Position           14:26.34N 60:53.18W

Date                1400 – 7 February 2011

We slipped our Bequia mooring at 18:25, with enough light to clear the harbour without running into any other moored craft, and started the uphill sail to Martinique.  We had been warned that the weather whilst not over the top was likely to be “boisterous” and it lived up to the forecast with steady 25 knot plus winds gusting up to 40 knots in squalls.  We had light winds in the wind shadows of St Vincent and St Lucia but this was more than made up by the blasts in the channels between the islands.

Too late we thought about the fact that we were migrating north when the whales were migrating west, however if they were out there they kept clear.

A re-read of the pilot book reminded us that the customs office in Le Marin was only open until 12:30 so shaken and a little stirred we sailed directly in to Le Marin, anchored at 12:00 in the only space that I could find that was inconveniently close to the main channel and did a Le Mans style dinghy launch and dash into the harbour to arrive at 12:20 somewhat dishevelled and to the amusement of Madame le Douanier (la douanniere?).  Quickly back to the boat to find that Elizabeth, who had been left on anchor watch had not been boarded or moved, and it was off to anchor off St Anne to join Alan and Sue Brooke on Sulana; tomorrow being Alan’s 60^th birthday party.

The day finished very pleasantly with drinks aboard David and Annie Chatterton’s yacht Resting Goose together with the Sulana crew.