All Aboard Belle Amie!
The day had come to set off on our Caribbean sailing holiday, and we couldn’t wait! We’d arranged to pick up ‘the boys’ Phil and Phaon, and go shopping for provisions before dropping our hire car off and meeting Fern at the airport for the trip to the Sunsail/Moorings base in Marigot.
The shopping trip started well—until we lost the boys. They went to grab another trolley but got distracted by the alcohol section! Twenty minutes later, we were still waiting for them in the cheese aisle!
Fully laden with copious amounts of food, litres of water, beer, coke, and Phil and Phaon’s stash of alcohol (and Phaon’s camembert), we set off for the base. Luckily, the base staff were very friendly and allowed us to leave our provisions in a lockup until our boat was ready.
After a quick trip back to the airport, we boarded Belle Amie. A beautiful 42-foot, brand-new Moorings catamaran. I say brand new—she had done one previous charter, so she was a week old, but let’s not split hairs.
Suite Dreams
As we were the only couple, Fern offered us the suite! It was magnificent—we were so lucky. We had the whole starboard hull to ourselves almost! We had to share the heads (shower room/WC) with Phil, who unfortunately drew the short straw and ended up in the saloon, something he said he’s used to, albeit reluctantly.
After checking out the boat and unpacking all the supplies and our bags, we headed off to dinner together just across the road at Restaurant O Plongeoir. The food was spot on, the place was heaving, and we were knackered, so we didn’t hang around.
Phaon decided his Camembert needed to mature so left it out of the fridge on the ledge next to our cabin steps….
Gone With the Wind — Literally
The next morning, after breakfast, we prepared Belle Amie to leave. Fern had decided we wouldn’t go too far—to check that the boat worked, etc. After a few hours of sailing, we dropped anchor in Grand Case Bay and jumped ship… literally!
How fantastic is it to just be able to step off the back of the boat into warm Caribbean waters?
As the day passed, we enjoyed chatting, swimming, eating, and drinking. We were anchored for the night, had dinner onboard and settled in.
The wind had picked up considerably during the night, and the next morning, Janine discovered something missing: the top deck lounge seat had vanished! As this was Janine’s favourite spot on board, she made her way up with her breakfast only to find the seat missing. We’re not talking about a lightweight cushion here—we’re talking about a solid seat base, probably 180cm long and fixed (badly) to the boat.
“Fern, have you seen the seat base? It seems to be missing.”
“WHAT?” was Fern’s reply.
Upon inspection, it seemed the wind had ripped the seat away from the studs securing it and carried it off! Quickly, it was decided we’d remove the remaining bench and secure it safely so we didn’t lose that too.
Fern spent the next few hours worrying we’d be charged for it, but it wasn’t something that should need securing or bringing in—it took three of us to bring the other one in!
Island Chills and Taxi Spills
After our little overnight saga, we set off towards Anguilla. We dropped anchor at Road Bay, the only check-in point for sailors arriving in Anguilla, and Fern and Phaon went to clear customs in the dinghy.
The customs officers recommended a taxi tour of the island, and before we knew it, we found ourselves bundled into a minibus for a two-hour drive around the tiny island of Anguilla.
A little over two hours later, we were robbed of €170 by our taxi driver! He had taken us to see a rock formation, driven around the ‘capital’ village and, as Phil had already lost his swimming trunks, stopped at an expensive shop to buy more!
We were visiting the Caribbean island with the most beautiful beaches, and we were spending our day being ripped off by a taxi driver! Hey ho—note to self: return to Anguilla to find the beach!
Before returning to Belle Amie, we wandered up the white sandy beach to Elvis’ Beach Bar—what an idyllic location. We stopped for a drink and Janine tried a caribbean sparkling grapefruit drink called ‘Ting’ while the others had a cold beer. Afterwards we booked a table for dinner and headed back to the boat. After relaxing for an hour, it was quick showers and back to the beach for dinner.
The setting was fantastic, but the food was a little hit and miss. Alison enjoyed her veggie option, but Phaon thought he’d ordered a child’s portion! A bottle of water cost $6! Overall, it was a lovely evening with great company and twinkling lights. Dinghy back to the boat and bed!
VA-VA Vom….
Today we were heading to Sint Eustatius, known locally as Statia. A Dutch-owned, little-visited island.
