Trying to catch up, boat comes first.

I know I have been absent now for a while, I have been busy with my new-to-me boat. There have been several projects mainly revolving around the house batteries and insurance coverage that have take priority over the blog. I will fill in the blanks soon enough but right now I have to take care of my new home. 

Another Computer Day, Day 31

Today much like yesterday was not at all exciting but it was still productive. I spent the bulk of my day reading up on things for the boat I am trying to purchase. Things like new dinghy, davit arches, solar panels, maintenance items etc. While it was productive for me it was not so interesting or exciting. I also went to the grocery store and found that there was practically no fresh meat and that the veggies were all but cleared out. I guess there must have been a run on the store earlier in the day which cleared out much of the stock. I have heard of this happening down here in the Caribbean but this was the first time I witnessed it. I did manage to find some potatoes and a couple good squashes that went well with the Kangaroo meat I found in the frozen section. I fried up some onions and squash in my pan then put them to the side and fried up one of the 2 Kangaroo steaks I bought. The result was vey tasty Garlic Butter Kangaroo. I shared a couple pieces of my steak with a cute little kitten who was hungry for attention and food. She stuck around with me for the rest of the evening enjoying the attention and I enjoyed her company too. I finished the evening up with some Mango Passionfruit sorbet and youtube before calling it a night. 

Run to Fort-de-France, Day 30

Today was not that exciting, I had to run up to Fort-de-France to do some shopping. I needed a cooking pan since the one at my airbnb was junk, all the coating had been scoured off. I took the long way through the mountains and was rewarded with beautiful views along the way. The drive took a while longer than the highway but I felt it was worth it. I found a guy cooking some delicious smelling bbq chicken on the side of the road and stopped for lunch. I got a half chicken with his home made bbq sauce for 5-Euro and it was amazingly tender and juicy. Then I continued my journey to Hyper U and found the pan I wanted and a few other things of course. I then headed back to St. Anne where my airbnb is and spend the rest of my afternoon relaxing before cooking some dinner with my new pan. After supper I watched some youtube videos and the went to bed. Like I said, not exciting but i got done what I needed to. 

St. Lucia and a Survey, Days 27, 28, 29

Today I am heading to St. Lucia to get the boat I have under contract surveyed and the sea trail will be carried out on the way there and back since it's 25-miles each way. We began the day at 0930 when I met the the current owner at the dinghy dock. When we got to the boat he showed me how he hauls the motor and dinghy aboard to ready for sailing. Since there are no davits and it is too dangerous to tow the dinghy this must be done. Once we got the dinghy situated went through the checklist before pulling up the anchor and getting under way. We motored out of the harbor and put the sails up when we got clear of all the fish traps (which kill the reef and foul props). We had a nice 4-hour sail down to St. Lucia with the wind mainly on or aft of the beam and a medium sea state (1.5-2m). The sail took about 4-hrs but it went by pretty quickly. I found the boat to have a comfortable motion even with the waves nearly quartering which normally makes for an uncomfortable motion.

We arrived in St. Lucia around 3pm and dropped anchor in Rodney Bay near the cut into the harbor. We got the dinghy in the water and the motor mounted then headed in to the customs office to clear in. Once we got the customs paperwork done we went back to the dinghy to head back to the boat. After the motor was started it made a grinding noise when put into gear, the shear-pin had broken on the way in just as we got to the dock. We paddled the dinghy to the Suzuki dealer in the harbor and luckily the gentleman there confirmed that it was the shear-pin not the lower unit. Then it was noted that the tilt bolt was also rusted through, damn. The gentleman made an offer to trade the old motor plus some cash for a new 4-stroke 4hp model (the olde one was a 2.5hp 4-stroke). The current owner told him he needed to think it over for the night and that he would be in touch. We began the long paddle back out to the boat when I spotted someone in a bigger dinghy coming in and flagged them down. They were nice and gave us a tow back to the boat. We hauled up the dinghy and the anchor since we were now going to head to the marina for the two nights we were planning on being in St. Lucia. We got into our slip just before sunset and cracked a beer while we relaxed and talked about dinner plans. We ended up going to a terrific Indian restaurant that was just a short cab ride away that the owner and his wife had been to many times before. We had a lovely dinner before returning to the boat and calling it a night.

The next morning (Thanksgiving) it was survey day. Both the sellers broker and my surveyor met up at the marina and we began the survey in the slip. After a bit it was time to move to the local yard for the haul-out and out of water portion of the survey. We took a break while waiting for the lift operators to return from their lunch and got ourselves lunch at a cafe just down from the boatyard. Then we had to wait for the manager to get back since there were a couple questions only he could answer and some things we needed him to see. After that was taken care of the boat was put back in her natural element and we went back to the marina. Additionally while the survey was being conducted the current owner got in touch with the gentleman from the Suzuki dealer and got the new motor sorted out for the dinghy. When we got back to the marina the survey continued with the thorough inspection of all interior areas including the water tank under the cabin bilge. We ran out of time to get up the rig but my surveyor offered to come back first thing the next morning. We decided on one of the restaurants in the area of the marina called Seasalt for supper. After a good and filling dinner we returned to the boat fo the night.

