After the stopover on Isle du Salut it was time to set course for Suriname. A journey of 175 miles. In order to arrive at the right time at the outer buoy and estuary of the Suriname River, we left at the end of the afternoon. Along the way it was always a puzzle because of the changing circumstances and current. Then we went too fast again and we would arrive too early. Then again we went too slow and had to pull out all the stops not to arrive too late. In the end we were still too early, and we slooooowwwwly traveled the last miles to the estuary, but we still had a few hours of current against us at the Surname River.
Sailing on that river was something special for us. We were very much looking forward to Suriname and were also very curious. To sail along Paramaribo with your own boat is special. The river is brown with mud and meanders inland.
After a little over 35 miles we reached Marina Resort Waterland at the end of the afternoon. It was very hot and stuffy, partly due to the high humidity because it was (the short) rainy season (we also had quite a few rain showers in the following days). Once at the marina we were very much looking forward to a long, good shower, the last one being already a few weeks ago. The disappointment was palpable when it turned out that there were no showers for the boat crews at the marina/resort. That was quite disappointing. Finally, we had a nice shower with the garden hose on the jetty, but still….
We turned out to be the third boat to call at the marina this season. The other two were the Janjorem (with whom we had sailed more or less from Mindelo) and the Älskling II, a Flemish boat that crossed almost at the same time we did. Both boats were also in the marina and we had a nice time with the crews during our stay there. We have done a lot together, a visit to Bigi Pan (a large lake in the west of Suriname), Christmas and New Years, No her birthday, not to mention the many joint drinks and meals of the local Warung Rita .
That food is also a thing in Suriname. In Amsterdam we also like to eat Surinamese and we were therefore also looking forward to the food in Suriname itself. It soon turned out that taking out food was cheaper (and tastier!) than shopping and cooking yourself, so the choice was made quickly.
As far as Suriname is concerned, opinions are somewhat divided. The land and nature are beautiful, but the country is in a kind of crisis and the decay and poverty are visible and palpable. Many houses and infrastructure in poor condition, a lot of rubbish along the road and in people’s gardens, although the contrasts are also great: next to a hut, slum or ruin is another well-maintained and well-kept house with a neat garden.
There are also extremes: next to the marina there are plots on the Suriname River where you don’t have to worry about a few cents. Luxury villas, where big parties are given with lots of fireworks (around New Years) and the speedboats and jet-skis come and go on weekends. Allegedly there are connections with politicians and/or criminal money. We spoke to many people who were very displeased with the political and social situation, both now and in the recent past. Lots of corruption, favoritism and self-interest, and also a gray veil of a colonial past.
We sailed up the Commewijne and Cottica rivers for a few days with our boat and the Älskling II. We visited “Plantage Bakkie”, stayed overnight at anchor on the rivers, and entered smaller side arms with the dinghy to view flora and fauna; tropical rainforest, monkeys, birds, etc. For us quite unique to see.
The rudder of the boat also demanded attention, of course. After consultation with the “expert” in NL, I decided to apply at least a few layers of epoxy laminate inside against the hull around the rudder and the skeg. That was easier said than done: try getting your hands on epoxy and glass fabric in Suriname. Luckily we had 1.5 kg of eppxy with us but not enough fabric. In the end we were able to buy it somewhere, but at the top price of course…. Incidentally, the expert didn’t think it was all as alarming as we had found it on the way. You are quite shocked when you discover something like this in the middle of the ocean, but it was probably not that serious after all.
Then I locked myself in the aft cabin for three days to dismantle, sand, laminate and rebuild. During that time we ourselves went to stay in a holiday home at the resort so that we would not have to sleep and live among the clutter. An additional advantage was that we could (finally) take a nice shower and even wash clothes. An additional disadvantage was the price of that house…..
Finally, after a month in Suriname, it was time to continue. Our next destination was the Caribbean, Grenada for starters. We decided to skip Trinidad and Tobago; too much and too expensive paperwork due to Covid. Grenada is the next island, almost 600 miles from Suriname, so a trip of about 5 days, which we went on together with the Älskling II.
On Monday January 17 we left Marina Resort Waterland. With the current we ran down the Suriname River. Once offshore, we were also able to continue at a fast pace with a strong half to broad wind. In the end we decided to slow down a bit and reef. It sails a little more comfortably, but primarily I wanted to see how things would go with the rudder and in addition, the emergency stay had to hold up to Grenada. The result was that the Älskling II sailed about half a knot faster so we lost sight of them after a day…..
