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| ARC boat charging
the finish line.
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and we have had serious weather. The last of the ARC boats came into Rodney Bay
sporting obvious signs of a rough passage. Unlike such rough, tough passage makers, we do not have to go or be anywhere. We take full advantage of this happy fact. It makes for a calm life but for rather boring reports. On the other hand, we do live out in the weather and it is the object of much interest to us and even the occasional concern - even when we are not traveling.
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| Youth sailing in all weather |
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| Not so restful Rodney Bay |
The good news: we don't lack for power. With two wind generators we are rolling in it and running computers, sewing machine, lights and refrigerator at will. Susie made a nice new stain-resistant table cloth so well tailored it will stay on in a sea way. The bad news: We were pretty much confined to Rodney Bay.
Christmas eve saw a completely unpredicted storm that hung out over the Windward Islands for several lifetimes. Unlike most storms that blow through on the trade winds, this one hung out over St. Lucia and St. Vincent sometimes moving a little east and then moving a little west. It brought us thunder and lightening for hours. You might now be remembering a summer storm in the mountains. Nyaah, not so much. This was biblical. Deluge. Rivers jumping their banks. Airports closed. Bridges and roads washed out. Widespread flooding. The thunder gods flicking on the lights every few minutes for hours. St Lucia reported 5 dead; St Vincent, 9. As of now, there is still no running water in the Marina. We spent some time listening to yachties complain about the lack of showers and coffee, and locals tales of losing homes and businesses to flooding.
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| No Tsunami's |
Nothing bonds Queen Emma to her crew more than spending an afternoon reading while the outside world disappears in a strobe lit spew. (Although there was some nervous discussion of Faraday shields). We can even make water from the sea and have hot showers at the press of a button and coffee at any time. It makes for a kind of sick survivalist's satisfaction when you see how quickly things go bad when the water doesn't run freely from the tap.
Boxing Day was celebrated with home baked bread and a good nights sleep.
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| Petite Saline Beach,
Martinique
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New Years Eve has been spoiled for us in St. Lucia by the experience of being towed out to sea by drunken revelers on a party boat at 1:00 am last new year. This year the captain was determined to get out of Dodge despite the weather. 20 knot winds and 6-10 foot seas are nothing for the Queen and so we returned to Sainte Anne, Martinique to wait out the blowy weather. Excellent holding in an enormous bay. Excellent French provisioning and some lovely walks. No falling burning flares and no party boats. We are waiting here for the winds to abate a bit before starting our trip north to the USVI. We want to be up there mid February but want to get an early enough start that we aren't required to make any passages when we don't feel like it. The Queen doesn't mind but the crew is getting old and choosey.
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Rewards at the end of the
hike to Saline Beach |
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