Paddling into the strong wind - you better not stop or you will go backwards

It feels like the world is going through such uncertain times doesn’t it….. economic struggle, wars, elections, hurricanes, flash floods .... so much sadness is happening and the news reel always feels like chaos.... the one incredible thing about it has been that it actually doesn’t matter which state you are in, in the USA, or if you are in Europe, Australia, India, or some tiny island nation…. we are all in the same boat.  We have all struggling with the same news cycle.  Here is a gorgeous photo of a traditional cruise ship in St.Lucia to cheer you up.

 

I remember one time we were anchored in St.Lucia, it was our first time to the island, as it was one of our stops as we sailed north from Tobago up to St.Maarten.  St.Lucia is one of the most stunning islands, but all the islands are gorgeous.... they all just have different personalities.

 

 

Now St.Lucia is one of the first islands we got to that had a real supermarket that resembled something from home…. And we discovered that if we anchored over in this one corner of Rodney Bay, we could take the dinghy ashore and it was only a really short 100 yard walk to this supermarket.

 

Now I do love a crowded palm tree beach, but not so much a crowded bus with no air-conditioning in the Caribbean.  With this supermarket within arms reach, we didn’t have to catch a squishy crowded bus, and we didn’t have to walk for miles, carrying all of our purchases in the HEAT. That sort of luxury is always appreciated by yachties who are living without a car.

 

So this supermarket had all sorts of imported fresh fruit and vegetables, and meat that we hadn’t seen since we left South Africa.  It was very exciting.    Although our dwindling funds meant that we couldn’t spend too much, and we also had no refrigeration on the boat, so we could only buy what would last on the kitchen counter for a few days.  Maya was very excited that the supermarket also had kiddie shopping trolleys.... WOW, what a novelty.

 

Now when we were in St.Lucia the Christmas winds were blowing really really strong….. those Christmas winds come up every year, sometime around or just after Christmas and it can get very blowy…. Not the most fun conditions on a boat…. And especially in the Caribbean where the sailing conditions are mostly very perfect and idyllic, so when the wind blows, its not fun…. So it meant that we spent longer in St.Lucia than we had intended to.  Since our money was running out we were really trying to get to St.Maarten where we were told we might get jobs.

 

So sitting on the boat, rocking and rolling in those strong winds, bored and getting a little cabin fever was not unlike our present situation.

 

We ate a lot, cooked more and ate more ha ha.

I remember one day though, I took the dingy ashore, on my own…. Went to the supermarket, got all of our goodies, walked back to the dinghy but low and behold I couldn’t start the outboard motor.

 

No matter how hard I tried, it would not start. I am not mechanic…. He was over there on the boat…. So I called out into the wind to try to get the captains attention….. hoping that he might swim in and help me, and eventually came out to yell across to me to start paddling….. OH NO I remember thinking…. The wind was blowing SO STRONG and now he wants me to PADDLE the dinghy into this wind.

 

It took me about 20 minutes of paddling like crazy…. You couldn’t take a break, because every time you stopped paddling the wind would just pick you up and push you backwards all the distance you had just covered was gone ha ha.

 

My husband was in the cockpit of the boat, laughing at me. Well I did eventually get there, and he did eventually fix the dinghy engine….

Here I am rowing the dinghy on a calmer day.... photo taken when my husband wasn't so busy laughing at me.

 

I guess this whole world situation feels a bit like that now too.  If we stop paddling, before we actually arrive to safety, we might just go backwards.  Love how these St.Lucian guys rigged up a sheet of plastic to save their arms from paddling.

 

 

So stay calm everyone.  Happy times are on their way.... and if you are planning a Caribbean adventure to escape the winter up north, be sure to pack a lightweigh cardi or hoodie, as the winds blow and it does get chilly (especially at night) in the islands.

Here is a cute photo of my daughter and I swimming together off the boat in St.Lucia.

 

Here is a fun video I made during the covid lockdown when I was talking about my paddle struggles in St.Lucia.

Paddling Into the Strong Wind in St. Lucia 

 One love x