1st 1/2 2008 part II - Guadeloupe and Dominica

With "Manx Mist" to ourselves again, we plan to head south and cruise down to Martinique.
We spend some time on the dock in Jolly Harbour getting ready.
Jolly Harbour is an excellent base in Antigua, and we are starting to accumulate new friends there, as we spend periods of time on the dock, usually at the same berth - D dock companions Keith, on his Maxi "Blue Eyes", and Bob on his superbly maintained Jeanneau "Fifty Ways", Brian and Pippa on "Miramar", and also our cruising acquaintances from Calgary, Gerry and Dawn, on "Chinook Arch".
As we are getting ready, we meet up with another couple planning a matching cruise - Tom and Jane from Colorado, and sailing "Manana Maybe" - and we decide to cruise together.
First destination is Deshaies, at the north end of Guadeloupe.  We head across from Antigua on a close reach, with a strong breeze blowing and a fairly heavy sea running. Takes us about 6 hours under sail, and Tom is at anchor well ahead of us, having sped across on a mainsail and engine combination.
Deshaies  is a fine anchorage, if not too busy, and a pretty spot with a waterfront string of restaurants. After clearing-in (it's a real matter of luck if you find the French Douanes open), Hil and I wander the town and also do a dinghy ride around to the nice beach just to the north.
The next day we rent a car and tour the island with Tom and Jane. Since Guadeloupe is part of France, and thus part of the EEC, the roads and general infrastructure are very good, particularly when compared against most other islands.
We do a loop around Basse-Terre - the western wing of butterfly-shaped Guadeloupe - stopping at various spots around the coastline. We cut back across the northern centre, through the volcanic hills and lush rain-forest, and make a stop to take a walk through the rainforest and enjoy a swim in a waterfall pool.
 We returned to Deshaies with enough time to fit in a walk around Deshaies' very excellent Botanical Gardens.


We up anchor the next day, and cruise down the coast and across to Iles des Saintes - small islands, an hours sail south of Basse-Terre. The main island and town is Terre de Haut, and it's another lovely anchorage, at least in the usual, right conditions of easterly trade winds, and protected in older times by the guns of Fort Napoleon on the hill above the town.
We wander the town first, and then the next day we hire motor scooters and tour around the island - an activity which actually only takes about 2 hours - there's not much in the way of road length.
We do make a stops at the pretty beach of Pompierre, and the windward Grande Anse, and also at Fort Napoleon.
We also enjoy eating out here - lots of choices again - and Tom getting experimental with local dishes, but probably regretting it.

Time to move on, and leave the French islands.

Next stop, Dominica, and it's another 5-6 hour sail away.
Another close reach and a good sail, and we pull into the big bay and anchorage of Portsmouth.You're greeted here by views of a scruffy town and lots of wrecked ships of various sizes, strewn along the waterfront - remnants of past storms. It is far from picturesque and a misleading opening view of a wonderful island.
The yacht anchorage is in the NE corner of the bay, with a strip of sandy beach fronted by a few beach bars - Big Papa's and the Purple Turtle being the main spots. We are led in by a local guide, Eddison, and pick up a mooring ball.
The boat boys may have been a nuisance in the past, but now they are accredited guides, well spoken and knowledgeable about the tours they organise, and provide an array of services, including managing the mooring balls and running a security operation in the anchorage - they're good, and Eddison is one of the best.
Hil, Tom and Jane setup a trip with a local rasta friend of Eddison's - Buddha - a great guide - and they have an excellent full day out touring the island - redcliffs on the NE coast, rainforest and waterfalls, the Carib colony, and insights into all the local flora and fauna.
Kerry opts out of this to do a bit of boat maintenance, and pickup some water via the interesting offshore hose setup from Big papa's. With that accomplished, Kerry walks into town and then catches a local bus (after an hours wait while it fills up with customers), across the island, and gets dropped off for a wander around the village of Calibishie and surrounding coast - it's an adventure, with a set of tales of its own!

The next day we all join Eddison for a river tour - this is a highlight of the Portsmouth area - a serenely beautiful row upriver from the beach, through the rainforest - and its also one of the filming locations for "Pirates of the Caribbean".
We've decided we love Dominica. The island is beautiful and the islanders are some of the friendliest folks you will find anywhere. It is poor, but unspoiled, and everyone looks healthy - probably due to a diet based on fish and the abundance of fruit and veg available everywhere.


It's time here to say goodbye to Tom and Jane. They have to turnaround and head north. Jane will be flying back to the US, and Tom will be joined by some friends and make the sail back to Florida.

Capt Kerry and First mate Hil and "Manx Mist" head south - it's a long motor down the coast of Dominica - the winds are light and fickle in the lee of the island and the big volcanic mountains in the interior.
we stop off at Roseau, and pick up a mooring ball just south of the cruiseship dock - and we'll be greeted by an arriving ship the next morning.
Roseau is the largest town on Dominica, and the capital, and it feels different from the rest of the island - busier, and less friendly. It has some of the old buildings - a mix of architecture from the French and British heritage. We do some touring around the town, and we hire a car and take a driving tour inland to see more of the rainforest and waterfalls that Dominica is famous for.


We also decide that we really don't have time to fit in Martinique on this cruise, so we turn around and head back to Portsmouth.

We spend a last couple of days there, and discover the impressive Fort Shirley at the N end of the bay. Dominica is doing an excellent job restoring this site, but a highlight is wandering the trails through the un-restored areas and see how Mother Nature recaptured the site.

Sad as we are about it, we decide it's time to leave Dominica - we will be back though.
Clearance in Dominica is easy and in-and-out is done together, so we head off to sail north and east.

The wind has swung north, and we decide to make our next stop the large Guadeloupe island of Marie Galante, and then move on to the other wing of butterfly Guadeloupe.

Marie Galante is a bit off the beaten track, very French, and not many cruisers around. But it's a nice place to stop. We find some fine beaches, pretty coast towns, restaurants and patisseries. we do another scooter hire here, and that allows us to do a drive around the island.

But after a couple of days, plans change. The weather has been really fine for a while, but that is about to change.

A big Northeasterly system is moving south through the islands, and bringing with it large waves. A combination of wind direction and wave size like this, makes most of the leeward anchorages uncomfortable, if not untenable.
We opt to head back to Antigua a little earlier than planned.
The weather hasn't turned yet and we start off with a brilliant spinnaker run from Marie Galante to Fort Vieux, at the southern tip of Guadeloupe, then motor up the coast for an overnight stop in Deshaies, bfore making a smooth and fast crossing back to Antigua.

We enter, and anchor, at Falmouth Harbour, and clear in to Antigua at the C&I post in English Harbour. We still have a few days of cruising close to Jolly harbour base, so we make a trip over to our favourite little anchorage in Ricketts harbour, Green Island - but we're watching the weather closely.

We made the right call, as the NE system moves in, and the accompanying swell is very big. Jolly harbour fills up as the anchored boats come inside to hide from the waves.

We are safely tied up on dock, and we can head home to Calgary for a break......