To the West the sun is setting over a seamless horizon of the Caribbean ocean and I am moving about the boat in vain to gain a stronger internet connection so I may write emails and see what friends back home are doing in winter. I hold my computer up like a baby Simba before yielding to the lack of signal and retire to the bow of the boat to journal about our anchorage instead. (It’s now 3 nights without internet. Scoff at me but I dare you to live your life in the city for 3 days without internet… In many ways I love the detachment but sometimes… after 4 months of traveling further and further away from friends and a steady job… it’s nice to reconnect even for a stalkerish facebook moment.)

To the East, I see the lush vibrant green mountains of Deshaies Guadeloupe; large formidable cumulonimbus clouds gather on the other side of the mountains. But I feel protected in this harbor. The mountains extend outward like a hug in the form of a U shape. Light waves lull the boat back and forth and I sit here on the bow with the last good beer we stashed away. A crazy Frenchman is blowing a conch shell emitting the deep blast of a horn-sound throughout the entire anchorage for an impressively long time. This moment, this relaxing moment, everything is good. The anchor is set soundly in the sand below, Mike is putting chicken on the grill, and my biggest concern is if some Frenchman decides to anchor right in front of our view for sunset tonight.

I’m serious about that Frenchman concern… In every anchorage Mike and I have been we’ve witnessed or had our friends witness some ridiculous maneuver or interesting anchoring choice all by the French. I love the French but when it comes to anchoring… ayiyi 😉 … In our last anchorage… there were two boats (Gaia being one) in the entire  bay and a French boat decided to anchor and sit about 10 feet away from our bow…..

To point out the issues here; both boats are on moorings … apples with apples mentality… you avoid anchoring where there are moorings because you swing differently. Secondly, we’re in paradise…. Give us some room for Jacques sake.

In another bay a boat was zooming around looking for an anchoring location and turned so close to our friends boat the Frenchman ran into the anchor chain of our friends boat giving their boat a great lurch. ….Editors note… these are just two stories, I still love and admire the French. Keep on doing your thing France, I dig the wine and baguettes. C’est la vie.

~Kirsten

From Dominica we sailed to Base Terre Guadeloupe, the capital; from Base Terre to Pigeon Bay, to Deshaies, to English Harbor Antigua.

Chilling in Basse Terre Guadeloupe after customs was…. not open on Saturday or Sunday.

 

Deshaies, Guadeloupe:

Turtles to the left and right of us in Pigeon Bay.

It was a bit crowded but we found a little spot for Gaia in the outer permitter near a great snorkeling reef. We put out a stern anchor to stabilize us.

Easy glassy sailing from Pigeon to Deshaies.