The intensity and track of this tropical wave have increased significantly overnight. I’ve got to keep an eye on the weather. The red cone now has my location in Martinique pretty much in the middle of the track. I was only mildly concerned yesterday and had made rough contingency plans. But this new information means it is getting serious. I’ll have to make some concrete plans now. And once a plan is made, it doesn’t get changed unless the conditions used to make that plan have changed. It is very easy to rationalize making a change to a plan in the heat of the moment. Most of the time those changes are due to emotional decisions and not rational ones.
Keeping an eye on the weather
My friends Marjorie and Mark on Sea Life are currently also on Martinique and they plan on heading straight through to Grenada on Monday. I had originally thought of doing the same, but I checked online and Grenada requires that one’s passport has 6 months validity at the time of entry. I don’t have that anymore, and don’t want to risk a long sail only to get turned back upon arrival. Online research show that the office has both a telephone and WhatsApp number. I’ll give that a try to see if I can get a definitive answer straight from the office where I’ll be clearing in.
The problem isn’t going to be the storm, or hurricane, itself. This anchorage is well-protected as long as the wind and waves have a component from the east. But because of the counter clockwise circulation around TRS I’m going to get wind and waves here on Friday and Saturday from which I’m not protected at all. So I am going to move, by Wednesday at the latest. After that the trade winds are going to get disrupted by the storm and I will have to motor against strong headwinds. I’d rather leave earlier and have a fast sail without relying on the engine. With an eye on the weather, I need to make plans soon.
Noon
I’ve thought about heading to a more protected anchorage and wanted to get a bit further south as well, just in case I need to flee later this week. I chose to head to the anchorage off Fort-de-France as that is tucked away deep inside the bay. It also has the advantage that it is very close to downtown, and the city of Fort-de-France is one of the larger ones in the Caribbean.
The leeward side of Martinique has similar winds to the other larger islands – sometimes backwinded, sometimes wind-still and sometimes augmented. I had a good sail and tacked twice without changing heading.
It was a great sail, in comfort, until a loud bang told me that something had gone wrong. It was immediately apparent that I’d lost control of the headsail. The genoa was flopping about and I saw that the sheet had dropped to the deck. It looked as if the clew had torn or broken. I turned on the engine and headed into the wind and managed to furl the headsail. Then I turned back into the wind with just the mainsail and a bit of engine. That was for the last 6 miles to my destination.
Evening
After anchoring I wanted a rest, as I was tired and frustrated. A gust of wind while sailing had tipped over my Joy detergent dispenser and it had spread the joy on the countertop. Luckily I noticed it while the boat was still heeled over and that made it easier to wipe up. I read a bit in the cockpit and thawed out a burger for dinner. I grilled it on the BBQ and was soon asleep after dinner.
