Martinique

St. Pierre

14.44.485 N  61.10.975 W

From Fort De France we sailed up to St. Pierre, the earlier capitol. It was out since May 8th. 1902 when Volcano Mount. Pele. erupted, and killed 29.933 people. EVERYBODY in the city except one man in prison. He was locked out 4 days later by someone that came to the city to try to find something in value.

He was later working for Barney Brothers Circus in America, showing his burns, and being the only survival of almost 30.000 people.

Some of the ruins are still in town, and in the museum you can see some few items that survived the hot gases, heat ashes and stones. There was no lave coming into the city.

Here are the picture of the one survivor, and the City Teater.

La Prison

The Theater

We also went to a Distillery  'DEPAZ' for local Sugar cane rum.

It was a nice an pleasant experience. After a nice lunch we caught ride back to town with a French couple.

We had walked all the way there. Meaning going UP for 1 1/2 hours.

Depaz rum.

Just a nice tree in the middle of all the rum.

Back in the boat, we had a beautiful sunset as often happen.

Looking west from St. Pierre.

Had a nice sail trip back to Fort the France next day. Little wind, so we motored about half way.

Then the wind came, so we could haul both sails, turn the engine off, and put on Jimmy Buffet.

Made a Rum Punch and sailed into the harbour.

Here is Dave's last day on  Zephyr for this time.

Dave thinking of the cold weather back home. ( Probably)

enjoying the sun and the temperature.

 

To morrow morning I sail to St. Lucia.  

I be Back.

 

Martinique Fort De France

14.36.030 N  61.04.212 W

We anchored out in the bay, next to my Swedish friends Josse and Reine.

Josse, we met at Barbados, by anchoring next to him. We spent X-mas eve together at the sail club at Barbados. Then I met him again with Reine at Bequia.

Josse spent 27 years building his own boat in north of Sweden 'Gavle' No one in the little city thought he would ever get the boat in the water. BUT YES. after 27 years he but the boat in the water on a Thursday, put the two wooden mast on at Friday, bought food on Saturday, and sailed to Barbados on Sunday.

A 58 feet Schooner, were he has made everything himself. He is a Stainless steel welder as a profession, but he is now also an excellent cabinet carpenter. Everything is in solid Teak. Everything. the doors to the cabins etc. is in 30 mm missive teak. Anything I asked for, if he had made it. .. The answer was YESSS.

He even made his terminals. ( the one you tighten the wires with to hold the mast up)

Here are some pictures from his boat.

Palawan of Gavle Sweden

The act saloon and Pantry

Here are some pictures from Fort De France. A living city until 18.30...

Fort De France

A Nice building.

This is were I am sitting RIGHT now. A art Deco Hotel.

The fruit and spice marked down town.

Bequia to St. Lucia and Martinique

Leaving Bequia, sailing to St. Lucia alone.

My friend Dave Singer arrived St. Lucia, and Marigot Bay Feb. 14th. so I had to be there.

Lifted anchor at Margaret Beach Bequia at 8.30 and arrived Marigot Bay 10 hours later.

Nice sailing in mixed weather. Between St. Vincent ( were I didn't stop) and St. Lucia is was a little 'buppy' with waves, but nice sunshine. Entering St. Lucia and the famous Pitons ( 2 High pyramid looking mauntains) there was a rain front coming. Starts with Lot's of wind, followed with rain.

When I saw the dark cloud coming I had a rainbow with the Pitons in the middle of the rainbow.

Got to get my camera. Here you can see the very bright rainbow, and the contours of the Pitons.

The rain was only 10 minutes, and then back to sun. So I also got some clear pictures of the Pitons.

The Pitons in the rainbow

After the 10 minutes rain storm.

Arrived Chateau Mygo at 18.30 local time. Just after sunset.

Got my bow anchor out and backed into the rerestaurant Chateau Mygo.

Put my Chateau Mygo T-Shirt on, ( which I had got as a gift when I left Jan. 1.)

It was great seeing Dareen and Shai again, the others workers, Bjørn, and Truls.

Truls is a friend of my friend Calle in Hemsedal. That's why I was offered a bridge berth

at the Marigot Bay and Chateau Mygo.

He was not there when we arrived Dec. 26th. from Barbados. He was back in Norway.

But he called me, and said he would be back Feb- 2nd.

After e-mailing with him for 6 months, and spoken with him once on phone, it was very nice to finely meet Truls. Truls is a retired Pilot Captain from the Norwegian cargo airline Fred Olsen.

Before then he was a air force pilot of Norway.

He sailed to the Caribbean about 10-12 years ago, and sailed up and down the seas here for many years.

He now has his base at Marigot Bay, and his boat.

Dave Singer, my old skydiving friend from California was arriving Feb. 14th. to sail with me 10 days.

Here is Dave the first night onboard.

Dave Singer happy onboard Zephyr.

