T&T: Review on Martinique, and new bad news on Alaska

[WM Bethea]

That's where we are very different.  I would judge an earthquake from the
safety of our boats witnessed by a big brown bear to be a great Alaskan
experience!! 
Buddy

-----Original Message-----
From: John Marshall [mailto:johnamar at mac.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 2:57 PM
To: trawlers-and-trawlering at lists.samurai.com
Cc: Buddy Bethea; DON WEIPPERT; Debbie Marshall
Subject: Review on Martinique, and new bad news on Alaska

>
Marty,
	Great cruising report on Martinique... I've now made my decision
about going there in the future based on your review. No way I want to have
to look at those skinny French women who can't afford to eat and have to
wear such teensy bits of nothing to cover all that likely sun- damaged skin.

	As you say, its far better to stay in Chicago where people are very
well fed and don't have to fear the sun.

As far as Alaska goes, I'm afraid I have more bad news to report. I talked
before about mosquitos and whales that try to eat you, but now nature has
joined in the cause.

	We were anchored a few days ago in this remote cove in Glacier
National park, a place so isolated that not only do SAT phones and
cellphones and VHF and SSB not work, but neither did the GPS. While at
anchor in a hundred feet of water (that was the shallowest spot), the boat
began to shake and rattle and jump around, yet there was no wind and the
water was glassy.

	Needless to say, we assumed the usual -- a whale was trying to
surface under us and sink our boat. So we raced around as the boat bounced
wildly, trying to figure out where the whale was coming up, only to see
nothing but smooth water. That damnable blinding sun was out for the yet
another day (we've had two weeks of punishing sun and no cooling rain -- the
trees are starting to dry up and soon will be kindling for forest fires).

	Squinting into the glare, I saw this huge bear on the shore about
150 feet from the boat, staring at us, licking his chops. Maybe his buddies
were trying to roll our 60 tons of boat over?

	I mean, if the boat shattered and sank here, without any way to get
a cry for help out, the bears would just eat the evidence and the glacial
water is so milky that nobody would see the wreck down there at the bottom.

	But, as luck would have it, the shaking stopped and the bear resumed
crunching on clams as if they were potato chips. I can only imagine what
those jaws would do to human bones.

	We found out later than an earthquake had occurred a few miles from
us and the narrow rock walls and bottom of the fjord we were focusing the
shock waves up through the water. We heard later that they even felt it on
the cruise ships out in the bay, but the captain and crew just assumed
they'd run over another humpback whale and continued on so the tourists
could see the killer whales eating the remains like usual.

	So... another reason not to come to Alaska: earthquakes that can
sink your boat without a trace.

	Please, for your own safety, stay in Chicago. And if you must stray,
the hungry, skinny women of Martinique are less likely to eat you than these
bears.

	Or... well... maybe not. They are French after all.

John Marshall
N55-20 Serendipity
Currently cruising Alaska








> Message: 11
> Date: Thu, 4 Jun 2009 10:44:48 -0400
> From: "Marty Campanella" <baypelican at earthlink.net>
> To: <trawlers-and-trawlering at lists.samurai.com>
> Subject: Re: T&T: Avoid Martinique
> Message-ID: <000001c9e523$050109e0$0f031da0$@net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Don't cruise to Martinique.  You would think the boaters in the PNW 
> and Alaska have it bad, well if you want someplace to avoid it is here 
> in Martinique.  Each day starts with the pungent smells from bakeries 
> located on every block.  One can hardly sleep it is so bad.  Each 
> morning I go in and complain in good French:  Une baguette s'il vous 
> plait.  But they only laugh.
> Then there is the lousy climate.  The temperature is generally in the 
> low thirties each day without fail.  Rarely will it get above 40c.  
> What are worst are the breezes which are continuously from the east at 
> 15kts, unless there is a hurricane  when they get very strong and very
> confused.    All of
> this makes one long for a winter in Chicago, never had a hurricane 
> there.
> There are so many boats here, it looks like a sailboat regatta.  The
> accepted explanation for all the boats is that so many people have   
> sailed
> down here expecting  paradise and in their disappointment have 
> abandoned their boats at anchor and have flown home. The bars and 
> restaurants are crowded with boaters trying to raise enough cash to 
> buy airplane tickets back to the states. People are so desperate 
> trying to sell things that long sleeve shirts and pants can be had for 
> pennies.  I saw a perfectly good winter jacket going for a bottle of 
> rum.
> Poverty is rampant, you can tell just by looking at the women that 
> food is scarce and there is little money for lots of clothes.  No one 
> could survive in Chicago with one of these outfits.
> My wife and I are planning to leave as soon as we can - we keep 
> getting held up by friends  inviting us over to join them in drowning 
> their misery in the rot gut  rum and lousy French wine they almost 
> have to give away to get anyone to drink it.
>
> Marty Campanella
> mv Bay Pelican
> LeMarin Martinique