From Martinique to Curaçao
It's time for some boat maintenance again. After Lena and Raphi left us, we're taking care of a few things before our friend Romana comes on board just two days later. One of the biggest projects is repairing the genoa (headsail). It is very old and does not have a sewn-in sun cover, which is why we always pull the tarpaulin (a long tube made of UV-resistant material) over it when we are not using it. However, it seems that some previous owners did not do this, as the sail fabric is no longer completely intact where the sun hits it when it is rolled up and already has a few small tears. In some places, it is completely torn at the seam. To prevent further damage, we want to tape the affected areas with sail tape. This works quite well so far, and we decide to order some more tape to fix it even better from the other side. I (Ines) also sew the other host country flags. We don't yet know exactly which countries we will actually be exploring, so I sew all four just to be on the safe side: Bonaire, Curaçao, Aruba and Panama. Otherwise, we go shopping, tidy up the boat and prepare Romana's sleeping area, as she will be accompanying us to Panama. We pick up Romana from the bus stop in the evening and go out for dinner together. Afterwards, we all fall into bed exhausted. Tomorrow we want to leave the marina, but we don't know exactly where we're going yet: either to the next bay or straight to Curaçao, because the weather looks quite good for it.
Our crossing from Martinique to Curaçao in figures:
Distance: 510 nm, of which under sail: 505 nm
Engine hours: 1 hour 54 minutes
Time: 3 days 19 hours 54 minutes
Average speed: 5.5 knots
Wildlife: a bird rode along on our bimini overnight, boobies attacked our fish bait
Martinique - Curaçao day1
Wed Apr 09 2025 17:55:00 GMT-0400 (Bolivia Time)
At 11:16 a.m. we set off from the jetty at Marina Le Marin together with Romana, who arrived in Martinique yesterday evening. Our exact destination is still unclear: either 5 nautical miles out to the nearest bay or 500 nautical miles to Curaçao. We want to decide on the way out of the canal. But first we drive to the petrol station, get some diesel and exchange two of our empty gas bottles for full ones. Then we set off and decide to leave right away instead of waiting until early tomorrow morning. We have a quick snack – Romana has brought nut bread from Austria, which tastes particularly good. We cook pumpkin macaroni and cheese before the waves get too big. We notice them more and more as soon as we sail out of the protective cover of the land. However, the wind and waves are very moderate, with 16 knots from astern and 1.5 m wave heights. Nevertheless, all three of us have to get used to the rocking again.
Distance to Curaçao: 474 nm
Food: really good snack, pumpkin macaroni and cheese
Martinique - Curaçao day 2
Thu Apr 10 2025 12:48:00 GMT-0400 (Bolivia Time)
The night was quite calm. We really tear through the water during Peter's shift. With just the Genoa, we make 5 knots through the water, and the current pushes us along at up to 2 knots. This gives us a speed of 7-8 knots over ground. Then Romana takes over. Not much happens during the night – until something does happen. A bird circles us several times. It's not yet clear whether it just likes our pineapple or wants to land. Despite our fast speed, it makes many attempts to land until it finally comes to rest on our solar panel on the bimini. It stays with us for several hours in the wind and rain. During Ines' shift, both the wind and the current subside, so we are only travelling at 4.5 knots over ground, but we don't change the sails during the night. In the morning, we set the mainsail and after breakfast we also hoist the genoa. In the morning, we are still making good progress and for breakfast we have a familiar crossing meal: quesadillas. Around noon, the wind dies down a little and we only make slow progress. For dinner, we have plantains with pea rice and fried eggs, because unfortunately, no fish are biting today. Afterwards, the wind picks up again a little and we speed along at 5.5 knots towards the southwest with the first reef.
Etmal: 130 nmDistance to Curaçao: 374 nm
Food: Quesadillas, plantains with pea rice and fried eggs
Martinique - Curaçao day 3
Fri Apr 11 2025 16:37:00 GMT-0400 (Bolivia Time)
Today was a classic spa day. That means we didn't do much, but we still made good progress. At breakfast, we celebrated reaching the halfway point – we have 250 nm behind us and another 250 nm ahead of us. Despite our constant efforts, we are unfortunately only catching Sargassum seaweed instead of fish. Highlight of the day: a freshwater shower in the cockpit for the entire crew. Romana's highlight: chocolate biscuits. Peter had another bacon snack. Ines enjoyed the starry night.
Etmal: 141 nm Distance to Curaçao: 233 nm
Food: Austrian brown bread with guacamole and scrambled eggs, pitas with grilled vegetables and tzatziki
Martinique - Curaçao day 4
Sat Apr 12 2025 16:59:00 GMT-0400 (Bolivia Time)
We made very slow progress during the night, as the wind was weaker than forecast and the reliable current of the previous days had disappeared. At sunrise, as we were adjusting the brightness of the board displays, the wind suddenly changed direction, causing us to turn almost in circles. At 7 a.m., Peter, who was just waking up, was roused by a motivated Romana. On deck, the problem was solved in no time by switching the autopilot back on. This shifting wind – or suddenly switched-off autopilot – is really nasty... After breakfast, we notice that something is wrong with our fishing bait, Buntifax (a small colourful squid). We want to retrieve it, but it seems to have got caught under the hull during the action in the morning. So we roll up the Genoa, turn to slow down the boat, and Peter jumps into the water with his diving mask, snorkel and fins. Of course, he is securely attached to the boat with a rope. He quickly identifies the problem: Buntifax's hook has become entangled in the rubber sleeve of our saildrive. So he has to dive to release the hook. Fortunately, he succeeds on his first attempt and Peter is freshly showered after breakfast. In the afternoon, there's more action with Buntifax. He is curiously circled by birds and quickly physically explored. At first, the birds quickly fly away after a few attempts, but then one bird actually gets caught in the fishing hook and can only free itself after a minute. Thankfully, it flies away unharmed. Today was an adventurous day for Buntifax... unfortunately, he didn't catch any fish, so we're left with vegetarian leftovers for dinner.
Daily run: 124 nm Distance to Curaçao: 110 nm
Food: Quesadillas with guacamole, egg rice with plantains and pumpkin
Martinique - Curaçao day 5
Sun Apr 13 2025 15:30:00 GMT-0400 (Bolivia Time)
During the night, we could see the lights of Bonaire and Klein Curaçao. In the early hours of the morning, we could see not only the lights but also the land of Curaçao. We immediately noticed the difference to the other islands in the Caribbean – it is relatively flat and dry. The vegetation reminded us more of Greece. We arrive at just the right time, as we have to pass through a narrow, unlit channel into the Spaanse Water or Spanish Water lagoon. Even in daylight, the passage is difficult to see until you are close to it. However, the markings are clear and so entering the lagoon is no problem. After 3 days and 20 hours, we drop anchor and treat ourselves to a well-deserved drink with breakfast.
