Passage: Guadeloupe to Antigua a week ago

This trip was taken early last week, but I thought it might be of interest to those wondering about sailing between the island.

Sunday, February 20th

Good thing we went to bed good and early. The trip is being made in the morning because the winds are predicted to drop dramatically by lunch and will shift to mostly north by then as well. We are heading directly north, so any miles we put on before the wind shift will be a bonus!


You can see by the gps that we're underway. Note the time on the clock above it.


After an egg sandwich, the anchor comes up and the second cup of coffee is served underway. Laurie has on long sleeves as it was a cool morning outside in the breeze.


Checking with a flashlight to see if the sails are set properly.


You can see the deck covered with dew. The temperatures this season have been much cooler than normal making dew overnight.


After hearing a funny engine noise, Laurie goes down below to "take a peek". All is well, so we continue on our way.


You can see that we're along our way at this point with Guadeloupe in the south and Antigua to the north, a trip of about 45 nautical miles, or about 9 hours because of the light winds. You notice that we are heading a bit easterly of the rhumb line due to the predicted change in direction of the wind as well as current coming from the east.


After I had a little snooze, it was Laurie's turn. He takes about 30 seconds to fall asleep!

I watched the sun rise while Laurie slept. It's always nice to have total daylight again.


Once Laurie woke up, it was time to do his morning Ham Radio Nets. Here he is talking to Don Demeza in Ontario along with other land based radio operators and Canadian cruisers. He especially enjoys hearing how the weather at home is misbehaving!


In the background, you can see Antigua, but if you look carefully enough, you can see a whale pod. We watched them continuously until we were almost up to them. Laurie finally gave his foot a stamp in the cockpit and they took off like lightening. I was disappointed to have missed the shot of the whale's fluke as he took off.


We get anchored in English Harbour and Laurie jumps in the dinghy to visit and pay the Customs and Immigration officers before they will allow me ashore. The British are a bit fussier about rules and protocol than the French islands!!

We're awaiting Ron and Judy's visit later in the week when they will become our 'guest bloggers'! Meanwhile, we are hiking as usual and eating out a bit more than ever!

Antigua

We’re here in Antigua, having made the 45 mile crossing on Sunday. It really was a nice crossing, with very large swells about 10 seconds apart, but with no significant waves. The forecast was for 10 to 15 knots of wind from the east, but it was supposed to die and/or switch to the north; both of which could have caused us some trouble. We therefore got up at 3:30 and were moving at 4:00, so as to get as much of the good air as possible. The air was actually quite light, but during the times we sailed, we still averaged over 4.5 knots. No fish on the lines, but we did see a pod of very large whales. Dawn got nervous about their proximity, but all I had to do was stomp my feet a few times, and we saw the flukes of their tails as they went for a deep dive to get away from us.

We have been spending some time with a crew from Trade Wind, a 42 foot Lord Nelson, built like a Hans Christian, with rounded ends and a big bowsprit.

Sailing Vessel: Trade Wind


Jim & Michelle walking along the boardwalk to the beach:

Jim, the owner, and his crew Michelle, wanted to spend the last day on Guadeloupe at a beach, so the day before we left, we bussed to the north and walked along a series of beaches, ending at the prettiest, Grand Anse. The waves from the swells were fantastic, as Dawn’s pictures will attest; and the beach was creamy white and very steep. We had some fun in the surf and a great French lunch at one of the little restaurants on the beach. Most enjoyable was the people-watching. Besides some rather attractive people enjoying the beach in their own custom, the people being trashed by the surf were quite entertaining.

Can you find Laurie in some of these?




When we approached English Harbour on Sunday, it was obvious something was up, as many giant racing boats were milling about. Checking a local periodical we had on board, we realized that they were tuning up for a 600 mile race to be started on Monday morning. Dawn and I climbed up to a fort with other spectators yesterday morning, and enjoyed the start. The race runs around many of the close islands, finishing back at English Harbour after 4 days of racing. Not for the queasy, for even the largest yacht was bouncing and throwing spray, with all sails up all the way, and looking rather overpowered. A spectator beside us said he gave it up, as he hated sleeping on the rail. I said “Really?”; to which he said that they needed as much of that weight out there as possible, and it was a 4 day race! I’m not that tough, and don’t believe I ever was.








