Journey Dispatch #3
Martinique 🇲🇶 to Saint Kitts and Nevis 🇰🇳
Hello from Saint Kitts and Nevis, Country #30 of The Green Journey!
After a few weeks with limited movement, we’ve now managed to catch a ride that’s sailing North to the (only) Caribbean island that’s part of two countries at once. We’re headed towards Saint Martin / Sint Maarten, a half-French, half-Dutch island. It’s a tiny island, measuring just 34 square miles, and its indigenous name, Oualichi, means "the island of women.”
Since the island is at the very top of the Lesser Antilles, we have renewed optimism about finding a ride to Florida, or at least to the Bahamas, in time for the Aspen Ideas: Climate Conference. Although given that we’re currently waiting out a storm system in Saint Kitts and Nevis, nerves are still running a bit high. Oh well, it wouldn’t be a low-carbon, slow world tour if we got places quickly, would it?
We’ve been deep in the sailing world for almost four months now, and while we’re still thoroughly enjoying life at sea (especially in the Caribbean) we’re eager to get back to the continental Americas and continue the adventure using some different modes of transport.
All aboard, Anushka!
We’re currently traveling with Captains Marc and Annie Bernard, a couple from Martinique who are deeply engrossed in the world of sailing. They’ve spent the last 15+ years running Parasailor, a small business creating top-of-the line spinnakers and gennakers (sails that make boats very, very speedy!) It’s a pleasure to sail with them — their 50-foot monohull is extremely spacious and comfortable, and we’re able to chill and enjoy the Caribbean as we go.
We’re also joined by another crewmate, Benoît Bérard, who is on a crazy low-carbon expedition of his own: sailing across the Atlantic, biking across the Southern U.S., and finishing it all off with a PCT thru-hike. Pretty cool, right! Go check out his expedition website here.
We’ve been pretty darn lucky 🍀 with all of our captains so far, and Annie and Marc are no exception. We knew we were in good hands when on the day of boarding, Annie unloaded about a dozen grocery bags full of French treats and snacks for a three-day sail.
The first day of sailing aboard S.V. Anushka was a dream. Calm seas and an effective wind pushed us onwards from Martinique, past Dominica, and to Guadeloupe. Just after 30 hours of sailing, upon reaching the north side of Guadeloupe, we decided to take a little pause in the sleepy village of Deshaies. Due to storms, we rested for a night, and then set out again for Saint Martin.
We were able to make it to Saint Kitts and Nevis before the weather picked up again, leading us to take shelter in a very small anchorage in between the two islands. For now, no major experiences on the island to share (other than that I came ashore to write this newsletter from a beach bar oddly named ‘Mr. X’s Shiggidy Shack’) but since we’ll be here until Tuesday, I’m sure to have some fun updates in next week’s dispatch.
💡🌳 Solution of the Week: Energy Observer
Sailing is a low-carbon way to cross oceans, but many modern sailboats today still rely on fossil fuel products for things like cooking, driving dinghies, and motoring when the wind dies out. But, there’s one incredible catamaran called The Energy Observer that has spent the last six years sailing around the world in a TRULY carbon-free way.
Launched in France in 2017, the Energy Observer is a first-of-its-kind vessel that runs entirely on renewable energy sources: solar, wind, hydropower, and perhaps most importantly, self-produced green hydrogen. The vessel is near the final leg of a round-the-world adventure that has gone from France to the Caribbean to Singapore and back again!
We had the privilege of interviewing the vessel’s captain, Jean Baptiste, during our time in Martinique. From him, we learned a bit about the vessel’s mission, operations, and how it acts as a ‘floating laboratory’ to test renewable technologies under development by the likes of Toyota, AirLiquide, and more. Make sure to subscribe to read the full article in future weeks!
📣💚 Shoutout to: Captain Ron
We stayed with Captain Ron for almost three weeks between Saint Lucia and Martinique. Not only was it a real pleasure to sail with him, but he was a great friend on land!
He was so friendly, welcoming, and we spent many great evenings together making crepes, talking about business, and even drinking some Ti Punch when arriving in Martinique! Captain Ron was the unique type of person who has done just about everything in his life, and he’s still going strong! It was a tough goodbye to bid him when we left, but we know he’s going to have an amazing time cruising his way to Antigua with other salty sailors!
❌ 🎒Travel fail: Shallow waters
We’ve stopped at a lot of marinas and anchorages during our time sailing, and we can both officially say that Le Marin in Martinique was our least favorite. It was overwhelmingly crowded — trying to anchor the boat was like looking for a parking spot at a Taylor Swift concert (not that we’ve actually done that before — but I can imagine it’s a nightmare).
We had a close run-in with shallow waters ourselves, backing up into a bay where we could literally see seagrass touch the hull of the catamaran. Luckily, we moved out of it without a problem — but a passing monohull was not so lucky. Safely in our anchorage, we watched in horror and waved our hands as we saw a sixty-foot vessel get stuck on a hump. Luckily, they were able to rev the engine and get out, but overall, the Le Marin anchorage is not for the faint of heart — or those without good, working depth sensors.
📸 Photo of the week: Polo took this beautiful drone shot of the anchorage in Saint-Anne, a sleepy, photogenic beach town.
Stay tuned for next week’s dispatch! We’ll hopefully share it from further north 🤗
Thank you guys! You both were very witty and kind crew. Your skills in Tarte Tatin shall be enhanced here too! Love from Martinique.