It was our first long trip—around 50 nautical miles en route to St Kitts and Nevis. The boat seemed to be working fine; Fern was satisfied we were good to go…
Unfortunately, Alison wasn’t so good to go. A few miles into the trip, the wind picked up, the swell increased, and the catamaran started ‘bouncing’. Being our first trip on a catamaran, we were to discover a whole new motion. Having two hulls, you almost get a double-whammy movement—not something we’re used to.
Although it’s better to stay above deck when you’re not feeling great, there are times when the lav and bed call. Alison duly installed herself on the floor, wrapped around the toilet, and donated her previous night’s dinner and breakfast to Poseidon! Dripping with sweat, she skidded the length of our hull on her knees before Janine helped hoist her into bed.
Two seasickness tablets down, we hoped she’d be okay—but no, within seconds, they were also donated to the God of the Seas. Gingerly, she made it back to bed and awoke five hours later ready for a snack!
While Alison had spent most of the day in bed, I blame the ever increasingly smelly Camembert, Janine enjoyed sitting in the hot seat watching Brown Boobies! There is nothing better than watchkeeping on Belle Amie—perched high above the main deck, the view is fantastic, just the noise from the sea, the wind in your ears, boobies, and Alison snoring.
On arrival in Statia, it was hot.
Dead Tech and Rebel Fridges
Our boat had started with faults! Not only had one of the fridge drawers stuck so we couldn’t close it, the instrument panel wasn’t working very well either. Now, bearing in mind these modern boats are far too reliant on electrics, once it goes, we had nothing! No navigation, no water—nowt!
After being bounced around for a few hours, Alison wasn’t happy. Our trip to St Kitts and Nevis was looking doubtful. After a swim off the back, quick showers and a change of clothes, we decided to try the BBQ. It didn’t work! Luckily, we had the oven and hob inside, so the burgers got fried.
After an evening of Phaon’s alternative 80s music, fun and laughter, we hit the sack.
The Day The Boat Said…Nah
The next morning, we discovered the instrument panel had called it a day! Nothing was working. We had no navigation, no water pumps, no electricity! It was decided that we’d head onto the island to get better internet, but looking at the hill to be climbed, Janine decided to give it a miss and instead offered to clean up a bit.
Alison, Fern, Phaon, and Phil became the famous four! Off to the island they went. The little town they visited was called Oranjestad. It was a pretty little town, and they found a great little bar with an ocean-view terrace. Contact was made with Sunsail support, and we were told no assistance was available—we had to head back to Marigot! That really hadn’t been the plan, and it was such a shame to be heading back to base, but needs must!
We went back to basics! Luckily, Phaon is a techno geek, (and enjoys eating bacteria laden stinking Camembert) so he was relied upon to navigate us back to Marigot on his tablet. Lavs were flushed using a bucket of seawater, and the fridges that were still banging around were defrosted!
Alison was dreading the return trip, but Fern offered her an ‘out-of-date’ emergency seasickness patch. It’s a prescription-only patch called Scopolamine. It worked wonders—thanks, Fern!
Catamaran Chaos, Moroccan Magic
Today we were heading directly back to St Martin and the base to get the boat repaired. We set off at 8 a.m.; our visit to St Kitts and Nevis was off.
After a long sail back, we arrived safely and the technicians got to work. We would have to stay the night at base, as a new nav station was to be fitted and bits rewired to ensure pumps worked. For a new boat, it all seemed a little messy: the fridges were repaired (by now, two had stuck open and were tied with string to stop them banging), and the other top deck seat was dumped.
With nothing else to do, we went for a wander to a Moroccan restaurant Phaon fancied. To be honest, Janine wasn’t over-excited; it had previously been decided we’d head to the Lolos, but what a meal we had! We’d not really tried Moroccan food before, but boy, were we in for a treat.
The restaurant, Le Marocain, was an authentic place in the middle of the Caribbean—we had been transported to Morocco!
We perused the menu, not having a clue what to choose, and decided on a chicken tagine with almonds, while Alison chose the vegetarian tagine. They were blooming marvellous! So good, we booked to go again on our last night along with the promise of a belly dancer! Thanks Phaon for introducing us to new flavours!
OH BUOY!
It was a bit odd waking up the next day back in Marigot, but we headed off for a walk to the local bakery, L’Express, for some breakfast while the boat was still being fixed. We continued walking to Super U—Janine’s loyalty card was certainly getting some points.