We’ll be staying in this bay, near historic Nelson’s Dockyard, until Ron and Judy arrive from New Brunswick. It is picturesque, with old buildings, nautical history, great hikes, and possibly some snorkelling if the water stays clear enough. However, it is a megayacht mecca, with outrageous prices for just about everything, and rather poor chandleries. We’ll stay fit, do some reading, work on boat chores, and find some fun as well.

On our walk last night we found the famous Maltese Falcon. Click here to check it out!
There is even a little movie on this second site. Click here to see it.

Deshaies, Guadaloupe

Dawn and I have been anchored at Deshaies since mid-day Monday, when we followed Wendy and Doug aboard Nahanni River into the little bay. The bay was crowded with boats, and by nightfall, the bay had around 40 boats at anchor. Within two hours of daylight on Tuesday morning, all but 15 were gone, with Nananni River with them; all headed for Antigua in the more favourable wind. We stayed behind to see the sights, hoping another weather window might appear in a week or so.

Monday afternoon we had walked the town and gotten the lay of the land and the local customs. It is a cute and clean little town with shore-side restaurants, grocery stores, and souvenir shops. We learned that few places were open for breakfast, some were open for large “complete” lunches, but that these closed after lunch to open only around 7 pm – and they didn’t want to see anyone til 8 pm. The gift stores, pharmacy, and grocery stores were closed sometime during the lunch hour, but opened around 3:30 in the afternoon. Some places were called cafes or resto/bars. You could get a coffee or a drink if you found one opened, but their hours were very irregular. As in most French islands, there are government-run buses but the bus schedule is a secret known only to the locals.

Tuesday morning, we chose a hike from the sailors’ guidebook suggested we hop the rocks for two hours up the Deshaies River. We did just that. It was an absolutely beautiful river, about 20 feet wide, strewn with boulders from start to finish, except for numerous small pools of cool, clear, fresh water. The guide said that there was a nice falls just where the stream becomes impassable. We ended up considering that “impassable” is a subjective term. We looked well beyond the expected location, where the going was getting quite rough, but found no falls. We did find a soft-rock gorge with giant boulders, some of which were made of the same soft rock. The rock is known to us, and indeed much of these islands is made from it. It is rough rock and volcanic clay that can be gouged at with a spoon or knife. We came to the conclusion that the waterfalls was eroded through, and the resulting precipice was all around us in rounded pieces. We backtracked to a road, and walked on a very steep road back to the village. Only when the road exited from the gorge did we realize that we had rock-hopped vertically around 900 feet. Even the road coming back stressed our footwear as a result of the slope. We’ve been sore ever since.



After an hour, rock jumping got pretty old. After 2 more hours, it was MILLER TIME!


Wednesday, taking an easy day, we hiked to the north, with very little vertical change, to Grande Anse Beach. It is a beautiful white beach with steep sand and large waves, everything needed to get your nose, ears and swimsuit full of sand. The usual tourist traps are available at each end. It was very pretty, but we stayed dry for the walk back. Nothing like sand in your suit to ruin a long, hot walk!

Grand Anse in northern Guadeloupe.



Look at the swimmers getting tangled up in this wave!



Thursday, we hiked up a hill for about a mile to a major botanical garden, and it was the prettiest garden we’ve seen so far. It had parrots and parakeets, coyfish ponds, waterfalls of different sorts, and all kinds of Caribbean and tropical flowers, orchids, bushes and trees. Throughout the area were benches and shady spots. It incorporated a high-end restaurant as well as a snack bar. It really was a wonderful spot, as Dawn’s pictures will attest.

Here are some pictures from the Botanical Garden here in Deshaies. The parrots were a real treat! Lolly, if you want any of these pictures in full size for painting, just let me know!