We woke up on Friday and had a bit of breakfast and coffee before the surveyor returned to do the aloft rig inspection. He arrived around 0930 and we got to work. Luckily he brought a big cordless Milwaukee right-angle drill with a winch bit in it. This combo saved a ton of winch grinding to get him up the main and mizzen masts. After he completed his work we made the boat ready for departure (I know, don't leave on Friday, but I didn't have a choice since it was not yet my boat). He helped us cast off the lines and we were on our way back to Martinique. The trip back was very uneventful with little to no wind but calm seas. We motored the whole way there at about 6.5kts so it was a relatively quick trip. When we got back to Martinique the boat was moored in the marina (as per the contract) and we hung out in the cockpit and chatted for a little while. Then I packed up the few things I had brought with me and headed back to my airbnb.
 

Boat Contract Day!, Day 26

Today is the day, I made an offer on the boat I looked at yesterday. I met with the current owners and their broker this morning. I made an offer that was a bit below their asking price and they weren't receptive so I came up a bit to the middle ground. They Deliberated for a bit while the broker and I went to a nearby shop for a coffee to give them privacy. After about an hour they called the broker and we went back to the boat to continue the discussion. We came to agreement on the amount and then set a time to meet and do the paperwork to get the boat under contract. After the meeting and getting the contract hammered out I went back to my airbnb and had some leftovers for dinner (pizza and some fish) then tried to get some sleep. The next day we would be taking the boat to St. Lucia to get the survey done, no availability on Martinique, and conduct the sea trial on the way there and back. I had a restless night as I was anxious and also very happy about getting the boat under contract.       

Looking at a Boat and Trying to Buy a Boat Overseas , Day 25

Today I went to look at a boat, it is an Amel Maramu 46. I have been hunting for one of these boat for the better part of 5-years now. I have looked at at least 4 different specimens previously  and for different reasons they have not worked out. The one I went to look at today is a 1988 model and from the listing appears well equipped. I met up with the sellers broker and we went down the dock to the boat. The sellers were there too which I am not accustomed to but it worked out well in the end. They were able to show me around their boat and point out many things. We spent about 2 hours on the boat checking out various things and looking in just about every locker (there are many). After the initial viewing I went back to the brokers office and we talked for a bit. I decided I wanted to make an offer on the boat and we scheduled a meeting with the owners for tomorrow.

I went back to my airbnb and started researching what would have to be done in order to register the boat in the USA since it is currently registered in France. Apparently  there is quite a bit that must happen but I found out it is the responsibility  of the current owners and their broker to take care of all of the paperwork surrounding that. I was greatly relieved at this realization but I was still anxious about making an offer on the boat. I at some dinner and then went to bed dreaming about sailing on my own vessel soon.

Bank Run and Some Exploring, Day 24

Today I had to do some running around. I needed some Euro since none of the shops here seem to take USD. The only bank on Martinique that I can use without fee is BNP Paribas and there are only 3 branches on the island. Thankfully I have a rental car and I downloaded the map for Martinique on my phone (thanks Google Maps). I easily found my way to the nearest branch, 35min away, and got some cash. I did manage to forget to stop at Carrefour (kinda like Walmart) to get a frying pan, bug spray and a spatula but I can get those tomorrow morning. After the bank I drove around the town of Francois a bit and looked around for a bbq stand for lunch. I found one on my way out of town and stopped in for some grilled chicken. I got 2-thighs and some white rice and a beer for 8 Euro which isn't too bad. I went back to a town dock that I had seen while driving around and sat down in the shade and enjoyed my lunch.

Then I set about heading back to St. Anne, the drive is quite pretty as you go through hills and valleys some of which are lined with Banana and Sugar Cane fields. I always thought the Banana trees on a plantation would be rather tall but they are surprisingly short. About half way through I saw some motorcycle cops coming with their lights on, they motioned for us (cars) to slow down and move over. They were escorting a very large group of people on motorcycles and atvs in what I can only guess was some kind of rally or poker run. I though it was pretty cool to see and interesting that the cops would do such a thing, talk about public service.

After I got back and dropped off my stuff at the airbnb I went back out to locate the office of the boat broker I am meeting with tomorrow morning.  I found her office pretty easily as it is in a really neat commercial development that is geared at cruisers. The property has offices for brokers, repair shops of all kinds, stores, bars and more. I decided to walk down the dock and just look at the boats that were there. As I walked down the dock I noticed a boat that looked familiar, it was the boat I am going to look at in the morning. I took a few photos and then walked away as casually as I could being that I didn't want to show my hand so to speak.

Then I headed back towards the airbnb and made a quick stop in town to see if any restaurants were open and of course most were closed. The exception was the hotel restaurant on the beach which is rather expensive. I then headed back to my airbnb and then walked down to the beach bar on the property for a sunset beer.

I then went back to my place and went about warming up some leftovers for yesterday for supper. After I finished my supper I did some reading on Amel Maramu's since that is what I am going to look at tomorrow morning and then called it a night.