We wanted a quick easy breakfast so we wandered in to the nearby Micky D's (we only do this on vacation) for a fast meal. CYOA Yacht Charters was expecting us at 9:30.
After crossing the gravel driveway we arrived at the French Town harbor to complete a few last minute forms. Afterward we return to our room to gather our things and enjoy our last "proper" shower in who knows how long. We leave the key in the drop and roll our bags down to the dock.
It was nice to be able to drop our things off at the boat and get a quick peak at was already provided. A bottle of Cruzan Rum lay waiting on the table.
We choose to do our own provisioning. We walked up to the main road then turned left for several more blocks until we came to Pueblo Market. Cars drive on the opposite side of the road which makes it very difficult when crossing the street. The market was crowded with people, some waiting under the shade trees in the front. A hand written sign on the door informed us that they only accepted cash today- their credit card machines were down. Good thing we brought enough with us!
We carefully went through every isle selecting rice, canned green beans, a box of mac and cheese, pringles, boxed meals, coffee, juice, etc. Everything was very expensive since it all has to be brought into the island. Creeping down every isle of dried goods, we wondered where the fresh vegetable and meats were. We made it all the way to the very back of the store and finally found a doorway to another room that was refrigerated. Ah-ha!
Since we would be preparing some meals on the boat we got a bag of chicken breast, sausage, and salami, ham and cheese for sandwhiches. Last but not least, a bottle of rum and a case of Heineken completed our trip.
As Alex paid I went outside to flag down a taxi. It was a much easier task than I thought. A man came up and said he would take me to a taxi. I was hesitant- I know how this game works and I didn't want to tip him for his help since I was perfectly capable of it myself. Anyway, he ended up leading me to a woman and her 5 year old son and said that they would take us.
We loaded their trunk full of groceries. The little boy only spoke Spanish so I tried my best to make small talk. We swung through an ATM which was also only in Spanish and after several attempts, we were on our way back to the harbor.
The little boy and his mom helped us unload the groceries into a rolling cart. Back at the boat, Alex handed the bags to me and we began finding a place for things. About half way through, a woman came over telling us to hurry so we could get our orientation underway. We quickly found a secure home for everything.
Jan was all business. She handed us a scavenger hunt of items around our boat along with several other forms to complete. The scavenger hunt was a very good was of familiarizing us with the boat. She walked us through everything piece by piece.
The orientation took several hours and completely exhausted us. Lastly, we pulled out the chart and went over all of the places that we could and could not go.After Jan's part was complete, Doug jumped on board and took us out in the channel to practice pulling out the sails a few times.
I took the wheel and kept the wind at 20 degrees to our starboard side. Alex did a great job and I was also complemented on holding the wind so nicely. That gave me confidence. At that point, I hadn't even realized the instruments available, I was just going off of what he told me to do. Little did I know, they would come in very handy for the remainder of the journey.
Our Beneteau turns on a dime! This is going to be a real treat! It's so easy to maneuver and all of the sails are in one place which makes it easy for Alex since he'll be doing that himself.
Once we get the ok on our sailing, Doug radios back to the office and a guy meets us with our dingy. Doug jumps in the other dingy and off they go! We are now on our own!
It was late afternoon at this point so we decided to just go 2 miles through the cut to Water Island and anchor at (drum roll please...) Honey Moon Beach :)
It was picturesque- looked like a Corona commercial with a white sand beach and palm trees that lined the shore. This was our first attempt at anchoring and luckily we got it on the first try. The bay was pretty full so were were towards the back on the left hand side, but still protected from the wind.
A ritual began! As soon as were securely anchored, I said "Well, I think it's time for a rum drink!" I went below and prepared the refreshments while Alex made sure that the anchor was in place. We waited about an hour to ensure that we remained at approximately 34.2 feet. Ideally 15-25 feet is best but this was our first time so we were a little further out.
We jump in for a dip, the water is a perfect temperature! Our new fins and masks are comfortable. We had great viability in the clean clear water. Alex dives down to inspect the anchor.
The boat was equipped with an outdoor shower which was really convenient for rinsing off after swimming. It even had hot water!
After freshening up, we took our first dingy ride up to the shore and joined some of the locals for a "sun downer." A rope lay on the beach to tie up the dingy. A woman prepared refreshing drinks out of a tiny beach side shack.
She introduced us to the local drink of choice- the "Painkiller." It's absolutely refreshing- made of Cruzan or Pusser's rum, pineapple, orange and coconut juices with nutmeg sprinkled on top. YUM!A fellow sailor from Mobile, Alabama introduced himself. When we asked how long he had been sailing he answered "Working on 10 years...on my second." He came took his first trip to the Caribbean two years ago and never returned. He was the first of several characters we would encounter!
We enjoyed a few drinks and then went back to our boat for dinner. Luckily we left the anchor light on so we could identify our boat in the dark! When there are 30 boats, the all begin to look alike after a few Painkillers!
We prepared chicken breast (flavored only with ketchup/mustard flavored sauce), my favorite- mac and cheese, and green beans. Delicious! We revved the engine to preserve battery life while we used electricity.
The evening ritual of stretching out in the cockpit reading books under the stars began that night. Hundreds of stars shinned above us although the moon was just a sliver. I read Twilight, a tale of a teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire and Alex read the Economist magazines. We snuggled up with pillows and a blanket up and were totally at peace.
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