Martinique ... "and the rain keep pourin' down ..."

The French island of Martinique is the largest of the Windward Islands and it feels that way. Here we saw busy two lane highways for the first time since Puerto Rico. There are many anchorages to choose from with names like St. Pierre and Case Pilot. We sailed along the west coast of Martinique choosing Anse Mitan in Fort de France Bay for an anchor spot. Unfortunately, although the spot was quite pretty and we enjoyed a walk, baguettes and lunch in the Creole Village, we were frustrated with ferry wakes and swells that rolled us through the night. The rain started during the night and all the next day; we'd had enough of the swells and the wakes so we picked up and moved further east and deeper into the bay at Trois Ilets during rain that didn't let up for days.  As we were heading around the corner we heard familiar voices on the VHF: Blue Pelican, Spirit and Caribbean Souls.

Troubadour is in the center of this picture anchored in the muddy mangrove waters -you wouldn't want to swim in this water or clean your boat, but the anchorage was well protected from the wind and swells.

"Oh, the water,
Hope it don't rain all day..."

After several days of gray skies and rain we saw the beauty and charm of this anchorage.
The crews from Blue Pelican, Spirit, Troubadour & Jabiru gathered in town for a bus trip to Marin. We waited an hour for a bus, only to get dropped off ten minutes further down where the road lead to a highway that went to Marin to the south or Fort de France to the north. After waiting for what seemed like hours, we split into two groups Blue Pelican to Marin the rest of us to Fort de France. 

"Then the rain let up and the sun came up and we were gettin' dry..."

While at the malecon in Fort de France, we spot a familiar boat and dinghy... so Peter leaves a note for Cool Change - something about moving to Trois Ilet and having drinks on their boat later - maybe?

  

"...On the way back home we sang a song
But our throats were getting dry

Then we saw the man from across the road
With the sunshine in his eyes ..."

We took the ferry from France de Fort back to Trois Ilet and all anyone wanted (especially Chris, me and Bobby - admit it) was a COLD BEER! Kachiman was open and looked like a friendly place with a nice view of the bay. So in the pouring rain we ordered beers, and more beers and more beers until we literally drank all his beer! Seriously! He had to close the restaurant because we drank all his cold beer! 

"...Well he lived all alone in his own little home
With a great big gallon jar
There were bottles too, one for me and you
And he said Hey! There you are ..."

After several days conditions opened a window for us to move on. We chose to visit Marin and journeyed to the south coast of Martinique whereas our friends ventured to St. Lucia. While in Marin we planned to grocery shop and do laundry. But first we had to get there sailing around Diamond Rock (the point in the shadow). And as I looked ahead in the binoculars I wondered why I saw a hurdle of water in the distance.

 "...Oh, the water
 Oh, the water..."

Rocher du Diamont (Diamond Rock)
Well that hurdle of water turned out to be steep waves building and breaking against the sea slope as it rose from depths of 2000 ft to 100 feet near this famous landmark. But once inside near the island the waves calmed and we found our way into Cul-de-sac du Marin a very busy and crowded anchorage where we stayed two nights before moving on to St. Lucia.

  

"...Oh, the water
Get it myself from the mountain stream..."

Troubadour enjoyed beers and French bread in Martinique from May 5 - 15, 2012. We plan to come back next year when the sun is shining.

This post contains song lyrics from "And It Stoned Me" as written by Van Morrison
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

A short stay in Dominica

Troubadour arrives in Portsmouth, Dominica.We were really looking forward to this part of our journey. We had heard so many interesting stories about this island's people and natural beauty.

As soon as we arrived we heard from our friends on Blue Pelican and Spirt that the anchorage was rolly - boats rocking sideways to the swells making it very uncomfortable for sleeping and being on the boat.
To put it another way, you have to HOLD ON to your DRINKS!

The harbor town of Portsmouth, Dominica second largest city, is located on the northwestern coast of Dominica near Prince Rupert Bay. Portsmouth, Dominica, is a town known for its commerce, business and nightlife.



We created our own nightlife with Bobby (left) from Spirit ...



and Stephen & Jody Blue Pelican (flankiing Bobby). 

 

 

Much merriment was had with music, rum and tequilla ...



while enjoying a spectacular sunset.
But even the anchor bridle didn't help and the next morning we left for Martinique.

 

Troubadour stayed one night in Dominica,

never leaving the boat, May 4, 2012.

