Hard to believe how fast those two weeks flew by. We had a magnificent time together and did so much. Lots of sailing up and down the islands, with plenty of wind and also rain at times. A few awesome hikes and great snorkeling. Actually, the spots we found both on St. Lucia and Martinique made for the best snorkeling so far on this trip.

And we had such a good time together, talking and laughing. Anika resorted to calling me “my funny little man”, much to my annoyance, which of course only gave her additional incentive. And our discussions ranged across a seemingly endless and, at time, somewhat random range of topics. I guess you can be proud, if you can spend two weeks as a dad with your 20 year-old daughter on a small sailboat without getting annoyed at each other even once. Makes me very happy.

After our wet ride to Martinique we spend a lazy morning in St. Pierre. We check back into the country, buy fresh fruit and veggies (look at the size of that avocado), and I get a new data SIM card as Google Fi has finally cut me off after roaming internationally for three months straight.

Then we set sails for a lovely port tack reach down to Le Grand Anse. We first try another bay and give up after three attempts and in Grand Anse it takes us another two before the anchor is fully dug in and in a good position. So our anchor windlass gets quite a workout today. The wind is still strong and shifty and you have to pick your anchor position wisely to stay well clear of all other boats as the wind changes direction and the boats swing around their anchors.

After a gusty and rainy night the morning greets us with blue sky. We open all hatches and hang more towels to dry than two people should need. I go for a long swim around most of the boats in this large bay and end up swimming right above a big turtle for a little while. How special.

After a long series of boat issues (as regular readers will recall) over the last three months, JACE has been on her best behavior during Anika’s visit. Well, except maybe for Mr. Fridge; but that’s another story altogether and we have learned to live with one another.

But this morning our good luck streak ends, as if JACE was reminding us who truly is boss around here. As we pull up the anchor it is clear that the windlass once again is going very slow and the battery running it must be on its knees. But it is far enough up that it is no longer holding her in this much wind and we have no option but to force the hook up. Ever so slowly we get the job done and then take off. My first suspicion, the fuse in the charging line that I had blown once before, is not the problem. As we motor out and toward Fort de France I dive under the forward bunk where all that sits. To my dismay I discover that we had a major short circuit situation with the finger-think wires melted and fused together and signs of charring. Remember the “workout” we gave the system yesterday? That must have done it. No way I can fix that myself and let alone underway. I am surprised it even works at all still.

As we point our bow toward Ford de France and into the full 20-25 knots of wind, I start getting worried. We can probably get the anchor down one more time but not up again. So if that anchor maneuver fails, we are kind of screwed. And again, it is blowing hard. Ideally we should get on a mooring where we don’t need the anchor. Trouble is, the entire bay of FdF doesn’t seem to have any anchorages with moorings. What now?

We wanted to enjoy this last day of sailing but that is out the window now and replaced by a real concern. Anchor in FdF and hope for the best, i.e. hope the anchor bites on the first and only attempt? What if it doesn’t and we start drifting off and maybe into other boats? We motor over there to take a look but the anchorage is very full and there is no room for error here.

Option two is the small Marina de Z’Abricot a mile upwind. I call them but they tell me they are completely full. Gill, the really nice guy there promises to see what he can do and call us back. In the meantime we run into a local port authority boat and wave them over. With broken French (me) and English (them) we ask for their advice. But their best answer is to go back to where we came from and hope to find a mooring there. We don’t like it and our concerns start growing.

Just then Gill calls and saves us. He has found us one last available mooring just outside the marina. Thank you Gill! We quickly motor over and he directs us to mooring “2” and we tie up. Phew! So happy to shut off the engine and breathe a sigh of relief. The containers and cranes behind us don’t bother us one bit – here we are safe and can stay for a few days until we have found someone who can help fix the mess. In fact, Gill already has Marc on the phone as I come to the marina office to thank him, Marc being the local Marine electrician, who promptly shows up the next morning to diagnose the issue.

The problem is a bit more complicated than anyone wants to know. But thankfully there is a relatively simple quick fix that buys us time to determine the right long term solution. Marc promises to be back Monday or Tuesday to implement the quick fix.

But for now the time has come to say goodbye to my wonderful Anika. We enjoy a last lunch together in the cockpit and then brave Martinique’s public transportation system, taking a very modern and on-time bus to the airport. We get there in plenty of time, hang a little, and then say a heartfelt goodbye. Thanks, Anika, for coming and going sailing with your “funny little man”. It was awesome and I loved every second of it!