After what seemed an age in the supermarket, we were in a taxi, fully laden, heading back to the boat.
It had been repaired enough to set off, so off we went. We weren’t going far today; it was already lunchtime, so we just headed back to our bay, Friars Bay. It was great to be back and be ‘that boat’ bobbing around in the bay. The week previously, we’d looked on enviously at boats anchored having a swim and lunch—and now it was our turn.
Unfortunately, it started to rain! As quickly as it starts in the Caribbean, it seems to stop, so after clearing up, we set off towards Tintamarre, a beautiful island belonging to St Martin. As we weren’t going far, we motored to get there quickly. The wind was blowing—we were in for an interesting night!
After tying to our mooring buoy, we relaxed and planned dinner. It had been a long day, and everyone was ready for an early night.
After a bumpy night, we discovered we’d almost chafed through our mooring line! I think we could have drifted to Cuba and wouldn’t have noticed! It’s amazing how well you sleep with the motion of the ocean.
BAYS, GAYS AND COCKTAILS
Today we were heading off again to St Barthélémy, another French island, commonly known as St Barts. Now, St Barts isn’t Fern’s favourite place—the anchorage is always packed, and it’s not a cheap place to visit. But with few other options after our previous itinerary was ruined, we headed off.
Instead of heading into the main bay, Gustavia, we went to Colombier, an idyllic bay with a beautiful beach and little else. After anchoring off the beach, we donned our swimwear and headed off in the dinghy with our snorkeling gear.
Phil, Phaon, and Alison decided to just wade in and hope for the best, but Janine, without flippers, wandered to the rocks at the end of the bay. What a treat she was in for! Just off the beach was a fantastic stretch of rock and coral swarming with tropical fish. Sometimes the extra ‘padding’ is a bonus, especially for snorkeling. Janine was able to float along, admiring the colourful underwater world.
Back on the boat, the boys went for a kip, but Fern, Alison, and Janine spotted a large catamaran flying the rainbow flag a hundred meters away. After a cheeky peek through the binoculars, we decided to go say hello to the women enjoying their holidays!
We bundled ourselves into the dinghy and set off.
Once there, we nudged the big cat with our little dinghy to draw attention to our arrival, and before we knew it, we were invited onboard for apéros! Four ladies from the U.S. had chartered the catamaran, a 62-foot beast, for a honeymoon trip—how lucky were they? The two skippers, Josh and Gustavo, quickly mustered up a charcuterie, cheese and nibbles board, and along with a rather tasty cocktail, we passed an hour in relative luxury before a guided tour of their boat, Valentina.
I’m not sure if our boys knew we’d gone, but we certainly had a fun time. (The Camembert had knocked them out!)
Back to the boat for dinner and a game of Cards Against Humanity—now that was interesting!
ICE ICE BABY
The next day, we headed to the main bay to check in to St Barthélémy. Gustavia is the main town of St Barts. Even early season, the bay was busy with yachts of all shapes and sizes; some looked like abandoned wrecks, but I guess they were used.
Alison, Fern, and Janine took the dinghy to the harbour wall and ‘parked’ in the dinghy area. It was quite a walk to the harbour master’s office and pretty warm. Janine got a woozy feeling—as quickly as it came, it went, but it wasn’t nice.
After checking in, Alison and Fern went for the dinghy. Janine was left to recover and try to buy ice from the vending machine. Janine’s always in trouble. Phaon had messaged asking for ice… could she get her card to work? Could she—eckers!
With rolling eyes from both Fern and Alison, Alison jumped off to buy the ice. Did her card work? Of course it did! Seems buying ice from vending machines isn’t Janine’s forte.
Swiftly back to the boat with quickly melting ice, we passed a relaxing afternoon admiring the view and sunshine and taking the obligatory dip before all heading ashore before it rained.
We just arrived in time but got wet before rushing into the nearest bar, Bar De L’Oubli. We’d all found different entrances to shelter in and one by one made it to the table.
It looked like we’d be having a drink or two as we were passed the cocktail menu. Why not!
As usual, the rain cleared, and off we went to find the restaurant L’Isoletta, which we’d booked for dinner.
After some confusion about our reservation, we were shown to a table at ‘Isoletta. This restaurant was famous for its metre-long pizza!
After some deliberation, we’d chosen a 1metre pizza to share. Half meat, half veggie. Phil ordered a steak so between the 4 of us, we had 2 parts veggie and 2 parts meaty.
