Moving to the Caribbean

Sea Devil said:
I have just published a video about keeping your boat in the Caribbean and the facilities and costs... Berthing fees, insurance etc.

I flew home 2 days ago from Martinique... and started editing

Click to expand...
Wow. Yet another proof of the Obliging Universe theory. A few minutes after I posted my doubts about my own Caribbean criuse I hear and see your doubts. Although my doubt is caused by the hassle of interisland travel with an expired covid certificate it only needs tiny dash of reality in todays world to reset the imagination. I have no idea what to do. Perhaps wait until the pandemic is over and dusted. Thanks for the video. You did not look hot and sweaty, why is that?
 
BurnitBlue said:
Wow. Yet another proof of the Obliging Universe theory. A few minutes after I posted my doubts about my own Caribbean criuse I hear and see your doubts. Although my doubt is caused by the hassle of interisland travel with an expired covid certificate it only needs tiny dash of reality in todays world to reset the imagination. I have no idea what to do. Perhaps wait until the pandemic is over and dusted. Thanks for the video. You did not look hot and sweaty, why is that?
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Yes interisland Covid is a problem... I have had 2 jabs so I was OK but only from last week.
Normally checking in and out of Islands becomes routine and you carry pro forma crew lists and papers.. Checking in costs 5 euro in French islands with prices up to 100US$s in others...
I lived a lot in the tropics and learned to move slow and find shade - there was also a lot of wind as you heard on the mike... sorry about that!
 
Fascinating and informative, thanks for posting.

On our cruises over there, we visited the French Islands and your description is very much how we felt. Kinda all about tourists around the marinas. We tended to spend more time in islands like Antigua where there always seems so much more to do. A friend of ours has been visiting the Windies for more than twenty years, crossing back to Europe each hurricane season, but for the last four, staying aboard and moving around. This means he spends a lot of time at anchor at a much reduced cost. For personal reasons when he has flown back, he tends to lift and leave in Grenada.

But there are lots of great ways of doing this. With your French Connections, sounds perfect! Hope it all goes well. ?
 
Yes last time I was there I used to haul in Trinidad but Grenada and I never once went in a marina except for fuel or water. Anchored everywhere and hauled for Hurricane season and flew back to UK. I am sort of only planning to spend some months on board and have a base to sail from. I pay 3000 euros a year in Boulogne marina and it would be 2900 In Martinique.. - I agree Antigua is a superb place but I found it expensive... Hey ho... Lucky to have such decisions to make!
 
The issue I have with the Crabby-Ian (non English speaking islands excluded) is the abundance of super loud septics with a bible in one hand and a gun in the other.
 
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OK I am now back to the Caribbean project. My doubts about inter-island covid was because I thought the EU covid vaccination certificate expired after 3 month. This was true for recovered covid illness and dated from the recovery PCR test. I am a surviver of wild covid but I also have recieved two phizer jabs for which there is no limit to the validity. Just to set the record straight about my previous post on this thread. So, I will watch your video again without that sinking feeling that it did not apply to me anymore. So happy.
 
Sea Devil said:
I have just published a video about keeping your boat in the Caribbean and the facilities and costs... Berthing fees, insurance etc.

I flew home 2 days ago from Martinique... and started editing

Click to expand...
Thank you for making and posting your video, I really enjoyed watching. Your commentary was so well done.
I did work in St. Lucia for some months in late 60s early 70s which probably rate as the good old days.I wish you well for your future sailing wherever it may be.keep us all posted hopefully with more video.
regards, Malcolm
 
That was very interesting. Personally, I don't like the Carrib at all for the reasons you state plus the pervasiveness of the worst aspects of US culture. I'm guessing you have French residency and are Schengen proof? With that it would be the W. Med + Atlantic France, Portugal and Spain for me with temperate winters in S. Iberia.
 
SpiderMoobs said:
The issue I have with the Crabby-Ian (non English speaking islands excluded) is the abundance of super loud septics with a bible in one hand and a gun in the other...
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You must've met the wrong ones, as some of the best and longest lasting friendships which we made in the Caribbean were with Muricans. Please don't tell any of them that I said so though, particularly not just now; bear in mind that tomorrow's when they wistfully commemorate that sad day in 1776 when they finally lost the revolutionary war and were thrown out of the Empire.
 
When the choice is between a dark, damp and cold Northern Europe looking at four walls all winter or the warm breeze and sunny days of the Caribbean, it’s a no brainer. I’ll be there most of this winter covid or not.

I’m never bored. We are all different, still I am puzzled you are concerned about that. If you need something to entertain you then set up a distillery on board. You will be popular. Or keep moving. Rotate up to New England or Europe, then back again, or just keep going around the World until the music stops. Some people do just that.

You we’re interested in the marina. Many people, including me only use a marina to park the boat when they are not there. The previous season I didn’t use one at all as I was there most of the season until covid struck and put her on the hard for summer. Some people are based in marinas. If that’s what you want, then fine, but I can’t stand them and can’t get out quick enough. I usually pay for a season, but sleep there only a couple of nights. There is every chance you could save some cost too.

You will do best to haul out for hurricane season, or be there and ready to sail away. You suggested it might be OK in Le Marin, but I wouldn’t do it. There is such no thing as a hurricane hole. Just look at the consequences of Irma or Ivan as proof of that. In fact I was surprised how full that marina was. Most marinas in the Caribbean will be empty now and many will not be happy with you there in hurricane season as they don’t want to be cleaning up your smashed boat or fixing the damage it caused.

Flight costs in season are £450 to £650. Your bargain cost was not typical and more to do with it being so quiet now.
 
Zing said:
You will do best to haul out for hurricane season, or be there and ready to sail away. You suggested it might be OK in Le Marin, but I wouldn’t do it. There is such no thing as a hurricane hole. Just look at the consequences of Irma or Ivan as proof of that.
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Absolutely!
Hundreds of boats got totally trashed in a previous 'safe and secure' hurricane hole on Tortola during either Irma or Maria in 2017.
Hurricane Elsa has recently visited us last Friday morning, and we are still without mains power this morning. We were without power for 10 days when Tropical Storm Tomas visited us 11 years ago.
My pal Dave arrived here on his cat a few weeks ago from Gibraltar - rather than being a sitting duck (or cat rather) here they set sail on Thursday morning, heading south - they went about 60 miles and then hove to for the night. Dave later reported that they had a few squalls, and about 30 knots maximum.
Then they enjoyed a nice downhill run with a southerly on Friday back to Barbados, arriving in the evening - Elsa had been moving fast and was already west of the Windward Islands.
If you do not have any ties connecting you to the shore, then I would agree that the best thing to do is to run, especially if you have enough warning (and we had plenty of warning re Elsa).
Elsa was 'only' a tropical storm before she arrived here, but then was later upgraded to a hurricane when she got here - even though she was 'only' a Cat 1, many houses here lost roofs or were even demolished, and many trees came down, along with some poles for electricity and telephone.
 
capnsensible said:
What happens to all the charter yachts, in their hundreds, that pack the windies marinas?
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During Irma and Maria they got fairly well annhilated - even the ones that were parked in the 'secure' hurricane holes.

But there is not much more that can be done with them - the charter companies do not have the manpower resources to sail them away from the hurricane - and even if they did, these folk would be needed on shore at home.
 
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