We plan to come back next year and explore this beautiful island.

Beauty and charm abound in Les Saintes, Guadeloupe

Beauté et le charme abondent dans les Saintes, Guadeloupe ...

Sailing the west coast of Guadeloupe, trolling for dinner ...

Troubadour's "poisson du jour" ... a 14-inch bonito

15 km south of Guadeloupe, the small archipelago of the Saintes,
composed of 9 islands was discovered by Christopher Columbus on
4 November 1493. Terre de Haut is the principal center of
Les Saintes. We moored here for a few nights and 
I couldn't get enough of this beautiful and charming fishing village.

Fisherman's treasures on the beach.

A walk along the beach in Terre de Haut, Les Saintes ...

Brightly painted homes ...

Chris makes friends with one of the locals ...

Serenity ... isn't this what the journey is about?

Troubadour moored (in the background) in Terre de Haut

Street scene, quiet and picturesque

After getting a tip from fellow cruisers, we walked across the island



 to the “Plage de Pompierre” beach ... where we discover

even more natural beauty.

While a walk in town is rich with colorful shops and the aroma of baking bread,

deciphering French restaurant menu's can be tricky - this one says:

breakfast, fresh fruit juice, milk shake, drinks.

The island of Guadeloupe in the distance, touches the clouds

Some views are simply stunning - Terre de Haut, Les Saintes

Carib on ice is nice.

Troubadour visited Terre de Haut, Les Saintes islands part of Guadeloupe, May 2 - May 5, 2012. (And we really want to come back next year!)

Pretty Guadeloupe

As we neared the end of our 2012 tour of the Leeward Islands, we sailed to Guadeloupe from Antigua, leaving early in the morning for an eight hour journey. We averaged 6.5 kts on a close reach, later when the wind backed we saw our boat zoom along at 7.5, even reaching a high of 8.3 kts. Along the way we saw whales breaching off the cost of Montserrat. Although I am smiling here, I really just want to get in the lee of the island where wind and waves will hopefully be calmer.

Troubadour arrives in Deshaies, Guadeloupe. Within hours of our arrival many more boats arrived for the Guadeloupe to Antigua race (the next morning) that kicked off Antigua Sailing Week. 

We walked past this shop and hiked up a hill to find the customs office only to be greeted by a sign that directed us back down the hill to this shop. I treated myself to some cute little gifts, while Chris cleared us in using the almost easy computer process in the French Islands (the location of letters on the keyboard is different - not QWERTY).

We walked through the town of Deshaies ...

to see cute homes ...

and pretty (litter-free) flower lined streets.

We packed water, snacks and first aid kit and hiked the Deshais river. We stepped, hopped and climbed for three hours uphill in a river bed along small and progressively larger boulders, some taller than us, to get to the base of the third water fall.

The third and last cascade measures only 66 ft in height, yet has the greatest water volume of any waterfall in Guadeloupe...but we only got to see a picture of it. Honestly, we got tired, and found some nearly hidden railroad tie steps and climbed out of the riverbed. Later we learned we didn't have much farther to go. Nonetheless, the beauty of the rainforest and the sounds of trickling water and chriping birds made the journey memorable.

The walk back from the river hike along a road had spectacular views of sailboats in the bay.

Deshaies Bay - Deshaies is located on the leeward northwest coast of Basse-Terre Island and is secluded in a bay, where two headlands stick out. Deshaies' coordinates are 16° 18 ' N & 61° 48 'W.
The mountain range is east while the Caribbean Sea is west. 

The dingy dock is near Chez Racine restaurant.

Once dedicated to the cultivation of coffee and of cotton, today Deshaies is a quaint fisherman’s village and the touristic center of the north of Basse Terre. Deshaies is well known for its beautiful beaches and diving. We plan to visit this beautiful island again and see more of the ports. The food and friendly nature of the islanders was a joy.

Guadeloupe 

Troubadour visited Deshaies on the island of Guadeloupe, April 26 -May 2, 2012.

Cruising Antigua

Underway at 6:15 from Nevis through the narrows to Jolly Harbour
in light winds, 5-8kts and 4-ft rollers, under clear skies.
The islands of Redonda and Montserrat
(with its still active volcano) to our south.

