Sunday 29 April: Today will be remembered as the day when a fender swing went pair-shaped!
But to start with it was a good day. We woke to nice sunshine and no rain again. The Pitons volcanic peaks behind Fort de France are clear of clouds and look spectacular, just as you see Martinique on Google images.
We decide to stay anchored in Anse Mitan and the guests are put ashore on beach while we head back to Cloudy Bay to supervise the generator and water making, plus to do some cleaning inside (there certainly is lots of sand inside each time we have guests).
The new electric adapter to the bow toilet seems to be playing up already. It seems that some of the flushed-out black water reappears into the bowl with flush water. Plus it’s leaking water around the motor, plus it’s bloody noisy. Not good. We’ll have to take it back to the shop once Teo and Geta leave.
Back on the beach it seems Darius has been missing his Auntie and Uncle as he has not been playing in the sea as usual, but he soon gets back into action once his playmates reappear.
For lunch we head to a nearby beach restaurant where Teo orders his first ever lobster meal, which he seems to really enjoy. Nice lobster indeed, but we are still looking forward to our first North Atlantic lobster, which have the big claws, compared to these tropical lobsters that have none.
After lunch, back on Cloudy Bay, the drama of the day is initiated. Glen rigs up the spinnaker halyard and large fender ready to demonstrate to Teo and Geta our fender swinging fun.
Normally guests jump up and quickly want a go themselves. But this first swing generates zero enthusiasm, not even sure they noticed! The second demonstration swing clearly needs to be a lot better.
Rather than jumping from the pull-pit rail, this time Glen balances himself on the starboard davit with halyard in hand. He quickly realises this could all end in tears because his wet feet on the shiny davit is not a good recipe. He climbs down carefully, stating his concerns.
After he is safely back on deck, the halyard is now caught on a GPS antenna on the radar post. Glen flicks it and it comes free, but at the same instant it catches on the outboard davit which then swings ruthlessly directly into Glen’s face, making a very deep cut on his lip! Ooph, yet more blood from Glen on the deck.
Oana is getting better at viewing his multiple and constant injuries, but this one is certainly not good viewing. Glen normally strugs these things off knowing they will soon heal, but this time even he states it needs a hospital.
So, patched up with a couple of steri-strips we head back to shore in search of one. But it’s Sunday and we are advised it’s either a 24 hour doctor at the airport or the main A&E hospital in Fort de France.
The hospital is a long way by road, but it’s only just across the bay by ferry. We just manage to catch the last ferry over to Fort de France, which only takes 15 minetes. We’ll worry about how to get back later – already dreading a long wait time in A&E.
Once in Fort de France, we eventually find a taxi and 15 mins later we are at the new modern hospital which is quite a distance outside the town.
Lots of people are waiting to be treated but pretty quickly Glen is called in and within 30 minutes comes back out with 3 stitches holding his lip back together, performed by a very competent Moroccan male nurse.
Well, if we are to be injured in the Caribbean, it’s best done in one of the French islands and even better within an hour of such a great hospital and staff. And all for just €99. We couldn’t even get to see a doctor in Dubai for that much. Vive la France!
The taxi ride back to Anse Mitan is not so cheap. Total cost of this silly injury: €99 for treatment, €10 for ferry and €100 for the 2 taxis! Oh and bit of pride knocked out of Glen – but he claims he will be even more handsome with the new scar!
We’ve left Cloudy Bay with our guests for the last 3 hours, so quite relieved to find her still afloat where we left her, haha!
After a chat about our adventure to the hospital, one of Oana’s wonderful rum punches makes the patient happy again and we have a quiet evening under full moon, clear skies and the gentle sound of African drums and music from the shore.
As we go to bed we realise today’s incident is the 3rd with our guests on board. Bad things happen in 3s, so we can relax now …. till the next bad thing restarts the counter!
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone