Aboard Dignity (Lagoon 420) Blog

Category: Cruiser Connections

  • Frustration in Exotic Places

    Not everything goes to plan.

    Job number 1 went ok.  I replaced a breaker which was cracked but ok as a preventitive measure.  No problems there.

    Job number 2 was to permanently mount my wifi antenna.  The place I chose was just below the radar dome as the box would be protected and it was pretty high.  I also had to shorten and fix the cable that runs from the wifi box to the antenna.  This involved heading into the marina to buy a couple of pipe clamps and some insulation tape.

    The cable shortening went ok and I tested everything ok.  Mounting the box up the mast went reasonably ok.  I did drop a washer and a fastening bracket – the latter I was able to retreive by passing down the network cable to Helen who tied it on for me to pull back up.

    The first problem was the network cable was too short.  This involved temporarily running the too short cable down the outside of the mast and using a connector to extend it using one of the spare cables I have.  The connector I used didn’t work so I tried the one that extends the radar cable.  Everything worked following a test.

    I then ran the extra cable in through the gooseneck into the cabin.  At this point I ran into a wall of frustration.  Nothing could I do to get the damn thing going with my laptop.  I spent hours on it gradually undoing connectors, trying out different cables.  I finally got onto the internet again by using our old XP laptop and bypassing our internal wireless hub.

    Somethings definetly up with the wireless hub or I’ve done something to it in my attempts to get things going.  At least we have working internet so I know I don’t have to go up the mast to bring down the box.  Now I should tidy up as we have guests coming.  Onto which ….

    Last night we stopped by “Hands Across the Sea” and had more than a few drinks with Harriet and TL.  They are on their second year of their second cruise and doing something worthwhile with their time.  They are adopting a number of Caribbean schools and helping out – donating gear and their time.  They say it’s not hard to find anyone who needs help.  We left them agreeing to invite them over for dinner this evening.

    After drinks helen and I headed off to our curry only to find the place closed.  Darn.  The only thing we found open was a KFC so we had another dose of greasy chicken.  Not what we wanted.

  • Fixing your boat in exotic places

    That’s a reasonable good phrase the sort of describes the mode we’re in. Fortunately there’s nothing really wrong but we’ve built up a few maintenance tasks that need to get done.

    Cleaning the boat took the two of hours quite some time yesterday. Helen did most of it as I had to go ashore to clear in and do some shopping. We finished off the day with a good old English Breakfast of sausages, eggs and beans and watched the movie Mamma Mia. Boy was that movie cheesy. It kept us amused though.

    Today has seen more hard work. I’ve topped up each of the six cells on all of the sixteen lead acid batteries aboard. With Helen’s help we ran the network cable from the Outback MPPT solar power controller to the console where I’ve fitted a remote display. We are now able to see what the MPPT is up to. Already, today, we were able to detect when the batteries has charged enough in bulk mode and were now in absorb/accept mode. This meant we had extra power available from the panels which wasn’t going to charge the batteries. At this point we turned on the laptop and continued to download some old british TV comedies and some US TV shows we want to catch up on.

    We also went into the shopping mall for some additional provisions and Helen has been to the dentist to have a filling replaced. This cost less than US$100 which wouldn’t have covered the cost of the anesthetic back in the US.

    We’ve also done two further loads of washing and moved the boat a little to satisfy Helen’s swellophobia.

    We still have quite a few boat jobs ahead of us but they can wait till later days. We are taking pictures of ourselves doing the various jobs so we can provide a “fixing the boat” album once we’re done.

    On our way into the mall we stopped by “Hands Across the Sea” a Dolphin 460 that we’ve seen on numerous occasions. We’ve found that our excess of bananas (oops, meant to say last nights banana flambee was delicious) makes a good excuse to go and say hello to people by way of handing over a bunch. This is their second time cruising and their second year this time around. To make their trip purposeful they are sponsoring and helping out at a number of schools in the Caribbean. We’ve been invited back for drinks this evening for sunset.

