Final Blog!

Woke up early and could not believe we were actually on our way home. Our bags were full to busting as we were taking back surplus towels, blankets and clothing.

We hadn’t planned to return to Pole Pole but we could not resist it. Rowan had taken a couple of nice bottles of wine to the cabana that we had not drunk and it seemed a waste to abandon them, so we returned them to the boat hoping they wont stew over the next 6 months, plus I had forgotten to put out the cockroach traps! So we had a last farewell, very pleased to see her all tied down and looking very secure.

We were expected at the Island’s only airport at 11am for a departure an hour later. We were very pleased to see Maurice and Jackie (our ticket purchasers from Newcastle), already there. Then there was a single lady, but not the couple we were expecting. Turned out we had just booked the minimum seats to charter a plane (6) and they had sold on another seat (8 seater plane).

At 11:30 the other couple had not arrived. Rowan phoned them and discovered they had early in the morning sailed into Grenada, from St Vincents, a friend was taking their boat to a marina to be hauled out. They had special permission from customs, to pay a fee and go straight to the airport after doing their Covid 19 test, without quarantining, but they had to be taken by a government car. One way or another it had all gone smoothly up to the car transfer to the airport, the driver had forgotten and had to be found. They drove in on the dot of 12, luckily the airport was deserted so it was not a big deal, but we all had flight connections and they had paid us 1000 Euros for the two seats, so we did feel a little anxious. He was Australian and she was Czech, they were going to a job in Greece as kite surfer instructors. They normally just do charters on their boat, but because the Caribbean looks like it will remain so locked down, they have decided to go to Greece and do the season there.

Rowan had organised the whole charter over the phone with a very attentive and organised lady, Francoise from Martinique. Turned out she was our pilot too, she must have been pushing 70, and the plane looked about as old! Anyhow once she got over the fact that the Aussie had brought a surfboard that she had not been told about, we all boarded and had a wonderful hour and a half flight up the coast to Fort de France in Martinique. We flew over so many favourite spots – Sandy Island, Diamond Rock, Anse de Arlet.

Pilot Francoise

Boats in the quarantine bay

Prickly bay where Pole Pole was hauled out.

Coming in to Fort de France over Diamond Rock, the weather not nearly so clear.

The airport was busy in Martinique but we sailed through and managed to get our luggage sent straight to Heathrow, which helped as the flight was delayed 45 minutes, we only had a 2 hour transfer in Paris. It was extremely efficient, we had our temperatures taken coming through security, we were also required to wear medical grade masks and not cloth ones.

From there it all went very smoothly, the flight was full but we managed to go to sleep and missed breakfast, we were both woken by the pilot announcing our descent into Paris. It was morning of the 2nd July when we landed at Charles de Gaulle airport. It was surprisingly busy, certainly different to what we had heard of empty ghostlike airports. We made our connection to our Heathrow flight no problem and were amazed to find only 20 people on the entire plane.

Landed on time to the welcome pinging of Phoebe’s on the phone. We breezed through the automated gates at custom, no queue and no interaction with a single official. No temperature taken, no listing our quarantining address, nothing! Got our luggage and Phoebs pulled into the drop off zone as we walked outside, it went like clockwork!

What a wonderful and thoughtful reunion, she had freshly baked a banana bread for us as sustenance so we could drive straight home. She taxied us all the way, we were so busy catching up on everything, the journey felt like half an hour rather than three hours. Mid afternoon we were back home in Mettingham with another wonderful reunion with our old Powder Monkey, Coco, who luckily hadn’t forgotten us after all this time. Home was looking wonderful, green and lush, with new chickens, but no sign of the ducklings. Blissful to be home in cool weather and going to bed in an enormous bed with crisp sheets, and no mozzies!