Story and photos by Bill Woodroffe
Cruisers generally have two questions about ports. First: How rolly is the anchorage? Second: How’s the parking? This means not just the anchorage for the mother ship but also refers to the vessel car — the dinghy. Location, condition, size, safety, and popularity of the “parking spot” all matter.
Dinghies can be landed ashore on a beach, and if that’s where you want to be, that is fine. You do have to consider the surf conditions, slope of the beach, and security at the shoreline. Most people prefer to stay dry while aboard the craft and expect to walk off on dry land. It is rather embarrassing to land on a beach after a wave fills it with sand and water because your timing judging the surf was off. Remember pictures of the Normandy landing?
The other option is to park the car at a specified dinghy dock. Some are better than others. Some even approximate the Normandy Beach landing.
Two such are the floating pontoon dock at Pirates Beach, St. Anne, Martinique, and the “walk the plank” dock in English Harbour, Antigua. Next to a kids’ waterpark and the popular Pirates restaurant, Pirates Beach is a fun house of plastic floating pontoons which undulate in any incoming swell.
The English Harbour dock is literally in the shadow of the mega-buck-mega-yachts parked there. All I can say is that good coordination and balance is required when walking the plank that one must use to keep dry going ashore. A proper swimsuit is recommended if you are unstable or otherwise impaired walking the plank.
Many docks are specific to businesses that maintain them. This doesn’t mean they are always maintained. The one for Budget Marine in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua, requires a certain agility and a leap of faith a la Indiana Jones. Some require rock climbing experience, especially at low tide (I’m thinking of you, St. Pierre, Martinique). Some require expertise in short distance sprints when ocean swells gush up from under your feet if you’re not fast enough to outrun them (I’m thinking of you Deshaies, Guadeloupe). Some have limited “tie up” cleats, rings or bits to secure your car (St. Anne, Martinique).
There are “porcupine” docks, where nails, spikes, and other implements of dinghy destruction protrude, ready to deflate the unaware. And there are docks that look great at mid tide when you tie up in the morning and go off on a day trip. But while you are off enjoying your adventure, the tide keeps falling, and when you return your car has drifted under the dock.
To be fair, there are some very good docks: Jolly Harbour Marina, and the Falmouth town dinghy dock in Antigua; Bequia; Le Marin marina, St. Martin; Bas-du-Fort, Guadeloupe — all are somewhat too short, but otherwise really good. Most marinas have decent dinghy docks although some restrict who can use them.
Parking is very tight at some docks Fortunately, your car is just one big rubber inflatable fender, so no worries about dings from cars parked too close together. Walking over fellow cruisers’ cars is acceptable etiquette. On the other hand, it is common courtesy not to tie up too tight to the dock — leave room so others can squeeze in. Tying up alongside in lieu of bow in is also not acceptable. If you worry about leaving your car unattended, invest in a heavy chain.
A well-constructed and maintained dinghy dock is a blessing. Perhaps business owners or authorities will read this and take it to heart.
Compass contributor Bill Woodroffe holds a BS degree in meteorology from the State University New York Maritime College, sailed as a deck officer in the US Merchant Marine, and now sails with his wife aboard their 47-foot ketch SV Kalunamoo throughout the islands of the Eastern Caribbean. He can be reached at whwsailboat@gmail.com.
