Look! Guests!!

Kim and I left Brunswick, Georgia in mid-February. Since then, we’ve been largely alone. Although we’ve discovered we can be together 24/7, we also have discovered that being on our own does get lonely. So this past week was pretty exciting for us. We had visitors!! Yep. John and Lorie came to Martinique from Texas to stay with us for a few days on board Meraviglia. Visitors are fairly rare for cruisers. There aren’t many people who want to spend vacation time in a small space without air conditioning. So we were really excited. We got a slip in a marina for a few days to get ready-doing laundry on land, washing the boat inside and out with as much fresh water as we wanted (what a luxury!), picking up provisions, and doing a variety of small repair jobs. Best foot forward! On their first evening on board, something happened that has not happened once since we set out 5 1/2 months ago: the wind died. In the Caribbean, the tradewinds blow. All the time. And that has been our experience. Except for that night. No wind. And it was HOT. Miserably hot. Not a good start to the visit, since none of us slept much. Nevertheless, the next morning we set out for some sightseeing.

Yikes!

Kim and I rented a car and we took off to see the birthplace of Josephine de Beauharnais (yes, the Josephine of “Napolean and…”). Then we went to visit the Jardin de Balata, which is a fantastic botanical garden. It’s also on the top of a mountain. Did I mention that the car we rented was a stick shift? Did I mention that I haven’t driven a stick shift in almost 30 years? Did I mention that Martinique is extremely mountainous? Well, I’m mentioning it now. Fortunately, with minimal stalling, the trip was successful.

Upon returning to the boat, there still wasn’t much wind, so we bailed on the marina and took off for an anchorage. Fortunately, it was more comfortable outside the harbor, so Lorie could sleep in the berth instead of in the cockpit that night. Yeah. It was hot. The next day we motored (still not much wind) north to Anse d’Arlet and went swimming and snorkeling. Then we spent a quiet evening aboard. It was really great to just spend time together and catch up about family and friends.

The following morning we sailed (Yay! Wind!) north to St. Pierre, and showed John and Lorie around the ruins and the museum documenting the volcanic eruption of 1902. That was after a couple things broke (of course), so they got a small taste of the swearing that comes with old boats. It was Pizza Night on board that night-WooHoo! And then the next day we took them ashore so they could get a taxi to the airport.

It was a whirlwind 4 days that passed far too quickly. We had a great time. We hope John and Lorie did too. They said they did. Hopefully they weren’t just being polite. For sure it’s like no trip they’ve taken before! What did we learn? Well, four people can co-exist on Meraviglia, at least for four days. And guests are fun!

We spent the following day just sitting around recharging. But that’s not a complaint at all. We loved it and we hope they come back. Or other people come to visit. There’s too much awesomeness out here not to share!