southern Atlantic
ocean. Sometimes volcanoes erupt and settles back to sea level where the rim
is then in time covered with coral and attracts a huge variety of other
living organisms. Only a few volcanoes erupt and is big enough to not sink
back into the ocean. On the same ridge about 700nm away is Ascension island.
Huge underwater mountain ranges, with these two islands the peaks. From
5000 metres the seabed rises rapidly within a mile or two of St.Helena,
and on top, this magnificent rock. Sailing in from the south east the
volcanic cliffs shows many layers of different colours and density. I
always experience a sense of wonder, thinking that this rock goes right
down to the core of our planet. And if I hold my ear against this rock, I
imagine hearing the rumblings of the molten core far below. From the
centre of our blue planet. The outer parts of the island offers a huge
contrast to the inner hills and valleys where you find lush green forests.
The people who live on this island are also the friendliest people I have
met anywhere. I thought I may be a bit biased, but reading the reports of
others sailors that came ashore and filled the logbook at Anne's Place,
confirms that. People like me, who have sailed far and wide. It is a
unique place, in many ways, and so worth a visit for so many reasons.
Until very recently you could only get there by boat, but since October
last, you can now fly in. And for the very best experience of the history
of the island, none can beat the Consulate Hotel. If you can, make a plan,
and GO.

Our sail from Cape Town to St.Helena was average. From St.Helena to Brazil
we normally experience less wind, but this time round we had a fantastic
sail up. Sailed pass Fernando do Noronha at night, and the next day at
about noon we passed Atol do Rocas. Had some radio contact with the marine
biologists stationed on this amazing place before we pointed our bows
towards the Caribbean. The current running up the South American north
coast goes a long way in stretching our daily average of 150nm to 200+nm.
But just for a few days before you loose the current and hook in again a
few days later. The Amazon creates some counter currents close to the
coast, and we prefer to stay at least 200nm offshore from it's mouth. A
day or two after crossing the Amazon, the ocean water starts going brown
from the silt deposited by the Amazon and remains that way nearly to the
Caribbean. Lots of rain whenever we sail this area, for days. Refreshing
and invigorating. Huge amounts of sargasso, a floating seaweed that one
can apparently cook and eat, or dry and make a certain spice from it. A
few days ago I started smelling a very faint familiar smell, like clay.
The next day the sun was less bright which confirmed what my nose picked
up first. Sahara dust, powdery fine pinkish reddish dust being blown
nearly 3000nm over the North Atlantic ocean. It starts settling on the
boat in little nooks and crannies, hardly visible at first, but within a
few days evident everywhere. A good spell of rain and the exterior of our
yacht is clean, but inside the cockpit area, we have to hose and wipe it
off. Satellite images shows this massive yellow cloud over the North
Atlantic certain times of the year, and apparently not good for the coral
in the Caribbean either. I guess as the desert grows bigger, more and more
dust is being blown over.

Life on yacht....we get very close to nature out here, become an integral
part of the wild and untameable open ocean. The sun, the moon, the skies,
day and night, the ocean, all awe inspiring ever changing elements. And
when you have been out here long enough, a spirit of thankfulness, a soul
of gratefulness settles in you. I often sail with new crew and new owners,
who haven't been at sea long. Interesting how they, in the beginning,
always find a reason to complain. Too hot, to cold, too wet, too dry, too
much wind, too little wind. It is as if they cling onto these little rafts
of negativity left over from a life on land. Indoctrinated and programmed
to be like that ;-))) And they cling together, huddle together to exchange
there pains. They don't often express their complains to me. Reason being
that I normally pass them a toilet roll and a pen and ask them to write
their complains on it ;-))) At first they are shocked, but soon realize
that is my take on little negative chirps. Reporting a fault, that gets
recorded in our logbook, no problem with that, and we sort it out, now. If
you bump your head, or slip, I first ask if the boat is ok. It works a
charm. And they figure out quick that this is not a nursing home, here you
have to watch where you walk, and how you walk. I always urge the crew
to walk on their toes, cat foot like, quick short steps, stay low and
always hold with one hand onto something. And soon everyone knows how to
be and stay safe. First safety rule on a boat is to stay on the boat. If
you fall overboard and we can't find you it creates a lot of paperwork :-
000. That also shocks my new crew a bit when we do the safety briefing
before we start, not sure why. It's a fact :-))) And so we establish crew
dynamics. If someone does not pull their weight, it creates tension.
Therefore best to share all the duties equally, and make sure the duties
are performed properly. And no problem for me to sort out small little
problems like this. None of us keep grudges, we air our feelings, and get
on with the task at hand. Everyone knows what is expected from them, and
why. And soon we have positive comments in the logbook, which every crew
member completes after his/her watch. Beautiful sunrise, Meteor showers,
Dolphins came to visit, Great sailing, etc etc etc. When dolphins come
around, we all run out and spend time with them till the last one darts
away. When it rains we run outside and tribal dance like hooligans, when
the moon is full we howl at the moon.

