A spectacular yacht blaze
While enjoying a convivial night at Cattewater Cruising Club in Plymouth in October 1997, a friend approached my wife and I and asked if we’d be interested in chartering a yacht for a fortnight to sail down the Windward Islands in February.
After discussing a few details we jumped at his proposal. Why wouldn’t we? We were great pals with him and his wife and like us, they were experienced sailors. We never need much persuading to get away from British winters.
After an eight-hour flight from Heathrow to Antigua we caught an island-hopping flight to French Martinique and a taxi to Marina du Marin where Sunsail had their base. We settled into the charter yacht, a 40ft Beneteau, at about 2300.
After breakfast in the local bar we met Sunsail’s Roger (pronounced Roj-air) who produced some very old paper charts marked in fathoms and feet and briefed us where we could and could not go and how to handle the ‘boat boys’; the local lads who come out to yachts on everything from a surfboard to a 15ft motor launch to sell anything from bread, fruit, fish and clothes. Many will offer to guide yachts into various ports.
‘The waitress said: “Sir, your boat is on fire.” He replied: “Thank you, it’s not a problem.”’
We were encouraged to buy anything we wanted from them as it helps the local economy and can often make a difference to their standard of living. Roger also told us not to allow any boat boy on board nor to take navigation advice from them because they were not qualified pilots and thefts may not
