FWI Day 4: Sailing and Hiking

Everyday the Captain presented options for our day and we were given the choice: snorkeling, go ashore, sailing, fishing, etc. Tuesday morning the Captain said the seas were somewhat rough beyond Tintamarre and we could stay at St. Martin, return to Tintamarre, or leave St. Martin and push to the open waters between St. Martin and St. Barths and endure what might be rough waters.  The Captain was unquestionably trying to prevent and avoid any seasickness (or make sure we new it was our decision if seasickness occurred).  However, our decision was to set sail and head to the open waters where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean and see if we could make it to St. Barths.  So, we finished breakfast and set sail for the Windward side of St. Martin.

A brief rain shower began as we left Grand Case Bay and Matt guided the ship for the next hour through the rain and wind while others remained below.  As we passed Tintamarre and Pinel Islands the clouds parted and we set sail out into the Atlantic for about 90 minutes, then set a new course with the wind directly to Ilse Fourchue, an uninhabited island just off the coast of St. Barths with a very protected bay.  Everyone came out on deck and enjoyed sun, warm wind and sailing for the next four hours, and at times the seas were more rough than we had experienced, but the ladies gathered on the stern and enjoyed riding the waves while Matt sailed our ship.

We arrived at Ilse Fourchue and went ashore to explore and climb one of the rocky peaks.

Our adventures ended with another marvelous dinner at the outside deck on VIP One and some spirited games once dessert was cleared from the table.