The Sailor of Sailors Dreams of Remote Horizons. (Centkiewicz)
My Yacht-log 2007.02.24-27
"In the beginning they could not understand my insistence on getting away from the compass, that
god of the West. But in exchange, they began to hear the why and sea talking with the boat.
And when blue-tinted land appeared on the horizon, looking as it did to the mariners of old,
all nimbed with mystery, a few of them felt that our rigorous techniques should leave a door
open to those gods which the modern world tries so hard to exclude." -Bernard Moitessier,
'The Long Way' CLOSE WINDOW
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2007.02.24. (Day 154)
A little history:
Admiral Rodney used Pigeon island as an observation and guarding post, and his pigeons took his messages to Marigot Bay,
where deeply in the bay with cloaked masts he was waiting for the French navy to arrive.
The capital city is Castries, a town with 50.000 inhabitants. It is situated on the north-west part of the
vulcanic island, under the 236m-high mountain, Moren Fortune.
More than the two-third of the population is black, the rest is mostly mulatto, some Indians and Europeans.
Industry is not developed, just tropical fruits (like banana) are processed here, and sugarcane is grown.
I could have docked in Marigot Marina Bay as well, it was also suggested.
Like in Barbados, here are also continuous road renovations because of the Cricket World Cup. Therefore the
transport is bad.
The French sailorman (Gildas de Pillot), who helped me yesterday, has a webpage (his boat's name is Santez Anna):
http://www.santezanna.ift.fr and his salt-producer branch:
http://www.sel_noirenoutien.fr.st .
He told me a simple solution for the back-windy windhelm.
Set a very small sail on the backstag and link it's boom to the helm through tackles.
Haul in the sail totally all over the time. A genoa is enough to be used. The small sail pushes back the boat into
total back-wind. I'm thinking about the implementation...
I wrote him my contact on a postcard of the autumnal Budapest. He has never been to Budapest, maybe I pick his interest.
:)
I drank some beer with Genesh Aajoone, the local craftsman. He gave me his phone number and he's waiting for our next
meeting.
Breakfast: bread with salami, just as usual
Yesterday I ate in the local restaurant, roast chicken with sauce and quiche for 2 euros. The spanish pals will cook
something sometime...
I gave them some good-old Hungarian salami, because they're really proud of their Spanish ham...
My interesting friends: Two English boys were teaching the inhabitants to sail, an English girl was teaching them
to swim. Local people can't really swim...
And of course, Ben, who's making business and Scot, who is doing nothing, just smoking marijuana all day (his plan is to
go home in June).
(My hands are still blue...)
I said goodbye to everybody and left at noon.
Destination:St.Vincent, Wallilabou (13-14,8N; 061-16,3W)
Distance: 54 nm, Direction: 210
Kingstown is the capital of St. Vincent, but I sail to a norther bay (Wallilabou), others suggested it. Plus I heard
about Ottley Hall, which was said to be good for sailors. (ottleyhall@caribsurf.com)
I left the port together with a French boat, Sine Die, who I met in Cape Verde. We were very glad to see each other:
photos and waving. They were headed north and will sail back to Europe in April.
I sail south slowly along the western side of the island.
Sails: genua and mainsail
Wind: NE Bf.4-5
Barometer: 1015
Temperature: 31 degree
Some bigger turtles were swimming with me, this is usual here! Flying-fish are flying, seagulls are winging.
It is so idillic!
Wind weakens in the afternoon, then stiffens in the evening. 11 pm, I reduce the sail, else I would arrive
3 am. I wouldn't like to sail in the dark to a bay full of anchored sail boats.
I get up in every 15-20 minutes, whole night, and check the traffic. Lots of boats are sailing between the two islands.
Trawlers and cargo ships. (I was told the charter-ships are not allow to run at night.)
I didn't have a pieceful rest, but this is better than an unpleasent meeting with an other boat.
5 am, I set all of the sails, the island (St. Vincent) is shilding the wind, but I'm heading well.
2007.02.25. (Day 155)
8 am, I haul in the mainsail, because the puffs (locally stiffening winds) are pushing back and forth, like
on lake Balaton... I don't hurry, the bay is just 3 nm.
Recently I'm reading Péter Müller's Lovebook and I found 'something' what helped me understand the solitude:
'My soul is my friend!'
Who had this experience, is never alone. He has always someone to talk to, to rely on in trouble.
He has a partner even if he's living in a cave. This partner stays with him through foul and fair.
Who hasn't had this ME-experience, stays always alone. If there is no true love - which is based on the love
of ourselves - than all the attachments are just burdens, tiring obligations.
...
When you find your 'partner' in yourself, then you'll realize your soul is open upwards and
many others surround you. The world of your soulhouse is opening.
...
I advise this book to everyone!
After docking I get to know Kenneth, rum turns up, and as this is the Caribbean Sea, the locals
always bring out marijuana too!
The film, The Pirates of the Caribbean Sea took place in this village. I haven't seen this film :)
Depp smoked marijuana here with local businessmen, who were procession men in the film.
I visited the waterfall, which is very small :)
then also the nearby town (Chateoubelair), where the anglican church just had a procession.
I was diving in the afternoon, many corals and fishes are here!
I can check in between 4 and 5 pm, the fee of my 3-day-long staying is 65 caribbean dollars.
Later the adjacent American boat told me the experiences about this area.
In the evening I was speaking with a rasta. He's vegetarian, never drinks alcohol, but of course,
smoking pot all the time.
Back to Africa, he believes something like this...
2007.02.26. (Day 156)
Breakfast: bread with salami
Next port:
Bequia, Port Elisabeth (Admirality Bay).
Distance: 15 nm and direction: 175
In the morning I went to the capital city, Kingstown, by bus.
I looked around. I bought silicon-gum, insulation stripe and 13-size screw-wrench.
Prices are below Hungarian prices.
Unfortunately when I got back to the bay, my boat damaged because of the tide.
I docked on 2 points to the pier of The Pirates of the Carribean Sea's scene.
Wind was stiffening and with the tide, Carina impacted strongly to it. Some
rasta-guys tried to rescue things, but this was all they could do.
2 major damages happened:
1. the side-shroud was yanked so the saling twisted. - the boat was undersailed then and
I set a spare side-shroud, like at the Algerian coasts
2. the shield of the solar-panel was broken, it hit to a pillar - I picked it off,
put in the cabin (beforehand I glued it temporarely with silicon) to avoid it to be wet,
temporarely the wind-generator is enough (wind: Bf.5)
In the long run I'll glue it properly, and fix the saling.
The cause of the damage is that I'm spinning permanently, but inside I'm a little bit tired.
Therefore I order some day of rest for myself, else bigger damages could happen... I'll stay
longer in the next port!!
I left at noon, and at 6 pm I've already docked on Bequia (Port Elisabeth).
(It's a big and protected bay, I anchor here together with about 50-60 other boats :-)
During sailing it was raining sometimes, usually I had 20 kn beam breach, sometimes broad reach...
I started to read The Funtinel Witch (by Albert Wass), I got it from a Hungarian sailing
team on Martinique. It's quite long, it'll last for a long time :-))
Dinner: omelette
2007.02.27. (Day 157)
As it's usual, lot of people stare me and wave to me, I wave back, but inside
I don't do it gladly.
Breakfast: cocoa, I got it from a Hungarian group on Martinique
In the morning I made up in the back-storage.
Fuel: 22 l (a full tank, I fueled up in Las Palmas :-)
Next destination: Grenada, St. George
Probably I skip Union.
I'll spend some days on this island and try to find myself again and fix the boat.