Well as many well intentioned plans go….our last day on Martinique didn’t turn out to be anything like we thought it would. After the week of trying to find our favorite morning hot spot for coffee and french pastries we finally find one that hit the mark, except for the internet aspect, of course. We had plans to go into town, get breakfast, clear out of customs, send some emails, get a few provisions, fill the water tanks, do our deep dive and then prep the boat for our early morning leave. Ah, yeah right. We go into town and get our breakfast. That part went correctly. Then we went to customs and cleared out. That part went well….so we thought at the time.
The next priority was trying to find a water source to fill the water tanks on the boat. The cruiser’s Guide we have to us to go inquire at the town hall. The ladies at the town hall had to call an English translator to figure out what we were saying. The phone translator led us to the chamber of commerce which then turned us towards Restaurante’ Marie Chantall’s. The owner, Marie, led me to the back of the vegetable market that is located below her restaurant to the spigot ….which was 200 yards from the dock…that didn’t have a threaded nozzle to attach a REALLY long hose that we didn’t have anyway. Add all of that to the fact that it is blowing 25 knots today. I’ve already mentioned in another blog the limited maneuvering capability of a 50ft single engine boat, add 25 knots of wind while trying to dock and it could be troublesome. So, we hesitantly made the decision to scrap the diving for the day to make our water situation improve. So much for the afternoon nap I was hoping to squeeze in too. The plan was to take the four five-gallon water jugs that we have on board and start fetching the water by hand and transport it to the boat by dinghy. 250 gallons worth…. Ugh! Not ideal but, ya gotta have water.
So, the water hauling starts. We drop Michael off at the water spigot with the water jugs. While Michael is filling water bottles the captain and I decide we can be really efficient by filling our empty dinghy gas tanks at the same time. After all, it’s just a short dinghy ride away. Michael is busy filling water bottles and the skipper is filling three of the four gas containers. The forth I was using to run the dinghy engine at the time. I figure that I can be EVEN MORE efficient if I dock the dinghy, unhook the one remaining fuel tank that the dinghy is currently using and fill it up at the same time the skipper is filling the others. You know me; I’m always trying to be helpful, right?! Please remember for the rest of the story to keep in mind that not only are we in a foreign country, almost no one speaks English… especially, the gas station attendant.
As I look at the gas pump to make the seemingly simple decision of what type of fuel to put in the tank I see two types. One pump has the words that resemble gasoline and the other has the same but it also has “super” in front of it. Anyone that knows anything about outboard engines knows that you do not put Super Gasoline in them. I fill my one tank; hook it back up to the boat and away we go back to Michael who is waiting with the first round of full water bottles. But, something is wrong…uh oh…now something seems very wrong. How come the dinghy engine is running rougher than a cobb? It’s smoking like a wet fire. Hmmmm, bad French fuel? Did those damn French screwed us again?! An hour later we decide to take off the 15hp engine on the dinghy and put on the back up engine, only 5hp. After all we have GOT to finish this task and prepared the boat for tomorrow’s sail.
The engine swap is made and we are off, at a much slower pace, on our second of NINE trips needed to fill the tanks. Did I already say UGH?! As we are pulling away from the boat and heading to shore we are flagged down by the boat that had just pulled into the bay and anchored next to us. WTH? We are hours behind schedule and having engine problems. What could they want? We pull up and they inform us that their anchor windlass is broken. It’s an older Italian couple who speaks very broken English and they wanted us to help pull up their 60 feet of anchor chain and then wanted help re-anchoring in shallower water. Funny thing is that we tell them we have problems of our own. She say’s “yes, we saw you but, pulling up this anchor is very hard.” HELLO Captain Obvious! The captain and I put our heads together and decide that this job……is better left to the young man we see on the next boat! Lol. YES WE DID! We motor over to another boat, tell them story of the poor weak old couple and ask him to lend a hand because ours were already full. Now, of course we wouldn’t be gentleman if we didn’t at least offer to give him a ride over there would we?!
So, a long story short, we put the recently purchased bad French gas on the 5hp engine and it too makes it run like shit. Obviously it’s the gas and not something wrong with the engines. At this point everyone is losing their patience. Tempers are flaring and words are being exchanged that will require apologies later in the evening over a rum punch. Not only have we lost a day of fun but, now we’re officially workn’ our ass off and things aren’t going our way! So, I tell the captain that at the next harbor that has water at the dock…WITH a hose attached, I will be glad to pay for it. We get enough water to make due and decide to go talk to the local fisherman to see where they are buying their fuel for their boats. We luck out and find one of them who happens speak English. He even walks the captain over to the gas station to show him the two different types of fuel they have. The “Super”…which in Martinique is your basic everyday regular unleaded gasoline and the other….that I used….is your basic everyday DEISEL!!!!!! Dohhh!! I just pulled a Homer Simpson.
The topper is that in the middle of all of this the captain happens to ask, “What’s the date today? The fourth? We’re leaving tomorrow on the fifth, right?” “Noooo Capt, today is the third and tomorrow is the fourth. Why?”. “Well, I put on the clearing papers we are leaving tomorrow ….on the fifth”. So to all my dear relatives, I’ll let ya know where to send the bond money later. Lol
Night all....
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