    After drinks, depending on the state of Helen’s anesthesia, we may go and have our two remaining curry dishes at Razmataz.

  • Case Pilote

    This evening we are anchored in Case Pilote, just down the road (or sea lane) from St Pierre. It’s a small fishing village with a couple of shops. Certainly not as picturesque as St Pierre but nice all the same.

    Yesterday afternoon Helen and I spent some time aboard Northern d’Light a Lagoon 420 owned by a Canadian couple: Dave and Linda. As always, it was nice to compare notes. They’re moving through the islands quicker than we are so there’s only a small chance of meeting again. Fingers crossed as they were a nice couple.

    Last night we ate ashore at L’Escapade. We all ordered steak dinners but they only had enough meat for four. They offered duck as an alternative for the same price. Jim and I played the gallant hero’s and forwent our steaks for similarly sized duck. Hard being a hero.

    This morning we all went ashore for shopping and sight seeing. Helen and I made two trips, the first including our formally checking back into Martinique. On each trip we picked up a number of cheap bottles of French wine. You can indeed get wine for under $3 a bottle here in Martinique now that the stores are open. We need to buy in a lot more before we leave.

    Helen and I walked up to a statue of the Virgin Mary which looked down on the bay and of course took a number of pics. Given that we haven’t had internet on the boat since Rodney Bay we are still unable to upload. A number of our passengers were getting desperate for their email so had to visit the internet cafe to catch up. And I thought I was bad.

    Tomorrow we’re off to the Trois Islets area and the following evening we’ll anchor off Fort-de-France so that our guests can leave early Saturday morning. Helen and I will then make our way to Rodney Bay where we’ve decided to catch up on our boat chores before exploring St Lucia in a bit more detail.

    All aboard are well. The weather is great and we’re having a good time.

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  • Out in Rodney Bay (updated)

    Yesterday evening we dined in pairs. Helen and I walked about a couple of miles around the harbour to Razmataz, the Indian Restaurant, which was about 200 yards away from the boat as the crow flies. The food was very good but not quite up to what you can get in London, England.

    This morning we did some more shopping and I finally managed to find a place to supply some distilled water – I’ve been searching for a while.

    We’ve now left the marina and are anchored outside by Pigeon Island. Jim and Bob have climbed one of the hills while the rest of us swam. In reverse, this afternoon the four swimmers will be climbing the hills on the island this afternoon.

    I haven’t been taking too many pictures recently but here’s a few that I’ve not shared recently.

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    UPDATE: We’ve climbed the two hills on Pigeon Island and enjoyed some very pleasant views. Helen and I dinghied round to where we’d seen another Lagoon 420 (Where II) earlier but she’d left. Hopefully we’ll catch up with her later in the season. The pics have been updated. Tonight it is barbecued chicken.

    Tomorrow our plan is to sail to Souffriere where the very picturesque “Pitons” can be found. We’ll stay there for the day and evening.

  • Leaving Portsmouth

    In under an hour we’ll be leaving Portsmouth and heading south to Roseau.  We’ve been here for two and a half weeks.  Every time we stay anywhere nice for a week or more we begin to feel settled and the prospect of moving on becomes more difficult.  Yesterday we went ashore to do our final shopping and on the way said our goodbyes to some of the folks we have met and who are still here.  In the evening we were invited over to Stevee Jean for a couple of beers with our Ozzie friends, Gill and John.  Turned out to be a much longer stay involving quite a bit more than just two beers.

    But moving on also brings the excitement of new places.  Martinique beckons.  We should be in St Pierre tomorrow and we have heard that is nice.  We need to keep our eye on the weather as the winds are moving to the north (which is rare) and the waves will follow.  This will make the anchorages with no northerly protection very uncomfortable.  That may in turn force us into Fort-a-France a day or two earlier than expected.