GUADELOUPE

DESHAIES
After and early start and a long day of sailing 55NM we anchored in Deshaies. The town is among our favorites in the Caribbean.
To enter Guadeloupe is simple, French style. You type the information on the computer, print it out and you are signed in. It is done in a charming shop 'Pelican', selling crafts.
Main street is attracting visitors with pastry and cafe shops, small boutiques and a fruit and vegetable market.
Some houses have the fronts covered by dark wood

With four sailing friends we hiked over the steep hill to Grand Anse, a beautiful long beach. We were caught in a rain and were sliding on mud and roots. Polde fell and landed with his back on a rock. Painful, but fortunately nothing broke. First mate was doing blue jobs for some time after that.

That night our anchor dragged. We drifted out to the open sea and changed the CQR anchor (not an easy task) for the danforth. We reanchored in the morning, tired after the sleepless night.

We enjoyed French territory a few more days, having fresh bread and pastry for breakfast and French wine with our meals.
We were entertained by the dolphins, twice coming into the bay, playing around the anchored boats,

 

and by local regatta of small sailboats, that looked like butterflies on the water.

 

We stayed in Deshaies five days, unsuccessfully looking for a new gypsy for the windlass. The chain is slipping over it and that makes pulling the anchor very difficult. We decided to use the moorings as much as possible, but there are not many bays that have them installed.

On Deshaies anchorage we met Slovenian sailors Lili, Tomaz and Tadej on 'Heron'. They were leaving to sail the Atlantic Ocean to Adriatic Sea.