Sailing with the Treleavens - Caribbean 2008

by Andrea and Ian Treleaven on 4 Jan 2008 Life goes on. After our huge effort in the ARC and getting our damaged rig home safely without loosing it over the side we have been working hard to try and resolve the issues. This of course is not made easy by the Christmas and New Year holidays but at least we have found in Martinique both excellent repair services and an ideal place just to be able to motor around and enjoy the Caribbean way of beautiful bays, jazz evenings, swimming and people.

We had the shock of learning on arriving at the riggers in Marin Martinique to fit replacement spreaders, that our rig had a serious kink and would also need replacing. At least with the new spreaders fitted we were able to move and just chill out.

Our stay in Rodney Bay St Lucia was very enjoyable catching up with all our fellow Australian Competitors and other friends we had made in Las Palmas. ARC organisation was again fun and along with Steel bands and drinking plenty of rum punch. This is the rainy month and it sure can rain but it does pass and out comes the sun again. What strikes you first on arrival is the lush green and conical landscape.

As our crew slowly returned home the remaining few rented a wagon and drove around St Lucia, climbed the ‘Gros Piton’ a conical 799m mountain which along with its conical neighbour is the symbol of St Lucia. Most of them made the climb to the top but Ian and I aren’t as young as we where when we climbed Mt Gower on Lord Howe, but it was a magnificent steep climb and view.

The island is struggling economically since her independence and the only legacy the English left was Bureaucracy. Customs formalities in and out are archaic and very time consuming. If you are Australian you have to get a visa each time you come in at US$50 each. Suddenly our New Zealand passports came in very handy. Mind you this is not entirely the fault of St Lucia. Australia is one of the few countries left that insists on visitors obtaining visas to Aus so it is all tit for tat. Maybe Kevin Rudd will look at this issue and help the tourist industry.

ick and Michelle joined us for a night in Marigot Bay, a very sheltered 'Hurricane Hole' on the east of St Lucia where movies including 'Dr Doolittle' and 'Pirates' were filmed before we motored the 20nms across the straight to Marin at the southern end of Martinique.

This was another reminisce time for Ian as we anchored off Club Med at Les Boucaniers, Sainte Anne. He worked as a GO here in 1972 for 6 months teaching sailing and other things by the look of the glaze in his eyes. A few days later we visited the palm grove set along a beautiful beach and after a lot of negotiation we where given the guided tour.

Entering the Harbour you are quickly reminded of coral reefs as either side of the channel markers are yachts washed up high and dry. Martinique is a French Department and as such benefits from all of the perks of mainland France. All French goods are available and the currency is still the Euro. Customs was very easy and straight forward.

Anchoring in Marin we rented a car and toured the island visiting rum distilleries and the ruins of the then capital Saint-Pierre which was totally destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Pele in 1902 killing all 26,000 inhabitants bar one prisoner who was saved by his very enclosed stone cell. What comes as a surprise is that, it wasn’t lava but hot gas and ash that destroyed the town.

Rum production like wine in France is very controlled by the 'Appellation d’Origine Controlee’. AOC is a French government standard that certifies the origin and production methods of French rum. The French of course are the only ones who do it correctly.

Their rum is sugar cane or spirits, coming from the fermentation and distillation of pure cane juice. All other rums from around the Caribbean according to them are produced from what they call the sugar production leftovers being the molasses. Their rums certainly have a distinctive flavour and when drunk as their signature mixture known as Ti Punch, has an explosive effect. Ti Punch is 5 measures of white rum (50% proof) 1 measure of sugar syrup, 1 squeeze of fresh lime, all serviced on ice.

Fish and lobster are plentiful on the island and from the road side in Saint-Pierre local fisherman were selling on the side of the road the tuna they had just caught. Using a machete they chopped off 2 large steaks for only 10Euro. The sashimi shared with John and Sue off ‘Storyteller’ that night was delicious as where the lightly seared steaks on the BBQ the next evening, as was the lobster on our BBQ to die for.

On our own again as Nick and Michelle leave us after 5 weeks, then our son Ian and Nicola join us early in the New Year.

Christmas Eve is celebrated with John and Sue Gilder on 'Story Teller', John and Irene Hunt, daughter and friend on 'Southern Princess' we all took our yachts to the beautiful bay of Grande Anse and celebrated dinner at ‘Ti Sable’. Lots of French families including Santa Claus arriving by dinghy showering all the children with fake snow and handing out wonderful presents, it certainly was a delightful night.

We stayed on in this beautiful bay as the rest moved on but we weren’t alone long before we joined up with more ARC Australians Hans and Susanne Pettersson and daughters Johanna and Josephine on their new Hanse 540. Cocktails by candlelight, they call it their New York apartment and they certainly have her well set up.

We are now alternating between Marin Harbour, the Beach of Sainte Anne and Club Med enjoying relaxing with plenty of reading, swimming and rum as we wait for the Europeans to get back to work on the 3rd January so that we can keep things rolling with our replacement mast.

Happy New Year to everyone and lets hope 2008 is good to us all.