11 April 1994 St Pierre
Brett, Craig and I went to the beach before breakfast to watch the local fisherman pulling in a siene net. I did school work while Glenys did some shopping. We went to the beach after lunch and did some snorkelling. It was a very nice day and I feel like we’ve settled down to family life again after the disruption in Grenada.
12 April 1994 St Pierre to Castaways Beach, Dominica
It absolutely threw it down first thing this morning – we collected about 1 gallon of water in 10 minutes. We just stick buckets under the edge of the awning where the biggest drips are – I must work out a more efficient method.
We had a very hard bash with 25-30 knots and 4-5 metre seas. We spent most of the time with the port deck awash and the toy cupboard ended up with 1” of water in it. I ripped out the head linings and found that the wooden surround for the middle window was soaked. I assumed that the window is leaking, so I put silicone sealant around the outside edge of the window until I have time to remove the window and reseal it.
The log impellor stopped working half way across and I found that it had jammed sideways. There is a deck/hatch leak in the front cabin and the port cushions are getting wet, god knows what that is! We also noticed a strange smell halfway across and we eventually traced it to a leaking petrol can cap which has dribbled petrol into the “coffin”. The boat is falling apart – I need to get some maintenance work done in Antigua!
We decided to stop at Castaways Beach because it is fairly secluded and we aren’t bothering to clear customs in Dominica.
13 April 1994 Dominica to Ile des Saintes, Guadeloupe
The boat rolled all night – just what we needed. We motored up the coast of Dominica as far as Prince Rupert Point where an amazing squall hit us – torrential rain and gusts of 35 knots. After that we sailed in winds of 10-20 knots with sloppy seas.
About two miles from The Saints, we gave up and put the engine on. We anchored off Ile a Cabrit and after lunch went for a walk up to the deserted fort on the island. We met Claude and Pat on “Saltire” (GB) who asked if we would like a drink of their wine – is the Pope a Catholic! The Iles Des Saints are beautiful.
14 April 1994 Iles des Saintes
We had big squalls coming through last night and this morning with lots of wind and rain. Jobs and schoolwork in the morning and then I did a nice dive. Glenys spotted some “horrible looking fish” which turned out to be flying gurnards.
We went over to Bourg Des Saintes because we need some food and beer and the wind veered to SE making Ile A Cabrit uncomfortable. The anchorage at Bourg De Saintes is deep at 13 metres so I ended up putting out 50 metres of chain. We went for a walk around town which is very pleasant and very French - there’s a small boulangerie selling wonderful fresh baguettes.
15 April 1994 Iles des Saintes
We went for a walk up to the fort above the town. There are good views from up there and the main building has been turned into an interesting nautical museum. Most of the exhibits cover a naval battle between the French and the British in 1782. The British won, led by Admirals Rodney and Drake.
When we got back to the boat we re-anchored because we’re too close to a French yacht on a mooring. I did school work while Glenys did some sewing. Brett, Craig and I went snorkelling on the east coast of Ile a Cabrit. Brett can now dive to about 4 metres and picked up a sand dollar. We all went out for a meal which was “interesting”.
16 April 1994 Iles des Saintes
School work and sewing in the morning. I went for a dive and the others went snorkelling. I had a strange taste in my air supply which appears to be oil in the tank. I’ve either got a bad fill in St Pierre or here.
17 April 1944 Iles des Saintes to Pigeon Island, Guadeloupe
We had a nice sail across to Basse Terre and anchored off the Marina. I went into the Marina to try to clear customs but they were shut. We managed to get fuel and water at the Marina and pay for it with Visa, which was lucky because we’ve only got £30 worth of francs left. It threw it down while we were going into the Marina.
We motor-sailed up to Pigeon Island (Cousteau Underwater Park) which on first sight was a disappointment. It was windy and raining when we anchored in the bay. We caught a big tuna on the way from Basse Terre.
18 April 1994 Pigeon Island
It blew a hooley all night. We were both up at four o’clock in the morning because another British boat had picked up a mooring and was dragging it past us. He must have moved about 400 metres during the night, but for some reason, best known to himself, he stuck with it.
After breakfast, we motored over to Pigeon Island and picked up a mooring on the south side of the island. It was like Piccadilly Circus with dive boats milling around. I went for a dive and Glenys and the boys went snorkelling. We went to the beach after lunch. We are running out of food essentials (bread, orange juice, beer, cereals) so we will have to move on tomorrow. We had a quiet night and I taught Brett and Craig how to play three card brag.
19 April 1994 Pigeon Island to Deshaies, Guadeloupe
I was forced to play three card brag at half past eight this morning with the boys – gambling before breakfast! We went over to Pigeon Island and picked up a mooring on the north side. I did a dive and the others went snorkelling. We then motor-sailed up to Deshaies. I cleared in and out of customs and Glenys went shopping and discovered that the supermarket takes Visa, which is a good job because we’ve got no francs left and we’ve run out of basic provisions.
20 April 1994 Deshaies
School work and jobs in the morning. I went for a dive and then used the remaining air to scrub the bottom of the boat – 15 minutes of hell lying on my back sucking water up my nose. We spent the rest of the afternoon hiding from the rain and did a quick dash to the supermarket to buy 15 litres of wine. We are not looking forward to our 42 mile bash to Antigua tomorrow.