That's right, My hair had grown long since June last year, and my mu stage since Cape Verde.
You have probably seen pictures. But one day at Bequia I went to profile up my hair, cutting it
1-2 cm. But the local Barber cut off the starboard side of my head in one go. So I told him to
get it short, and barber my mustage away.
So, it turned out to this. My new friends, which had never met me before without at mustage and long hair did not recognize me in the bar that night after the barber.

Back to normal Bent.

Bequia charter

A little charter trip around Bequia island

One day I met a couple from Paris. Julia and Frank.

They were here on Holiday by plane from Paris.

Flying into Martinique, and then down St. Lucia and then St. Vincent.

There they hired a car and vent by ferry to Bequia for the music festival

Thet's were I met them. Very nice people. Julia is from Italy and Frank France.

Julia spoke good english and Frank spoke good French. But after about a week around me

Frank was learning english. One day they asked me if I did charter, they wanted to sail around the island.

I said, well kind of. This far I have only had my old friends with me, but I can sail you around the island, said.

So two days later we met 09.00 at the Frangipani restaurant, and I took them out in my dingy to the boat.

We went around clockwice on the island. The sea was ruff, with the wind straight against us, so we went by motor to the north of the island. YES, the sea was VERY ruf. More north we got worst it got.

Frank liked it alot, Julia was a little more worried, but handeled it good.

North of the island I rolled out the front sail, and we cruised down wind with about 7 knots speed

We made a stop at Friendship bay, and had a great luch at Bequia Beach Hotel.

First we had a swim from the boat, and Frank went snorkeling around.

Frank after a swim in the bay.

Julia

Friendship Bay is a beautiful bay, but for some reason there was only one other boat there that day.

Friendship Bay

I moved my boat from a moring to anchor further out in the Admirality Bay.

Princess Margaret Beach. Beautiful beach with a very nice restaurant named Jack's Bar.

Jack's bar

Frank and Julia came here every day to snorkel and enjoy the sun.

My boat was anchored just out side, so I took the dingy in there every day visited them

and had great luch together at Jack's.

To morrow I will sail to St. Lucia and Marigot Bay to meet my old skydiving friend Dave Zinger from New York. He will sail with me for about 10 days. Looking forward to that.

Bequia

Bequia Port Elisabeth

13.00.451 N 61.14.398 W

Well, here is the view from my boat every morning when I get up in the cockpit

Not bad.

Looking into town.

I take my dingy in there to the dingy dock.

This is looking out of the bay.

about 100 boats right now.

Last weekend at the music festival it was about 200.



Tobago and going north

Tobago and sailing north.
11.09.480 N 60.50.640 W

Well, Charles and Franzi checked out at Tobago, flying to Dominica Rebublic,

staying couple days and then fly back to Switzerland. 

I have received mail from them, and they are well back into the snow and ice.

Ivan, Claus, Paal and Kari came down to Tobago to sail north.

We didn't see much of Tobago, but had a nice taxi ride to another beach.

We sailed to St. George Grenada and stayed at Port Louis, which is a new and first class marina.

We went on a half day tour in our private taxi to see some of the mountains, and how the locals

were living outside town. Very interesting. We also went to a waterfall cold Concord falls,

were we had a swim i the pool under the fall.

After Grenada we sailed north to Caraeacu were we achored of the beach and a little

but nice tiki bar on the beach. Beautiful white sandbeach.

Ivan and Claus had checked into a nice hotel, and even bought me a room.

That was the first time sleeping ashore for more than six months.

When I woke up in the morning I did not know were I was. Big double bed with mosquito

net hanging from the ceeling. Outside the window there was a palmtree. All walls roof and furnitures

was painted white. I thought for a moment that I probably was in heaven.

I sneeked out the door, and there was Ivan and Claus sitting on the balcony having a morning beer.

The hotel is owned by a Swedish man which come there 16 years ago, and decided

to move there and make a smal hotel. He also had the tikibar on the beach.

Paal and Kari took the ferry back to Grenada to check into a hotel.

Ivan and Claus sailed with me to Union island were they flew back to Barbados after a couple days.

They had to catch a flight back to Denamark and the snow two days later.

Also sailing with us from Cariacue was Jude from UK which is living there.

She was on the way to Bequia for a music festival, and was planning to take a ferry.

I offered her a ride there since I was also going to the festival.

Now I am by myself in the boat achored in Admirality Bay, enjoying the charming

Port Elisabeth town for 2-3 weeks.

Some of my old skydiving friends are flying down from USA to come sailing with me.

Dave Zinger which I skydived with in California back in the seventies, but had not seen

before he visited me in Copenhagen 3 years ago.

And Donald Carltweet which came sailing with me the first year I had the boat in 2004.

Probably Fernando from Peru is coming. He sailed with me from Copenhagen to Fredrikstad

summer of 2009.

Really looking forward to see them again.

Sorry about the lack of pictures, but I promise to but them in hopefully tomorrow.