Not that things are always easy going when you cross oceans on a yacht.
Mostly it is smooth beautiful sailing, but at times it gets a bit rough. We
go through periods of squalls and learn how to safely deal with them. And
in the wee dark hours of the night when the rain comes down hard and we get
soaked thoroughly, the sudden wind increase and change of direction tests us
thoroughly. I look around at these times, and everyone is smiling from ear to
ear, having lots of fun. Intensely focused, intensely in the present moment.
And we look at each other after we got things sorted and we burst out
laughing, thoroughly happy to be alive. And the cloud passes over, the wind
drops, and we carry on as before, ready for the next challenge. Mostly in a
squall you could bare off and get the wind behind you, or bare up straight
into the wind with the motors on and the main sail centred and te headsail
furled in. If you bear off you stay with the squall for a while as it blows
over you. If you point into the wind it blows over much quicker. Sounds
easy enough, and so it is, until you have a ship on either side of you
leaving you very little sea room to change direction. Then you heave to,
turn the boat through the wind with the head sail working against the main
sail and stalling the boat. This situation occurred a few nights ago. I am
thus not talking theory here, but sharing from practical experience.

Lots of duties we all share. Most importantly our watches. After many years
of rotating watches, I have now settled on fixed watches. It allows your
body to get used to a set pattern of sleeping, and I find it much more
conducive to staying well rested. I always do the 6-9 watches as most wind
changes takes place during these hours and we set our sail accordingly.
Next comes cooking duties. Everyone gets a turn to cook, and also do the
dishes on that day. One main meal a day at about 2pm. For breakfast we do
oatmeal, maizemeal, Nutrifix, Post Toasties, bacon and egg, muesli etc.
Afternoon or night time snacks we have lots of other nice goodies too, even
popcorn :-))) What makes it interesting is that everyone brings their own
recipes and as we are often from diverse nationalities, it makes for great
meals. And we also bake our own bread, muffins, scones, pizza etc. The
owner I am currently sailing with was concerned about the meals, saying he
has a fast metabolism and eats a lot :-))) I assure you, he is eating very
well, as we all are. Good food is essential for good crew dynamics. I have
heard there are skippers who seriously skimp on the food budget and corn
beef and bake beans is what you eat the whole trip, an average six weeks. We
live well. We catch fish, and have loads of vacuum packed ground beef,
cubed beef and chicken fillets in the freezer. And more spices and herbs
and tin foods than you will imagine. Never had anyone complain about food
on any of my deliveries :-)))

Maintaining the yacht and all the systems we have on board also takes quite
a bit of our time. A lot of preventative maintenance before we start, and
keeping a finger on everything while at sea. If it rains and we spring a
leak, we detect where the leak is from and fix it. When the motors needs to
be serviced we all assist and make sure it gets done properly. We have a
schedule to check all the hose clamps, bilges, signs of rust, whatever may
be required. We make sure there is no chafe on any lines or sails, and sail
conservatively, really looking well after the boat. We keep the fridges
clean, water our plants regularly :-))), and makes sure everything stays
shipshape. If you let things pile up, they get out of hand. We thus make sure
we are ready for any and every eventuality, to the best of our ability. If
we are then thoroughly tested by the elements, we know we are prepared as can
be. It's the only way I know. Procrastinate at your own peril, the ocean thus
not suffer fools gladly. She demands respect, and we give her just that, all
of that.

Much more to share, but some other time. In two days time we should arrive
in St.Lucia. Not much current to assist us, sometimes a bit of counter
current, but the wind is steady and we are doing better than expected. We
are stopping for a day or two, and the owner's son is also flying in and
joining us there for the last stretch. After St.Lucia, a quick stop at
St.Thomas to clear into the US and get our cruising permit. From there
another ten days or so up to Annapolis, via the Bermuda triangle.

Until next time, keep it real :-)))