Martinique to 5 Miles West of St Vincent

We leave Case Pilote around 9am.  There are people around willing to let our lines go for us so Mike just takes off while I am still in the bathroom getting ready.  By the time I emerge, we are almost out of the harbour.  Some local fishermen are pulling in a huge net onto the beach but I can’t see what they’ve caught.

Photo:  Pulling nets in at Case Pilote

We are actually able to sail the course we want, although Mike takes us a little off course to start with in anticipation of the winds changing further down.  There was a technical explanation for this which I have now forgotten.

On the way, I decide to try out our new pressure cooker for something other than cooking bread.  I make a lentil curry which is good when on passage, and it takes all of three minutes to cook.  Well, we actually do it for four minutes as we have difficulty deciding when the little pressure thingy on top is rocking at a steady rhythm.  The seasoning needs correcting at the end – this is normally something I do as I go along – but basically it is good and we are pleased.  We will use a lot less gas doing things like this.  It’s quite amusing when I go to open the lid – we both stand as far back as we can get in case something has gone wrong and it explodes!

Photo:  Mike in usual relaxed pose at the helm 

The wind changes as we go round the south tip of St Lucia, but not in our favour.  It drops away completely and we have to put the engines on and put both sails away as they are just flapping around pathetically.

Photo:  St Lucia’s ‘Pitons’ in the distance

The late afternoon is very hazy, and clouds are everywhere.  The wind picks up a little though so we put just the genoa back out.

Photo:  Sunset between St Lucia and St Vincent

Mike takes the first watch – 7 to 10 pm – as we decide I will be the one most likely to easily fall asleep.  Wrong.  As the stern cabins are still in disarray, I sleep in my own bed and the noise of the very bumpy waves hitting underneath me keeps me awake for most of the time.  I know I must have slept for half an hour or so because I can remember the dream I had.  When I go on watch we are half way down the coastline of St Vincent.

On my watch, there is absolutely nothing to look at except lightening in the distance (which carries on all night).  There are no other boats at all.  There is a half moon which helps me see the horizon but it is very cloudy.  Mike put the rain curtains down as he thought rain was on the way, but it never arrives, just lightening, lightening, lightening every couple of minutes or so.