Today, we’re cooling our heels, doing boat maintenance and mending, and running for provisions. We have just met a couple from Toronto on a boat called Trade Wind, and will be joining them for sundowners in a couple of hours.

Close Encounters in the deep!

A few days ago while in Anse a la Barque I decided to leave Laurie back on the boat and snorkel over to a spot where we had been the day before. I hardly ever go alone, but I had the need to find a fish called a spotted drum I had seen and was on the search, this time with my camera in hand. I was still in rather cloudy water and knew that it would clear as I got closer to the point. Here I am, just swimming along and something caught my eye. It was not a fish, but I couldn't determine just what it was at first. Maybe a small shark with a sucker fish on it's back?? Alligator crossed my mind, but I know they aren't salt water creatures and aren't found in this neck of the world. My heart raced as I realized it was an iguana, at least three feet long! I had NO idea that they would swim in the ocean, nor did I ever imagine that they'd swim about 3 feet under the surface. I was shaking like a leaf, not sure if he'd consider me a threat and come after me. After all, iguanas chased Laurie right off a Bahama island in 2006. When he swam on by, I grabbed the opportunity to take his picture. It's not a great shot, but he's still there, so it's a "confirmed" siting! It reminded me of the old t.v. show "WKRP" when they threw the turkeys out of the plane and Mr. Carleson said, "God as my witness, I didn't know turkeys couldn't fly!" Well, God as my witness, I didn't realize that iguanas would swim! I know they might swim in the Galapagos, but I have never seen any iguanas in my Caribbean fish identification books!

Laurie says the picture reminds him of the creatures in "Alien Resurrection" If this is so, I'm happy that I don't watch that kind of crap!!

West Coast of Guadaloupe

We said we might not have internet access after the Saintes, and we were right. You headed our warning, as well; as we only got 4 email for the five days.

The trip from the Saints to Basse Terre on the mainland of Guadeloupe had us surfing down large waves with 20 knots on our starboard quarter. We had our main down to the third reef, and just a little bit of jib, but we still averaged about 8 knots. Since we have not been able to sail at that angle for a long while, it was quite interesting. We would see a large, angry-looking wave come barrelling towards our stern as if to wipe us off the sea, but at the last moment it would gently lift our stern and slide under us. Now and again one would give our salon floor a playful slap.

Three hours after we started, we were at Basse Terre. However, the boat we were travelling with, Nahanni River, had determined they didn’t like the proposed anchorage. They suggested another hour of travel up the coast, and we agreed to follow. Winds were fluky: sometimes 25 knots, sometimes none; but with our little sail plan, it was quite pleasant. We stayed just a few hundred metres from shore, and coasted along, binoculars in hand.

Anse a la Barque was an amazing little anchorage with absolutely no waves, swells, and little wind. After the Saintes, it was heaven. We snorkelled, walked the roads to little communities and generally just cooled down. The snorkelling was so-so, with pretty fish, and turtles; but also with interesting rock structures. As we had been missing this, however, it was quite enjoyable.

Hawkesbill turtle seen at Anse a la Barque



These hogfish were seen at Anse a la Barque


We also got to hop on a bus and go to Basse Terre. For a population of 18 000, it has 3 times the retail space of Fredericton, and 10 times the retail of downtown Fredericton. A large open market, with fruits, vegetables, and other products, is available every day. The seaside boulevard, generous public works, and artwork also stand out.

Along the street in Basse Terre a plant grows right out of the concrete, not out of the window. The seed must have been caught behind the telephone wire. Amazing how we'd have to work pretty hard to raise such a healthy plant at home!

Here is a close-up of the plant.


After a few days, we moved another hour north to the Jacques Cousteau Underwater Park, around Pigeon Island. We went direct to a mooring ball for yachts, and dove in. Satisfaction usually equals anticipation minus reality, and in this case it was true. We were expecting fantastic views, protected fish that grew to full size, and excellent colours in fish and coral. We got clear, deep water, but little to no coral, and a poor nursery of fish. As we were doing our best to find something noteworthy, we just about got run over by a giant glass-bottom boat, full of tourists. Oh well, I guess it beats Friday morning at work in Fredericton.

