Early Morning
I was up at 06:00 and made my first coffee of the day to kickstart my system. The fuel dock opens at 08:00, but I’m assuming that they are on “island time” this Sunday and won’t really get going until 09:00. I had planned on towing my dinghy behind Zanshin, but the winds are forecasted to be quite strong, and the waves will be commensurately high as well – and without the engine I’m afraid that the dinghy would fly through the air and potentially capsize. So, I’ve now got it raised up and tied down securely on deck.
It is now 08:00 and I’m essentially ready but will putter about belowdecks a bit longer and prepare for the upcoming rough passage.
Fuel Dock
The fuel dock visit went badly. While docking in the winds wasn’t a problem, when I started filling up the main tank I heard a burbling sound after just a minute of filling and when I stopped to get close to
listen I heard a bubbling and managed to get my head out of the just in time to avoid a meter-high spout of diesel shoot out of the tank! The cushions got soaked, as did the freshly cleaned teak deck. All I can guess is that the filler relief got clogged and wouldn’t let the pressure escape. I continued filling the tank slowly, then also filled the 2nd tank – about US$800 of duty-free diesel which should last me a long time.
Passage to Martinique
The winds were really strong – usually 20+ knots with commensurately high seas, but for a while I had 35 knots. With heavily reefed sails Zanshin handled well, and once in the lee of the southern tip of Martinique I turned on the engine and motored the last upwind part. The Marina at le Marin is huge and I’d reserved a slip for 2 nights. The gents from the marina helped me Med-Moor between a big steel commercial vessel and a 75 long power yacht.
Evening
The fuelling must have caused some diesel to spill as I had some in the engine room compartment, and the whole boat smelled of diesel. I’ll do the final cleanup tomorrow after work. Most of the local restaurants were closed, but I found a place for dinner and had an excellent lamb at Double V before returning and falling asleep.