After a tasty evening stuffing ourselves with pizza, we took a slow walk back along the main street, admiring the shops.
When we’d had our bar in Lourdes, one of our regulars came over to France every summer for a hospital appointment in Tarbes! We did keep an eye out for him, but unfortunately, he didn’t wander by. It’s a long way for a hospital appointment—we moan about having to go to Toulouse!
We piled back into the dinghy after admiring the superyachts tied up along the harbour wall, marveling at how the other half live! There was nobody waiting for us with a glass of champagne, a cool flannel, and a helping hand! Instead, we stumbled on hands and knees onto our loading bay, as usual.
A GRAND CASE OF BURNT BBQ, ICE CREAM AND COCKTAILS!
Today we were heading back to St Martin for a night at anchor at Grand Case. Fern had arranged to meet an old friend who was also in the area on charter.
After a pleasant sail, we found a good spot and dropped the anchor. (Finally the ever more rancid smelling camembert got dumped outside Phaon’s cabin)
Grand Case is the foodie capital of St Martin. Just one main street, but a mixture of Lolos and expensive eateries. With Alison and Phil going out in matching outfits (by accident!), it was decided we’d hit a well-known Lolo, Cynthia’s Talk of the Town. It was very busy, but we found a table and got installed. The smell of BBQ was interesting—it was a little smoky and a lot of burning!
We all chose our food and ordered. Alison had a mix of sides—macaroni cheese, fries, and corn on the cob—and Janine had BBQ chicken, fries, and corn. Sadly, it wasn’t our best meal. The meat was burnt and dry, and the corn boiled to death. It had been a great social occasion, but the food let it down. It was packed and a little chaotic, so maybe we should let them off.
After we’d paid for dinner, we went straight to the ice cream shop next door.
After a nice walk through the town, admiring the ‘posh’ dining establishments, we finished our ice creams and headed to Java, a popular beach club, bar, and restaurant. What a grand spot it was! Fantastic views of the bay with the lights twinkling in the distance. We occupied a couple of tables and waited—and waited—to order.
Eventually, we got our orders in and waited—and waited—for our drinks to arrive.
After a great evening of admiring the views, chatting, eating, and drinking, we headed back to the boat. We were nearly at the end of our trip, and every minute counted. Tomorrow was our full day.
KITE SURFERS, LIMBOS’ AND BELLY DANCING
After another good night’s sleep, we got up, had breakfast, and headed off to Orient Bay, a beautiful bay with the sea the colour of your dreams and imagination. It was a little choppy, and for the first time, nobody dived in. Instead, a couple of hours were spent admiring the view of the white sandy beaches, kite surfers and reflecting on how lucky we were to have been invited on this amazing holiday.
All too soon, we were bringing up the anchor and heading back to Marigot and the base. On arrival at the base, one of the technicians jumped on board to get us safely berthed. It’s a little tight, with lots of lines to get caught up in.
Our holiday was nearly over, time to pack and tidy the boat and FINALLY dump the offensively smelly Camembert….
Our last evening was spent back at Le Marocain restaurant. The food was just as good, but this time, the belly dancer the owner had promised us arrived!
Alison, Fern, and the boys enjoyed her far too much…
We headed back to the boat, content and reflecting on the trip.
Janine decided it was a good idea to limbo under the car park barrier. She made it all the way to her chin, at which point… refusal! Trying to reverse, she tripped, landed on the floor in a heap, and broke her watch strap! Luckily, that was all she broke… she wasn’t even drunk!
See Ya Later, Sailmates!
Departure day: Fern was first to leave. After saying our goodbyes and thank-yous, there were just the four of us. We were all on the same flight as far as Paris; then the boys flew to the UK, and we headed home to Toulouse.
This time, we were on an overnight flight from hell. The guy in front of Alison reclined his seat the moment he was allowed, and the guy behind Janine coughed every 30 seconds for the entire trip. Not only did the recliner end up on Alison’s knee, he ‘twitched’ every few minutes! We’re not sure if he had ants in his pants or was just restless, but he didn’t sit still for the duration.
We didn’t get a lot of sleep, and by the time we reached Paris, we were exhausted. We don’t remember taking off for our last flight; we were on our last leg and slept until we arrived in Toulouse!
Our bags arrived safely, we made our way to our car, and headed home.
Thank you for keeping us safe Belle Amie. What an experience it has been.