This site seeing boat came out of nowhere and blew it's horn to warn us to move while we swam. Neither of us heard its engine as it approached.

The bottom of the boat was clear and if you really look, you can see all the people inside sitting in their seats looking down at the coral and fish and us!


The anchorage a mile away on the mainland was quite nice, with a sandy beach frequented by both locals and tourists, and the supporting restaurants, curio shops, and dive shop. The guide also mentioned a hike that started at the beach, so Dawn and I geared up to do it the next day.

It was a two-hour hike along the coast, rising from sea level to 500 feet or so, kind of regularly as it went up and down the edges of the seaside cliffs. You’d think we could manage to find our way, but no: we got lost three times, and it took us 4 hours. In one case, we followed what we thought was a trail, but it was a cleared out property line for surveyors; and we found ourselves scrambling over sharp volcanic rocks bigger than SUVs. By the time we walked back to our bay (we chose to walk the road on the return), we were soaking wet and truly beat up. We had a nice seaside late lunch, though, and actually were proud of ourselves for our efforts.

This is part of the easier section of the trail!



We took this shot of our anchorage on the way back to the boat. The road on the way back was hilly, but it was nothing in comparison to what we had just covered on the trails.


Today finds us in Deshaies, another hour and a half up the coast, and finally with internet. We already have plans to hike, rent a car, see a falls or two, and take in a botanical garden. Doug and Wendy are leaving here in the morning for Antigua as the weather looks good for travel and their company arrives soon. We’ll spend another week here before heading north.

Check out this nice little rig we saw along our way this morning. Where do they find such tiny people to stand at the bow?


I should say as well, that we have had nothing but great experiences with the people of Guadaloupe. They have been excellent ambassadors, and very patient with my attempts at the French language.

leaving The Saints

Tomorrow we sail out of The Saints and head for mainland Guadeloupe which is only a 2 hour run. The winds have been very brisk, but this run should be a bit downwind, we're expecting to have to clean the boat of salt once we arrive.

I'm not sure about internet in Basse Terre or along most of the west coast of Guadaloupe, so if you don't hear from us for a bit, not to worry. We plan to spend a few days in Basse Terre, a few more in the Jacques Cousteau Marine Park, and even a few more at Deshaies in the northwest of Guadaloupe. Somewhere around the 20th of February, we'll jump off of Guadeloupe from Deshaies to Antigua. In Antigua we will await Ron and Judy Roy from home for a visit onboard.

The Saints (Guadeloupe) with lots of pics!

Local Iguanas are all over the island!





Fort Napoleon





Looking down from the fort to the bay where Cat Tales is anchored.



Looking down from the fort on a bay on the north side of the island. Look at the clarity of the water! We walked to the fort and 3 different beaches all in one day!



The barracuda we caught the other day on the way from Dominica to the Saints. It was difficult reeling him in with our boat speed of 8 knots!



Below are Matthew and Rachael from the boat "Orchid". Matthew stopped by earlier in the day and said that he had heard Cat Tales talking to Nahanni River for the past 4 islands and needed to stop by to introduce himself. Since Doug and Wendy from "Nahanni River" were already aboard for a barracuda lunch, we had Orchid over later on in the afternoon. They are a young couple who are out for the next several years. Rachael intends to go back to University and finish up her degree. Nice way to spend a Friday afternoon!!



Alexander and Nicholas getting some home schooling aboard Cat Tales. Opening wine bottles is quite a skill!





Here are some underwater shots:

I took this shot of an octopus awhile ago while in Bequia and felt the need to share it with you. At first it's difficult to make out what it is, but I worked on the photo and think you can see it on the 3rd picture down.



Original photo cropped:


Original photo cropped and flipped. Can you make it out now??





An inquisitive French Angel Fish (Juvenile)





Laurie relaxing on the ocean floor!



Laurie in Dominica