Page 26 - Yachter Spring/Summer 2021

26 CRUISING REPORTS
through boarding the flight to Martinique, my name was called over the airport
public address. I got escorted off to French customs for an interrogation about my plans and where I had come from. I passed the interrogation (in French) and was one of the last people to board the flight.When looking for flights there were so few options so I
was not too fussy about which Caribbean Island I flew into, as I knew Mum and Dad could simply sail to collect me. Martinique, so close to St Lucia turned out to be a good option.
Peter and Wendy
Once we knew William was in the air we
set off for Martinique.What a great sail and after being stuck in Antigua (no hardship really) for so long, it was great to blow the cobwebs away with a fresh 20-25kts from the ENE.We anchored overnight in a
few places but did not venture ashore.We wanted to stop and say hello to some friends Alan and Lynne, in Les Saintes onboard their Najad 420, Stralsund. Sadly, Alan had a severe bout of dengue fever and was not in good
shape.We anchored close to them and had
a conversation byVHF.That night Lynne called on the phone to say that Alan was unconscious.We suggested that she attend
to Alan and we would do the rest. MRCC Martinique were contacted, and they quickly arranged a medevac.Alan was taken off Stralsund by boat and rushed to hospital in Guadeloupe. In the morning he was back and as well as dengue he also had a liver infection. Poor Alan was really suffering but he survived.
William
With Mum and Dad still at sea when I arrived in Martinique, I went to isolate in an apartment close to the beach in St Anne, at the south of the island. St Lucia’s borders were still closed by air and sea, so getting Associate 3 out of Rodney Bay had a little risk attached to it. COVID was an obvious risk and with a looming transatlantic ahead of us, the last thing we wanted was to find any of us having symptoms after setting
out on such a long trip. I had a COVID
test the day after I arrived in Martinique and another one seven days later – both
test results came back negative.After the second negative COVID test result, we decided it was an acceptable risk for me to join my parents aboard Henry for a short
sail from Martinique down to St Lucia.The trip is only around 20 miles, so I was able
to both remain on deck and downwind
of my parents, to reduce the risk of any potential COVID transmission. Chris and Katie completed all the exit forms online, but no one was around to sign the boat out. We all had a digital pow-wow and decided to go for it.With Henry safely anchored in Rodney Bay, Dad and I set off in the dinghy to the marina to retrieve Associate 3.We had arranged for the marina to leave the key
on board and there was no need for any interaction with anyone there.We felt like a
couple of villains stealing Chris and Katie’s boat! Despite the borders being closed nobody stopped us and before we knew it, we had Henry and Associate 3 anchored next to each other in Rodney Bay. By this time, it was around 2300 UK time, but we thought it was worth waking up Chris and Katie with a phone call to let them know that their boat was OK.
Chris and Katie
We had held our breath and then to receive a call saying that they had liberated Associate 3 was fantastic news, and such a relief as
we were almost resigned to leaving her in St Lucia.We were so happy that Associate 3 was coming ‘home’, however, the journey was not over yet. All we needed now
was fair winds and friendly Customs and Immigration in Antigua (not to be taken for granted).We contacted them to let them know that Associate 3 was on her way.
Peter and Wendy
Henry and Associate 3 enjoyed fantastic sailing in company in perfect conditions back up