Harmonica

Sailing from Dehais our propeller hooked a pot, a fish pot of course. With not enough wind we were motor sailing. We immediately stopped the engine. When the boat came to a stop, we dropped the ladder and I tried to dive under the boat without my flippers. I couldn’t and Polde commented, that I had to much air in my head. I do, that’s why he is the brain and I am the muscle while we are cruising. Anyway, I thought maybe I had other talents. One time, I mentioned to Anka, that it would be nice to be able to make our own music on the boat. She brought me a small mouth harmonica. I was enthusiastic about learning to play it, until Polde said to me: “Wouldn’t you rather learn Spanish?

P.S. I did get rid of the fishing pot line.

Dehais

Dehais, Guadeloupe

Grand Anse beach

Termites' nest

Captain

Hundreds of red crabs high up on the hill

Tropical forrest in bloom

Tall

Papaya tree

Typical house in Dehais

Baguetts

Another day in paradise

We have been here before and visited the most beautiful botanical gardens. This time we climbed up the hill above the town on the trail, that gave us, coming to the top, a spectacular view of the Grand Anse beach. Walking two hours up and down the beach made us realize , that sailing doesn’t give us enough exercise. Dehais is charming. Small town, neat, clean, friendly with many restaurants, cafes, bakeries, shops. Baguetts are freshly baked in the morning and in the afternoon. But the town is deserted from 12:00 to 3:30. Everything is closed for siesta. The church up the hill is overlooking the town as if guarding it. The bell from it’s steeple reminding us every fifteen minutes, how fast the time is going by, or maybe, that we have time left to enjoy.

Montserrat

Volcanic ashes

We had some rough sailing from Nevis to Montserrat, where we stayed the night with not much sleep on gusty and rolly anchorage on NW side of the island. We were surprised to see many new buildings, as Montserrat population escaped from the volcanic part of the island and started new life on the North side. Only a year ago the island seemed nearly deserted.

Next morning, sailing from Little Bay to East side of the island to avoid volcanic ashes was just as bumpy as going there. But ones we distanced ourselves from the island, we had a good day of sailing to the next port, Dehais on Guadeloupe. That was the first long stretch without having to tack.

St.Kitts and Nevis

Another day in Paradise

In a cloud

Tennis anyone?

Fan

Mango tree

Bougainvilleas

Stone built

Shutters

Gingerbread house

Fruit market

Corkscrew

Double Deuce bar and restaurant

A day of sailing with two long tacks brought us from Ile Fourche to St.Kitts. We spent the night on the anchorage near Port Basseterre of the industrial part of the island.

Next morning we sailed to the sister island to St.Kitts, Nevis.

We picked up one of the hundred moorings along the Pinney Beach. Nevisians are generous towards sailors, a weekly charge for a mooring is US $20.

We were overlooking 3000 ft high mountain, covered with green blanket of grass and trees. In four days being there, we never saw the top, it was always wrapped in clouds and the wind, racing down the hill, didn't give us a break.

We have not seen larger mango trees anywhere else. Besides trees, monkeys on Nevis are also green and residents complained, that there are more monkeys than people on the island.

Nevis has natural hot springs.

It's major crop is cotton.

Many houses are stone built to resist hurrican.

We went for long pleasant walks, as the island is clean and people we met were friendly. Men are very tall and skinny, but most women are chubby.

My friend Anne, who had seen the world from the balconies of the cruise ships, had not seen Nevis. Cruise ships don't stop in Charlstown, the Capital of Nevis. It's port has a large fruit and vegetable market, so I had a chance to try things growing there. new to us.

Visit the island, enjoy swimming off the beautiful Pinney Beach and have lunch or dinner at the Double Deuce. The owner offers good food, drinks and a friendly chat.

Ile Fourche

Ile Fourche

Polde at work

Mahogany snapper (I wish I wasn't on the picture, but what the heck)

Another day in paradise

Sailing SE from St.Maarten towards St.Barth, our eyes spoted a rock sticking out of the sea, as we came closer, it became a small island with one bay, large enough for eight moorings.

Ile Fourche is only inhabited by birds, it is rocky, covered by some grass, and decorated only with a few trees, sheltered behind the top of the hill.

The water is many shades of emerald, we could not move our eyes from it. Then we bathed in it and it felt like oil. Until...

Late afternoon, the dusk was already approaching, I saw a fin curving out of the water. It was not a dolphin's fin. Dolphins are social, they run in groups and freuently come for air. By the shape and colour of the fin, I thought it was a reef shark, not dangeruos (by the book), attacing only occasionally. We just didn't want to be his occasion, so we always checked the water oround the boat, before we went for a swim.

We got a small tear in our genoa on the way here, we repaired it in the morning calms with the sail tape.

At night I caught a mahogany snapper, being out of the water it turned deep gold. What a beautiful creature.

St.Maarten

Good life

Plumeria (Frangipani)

Draw bridge

Big and little

Poinciana tree

Hiding behind fence

Separated

Forrest of masts

Thrown away

Of no use

Sheet metal and cement

Another day in paradise

We anchored in the clear water of the Simpson Baai, the Dutch side of the island. Anchoring close to the lagoon entrance, we had a short ride with the dinghy to all the boat services inside.The draw bridge entrance brings you into the lagoon, that is lined marinas and fancy condominiums with private docks in front. Both entrances, Simpson on Dutch and Marigot on French side are narrow, there is little water flow through the lagoon, that is quite polluted.

Behind the beautiful facade of the lagoon shore are scattered nobody's yards, where everybody dumps broken machinery, an old bath tub, a frame of a bike...

Better homes are walled or fenced in. Modest are for viewing, some with the laundry, that looks tired, passed on from one child to the next.

Years back we drove through the island and it has been built on since. Philisburg, a town before, is now a city with high rise buildings.

We only stopped at Simpson Baai anchorage, the noisy airport, that serves Dutch and French. next to it. In other bays we would more likely enjoy romantic sunsets.

Night sailing

Sunday, May 2nd, we left Cooper Island early, other boats were still asleep in the morning calms of the bay. Shortly after, the clouds started gathering, enclosing us more and more, Cooper Island disappeared in the thickness of grey. The downpour followed, forcing us to sail by radar. A few more squalls passed over us through the day and the night. Neither of us slept, trying to keep the sails trimmed just right for the frequent sudden gusts. Having E wind, we tacked all the way to St.Maarten. It took 27 hours to sail 96 NM, the distance between Cooper Island and St.Maarten

Cooper Island, BVI

As we try to please the wind, we postponed sailing from St.John to St.Maarten. Instead we made a short trip to Manchioneel Bay on Cooper Island to wait for the promised NE wind. We arrived early, only a few of some thirty moorings were taken. We picket one farthest from the shore to avoid bugs' bytes at night. The beach is beautiful there, with a few neat cottages and a restaurant, shaded with tropical blooming trees. By the nightfall all the moorings were taken, late comers had to anchor in the shallows near by. Boat next to the boat, we couldn't see the beach any more. Most of them were charters, as the British Virgin Islands are a popular area for them. I caught two snappers from the sandy bottom, one for dinner that night, one to freeze.