As the cool morning melted into the hot afternoon sun, the seas became nearly flat and that's when dolphins came to play in our bow wake. What a great treat for Rose and Steve to stand at the bow and watch the dolphins watch them! Several other boats were making the same passage and we would later meet up with Bobby King on Spirit, and Lisa (who took the dolphin picture) and Tim on Caribbean Souls in Guadeloupe.

Eight hours later we arrived in choppy seas to the entrance to Jolly Harbour. After several attempts to hail the customs office as directed by our guide books, we learned from Jolly Harbour Marina that customs DID NOT have a VHF (no comment) which explained why they didn't answer our calls. We knew from reading Zero to Cruising's blog that we would have to go directly to the customs dock. After clearing in and a short walk around Jolly Harbour Marina we picked up a mooring ball and poured much needed sundowners! Rose surprised us with our favorite mixers of Crystal Light in two new flavors Margarita and Appletini! Chris mixed Troubadour's signature drink that we call a "Strummer"  - Strawberry Orange Banana Crystal Light and Mount Gay!

Steve and Rose Price
enjoying the sunset in Jolly Harbour

Jolly Harbour reminded us of Treasure Cay, Abacos
 http://treasurecay.com/ with its calm anchorage and properties
along the sea walls. We were looking forward to many
beautiful sunsets during our planned circumnavigation
 of the island of 365 beaches.

After two nights in Jolly Harbour we headed north to Five Islands,
a large bay with several anchorages and five beaches. We would spend time
 at the beginning and end of our trip in this bay. The first time, the winds were up
 and the waters were not clear; we anchored near the northern beaches
and Chris and I swam to shore to walk on the beach.
We also took Rose and Steve to snorkel around Maiden Island
 but they couldn't see any thing due to the churned up water.

At the end of our trip in Antigua we anchored a second time in this bay and the winds were calm and the water very clear. On our second trip into this bay, we were able to anchor close to Hermitage Bay in 14 ft in sand and grass even though our chart plotter said we would be in 6-ft shoal water. In fact we watched Ellisa go right past us and anchor even closer to shore in 10 ft.The next day I snorkeled over and chatted with Sally & Eric on Ellisa http://www.everlater.com/ellisa/the-caribbean  they had anchored here before and supported the chart plotter theory that it was "off". www.hermitagebay.com

 The Captain enjoys a strummer after anchoring
 in Hermitage Bay, Five Islands.

(Painting by local artist.) We heard from fellow cruisers that Jumby Bay would be a calm, protected anchorage and we headed there next. Jumby Bay hosts an "ultra-luxe" resort that is very private. Many of the beaches and resorts in Antigua are private. We anchored in 10' water snorkeled to shore and although we could walk on the beach (up to the high water line) we couldn't even buy a drink at the beach bar. This resort is two miles off the coast of Antigua and guests arrive by ferry. Therefore, ferry wakes kept us awake and kept our drinks in our hands at all times. www.jumbybayresort.com 

Our next stop was Nonsuch Bay on the west coast.
 This bay is protected by a reef on the windward side and
has free moorings with sturdy chains. We picked up a
ball between Bird Island & Green Island.   

After settling in, we took a long dinghy ride to Harmony Hall.
 www.harmonyhallantigua.com .
This pretty resort boasts luxury accommodations,
excellent views of the bay, and my favorite: a fine art gallery...

My photo of an original (43" x 63") painting
 by the artist Dina de Brozzi from her
2012 solo exhibition "Illusions".
Check out this incredible artist
and her work at www.dinadebrozzi.com  

Captain strolls the fine art gallery at Harmony Hall

While in Nonsuch Bay,
we waited out some brisk weather
 singing ...

and playing dominoes in the rain

Rainbow over Green Island

We also enjoyed a dinghy ride to Nonsuch
 Bay Resort, where we had lunch
 and a dip in the infinity pool!
http://www.nonsuchbayresort.com/ 

Next stop was Falmouth Harbour, where the
Antigua Classic Regatta
 was just ending, but not before we got to stroll
 the docks and check out some beauties ...

My favorite - since I have a special place in my
 heart for Springer Spaniels (I miss you Jordan & Jenny!)

I don't remember her name, but she sure is a beauty!

Rose & Steve at Harmony Hall

Enjoying some drinks and great food at Nonsuch Bay Resort

  

Harmony Hall, Nonsuch Bay (Browns Bay), Antigua

Sunset over Five Islands

Troubadour circumnavigated the island of Antigua, April 14 - April 26, 2012.