Goodbye French Islands

As we head north

 We’ve finally said goodbye to the last of the French islands. We will miss the baguettes, Brie and of course the cheap red wines. We did stock up heavily on the last item so it should last us for a few more islands 😆 

A great surprise was getting a text from my cousin who lives in Trois Rivières to say that she was in Guadeloupe for a short vacation. As it so happened, we had just arrived the day before to the island. We got to spend just an hour or so together short but nice visit.

It’s not easy to plan to have family and friends to join us somewhere. Often we have to wait for weather windows that can take a day or 2 weeks. So it makes it not impossible but difficult if they are on a planned vacation to meet in a specific area.

We’ve been revisiting some of the islands that we had seen on our way down. When we were here during the Covid  many places were  closed, so now we can appreciate the hustle and bustle of these islands. 

On the last blog, we had some difficult sailing days but in the last month, we can honestly say we had some of our best. The winds have been in the right direction, light and low swells.

Fast forward to April….

I have been really lazy this season with my blogs. No excuses…sorry!!

We’ve spent close to a month on the islands of St Kitts and Nevis. We had previously visited them on the way down 2 years ago and this time is was even better. The people of the islands are very friendly and welcoming. There’s not many tourists compared to the French and US islands so you get to experience the more local atmosphere that is not catered for the masses.

We also got to celebrate our 19th anniversary and our friend’s milestone birthday with champagne and chocolate. 😁

The anchorage in the capital of St-Kitts, Basse Terre, became very rolly and uncomfortable. Our friend Kurt was having engine problems and waiting to get a part shipped to the island. It was taking longer to arrive than we had hoped and with these swells, Mike and I decided to push on to the next destination, and our friend would join us as soon as the part came in. 

With bad weather coming, heavy winds and very high waves, we wanted to have a smooth crossing and be tucked into our next anchorage.

We left on a Sunday. The winds were so low that we were only able to sail for a few hours before they died down completely. We ended up motor sailing for the rest of the way. We had such a great passage even though the engine was on. It took 23 hours to do 120 nautical miles. We averaged between 5.2 to 6 knots which is close to miles per hour. Our auto pilot decided to malfunction from the beginning so we had to hand steer the whole way. It’s not easy especially at night when it’s pitch dark, no moon and very little stars and nothing to stare at except your compass. We took turn steering. One hour at the wheel, one hour of sleep. Actually worked pretty good.

It was still a fantastic crossing. Calm seas. Nothing crashing below, listening to music and even had a glass of wine and great Irish cheese.

Wasn’t quite sure what to except of St Croix, but I must say it’s very beautiful, with great architecture. Not many cruisers here but packed with American tourists. Outside of the main tourist hub, you really get to meet the locals. Love this place.

Time is ticking. We need to be in Luperon, in the Dominican Republic by the beginning of June for the hurricane season. It’s a busy destination this year so hopefully we secure a mooring ball when we get there. 

Cheers

Mike and Pierrette

Gorgeous view and flowers
Marie Gallant, Guadeloupe 

Bamboo, so majestic, Dominica

Lagoon in the Indian River, Dominica

In the cockpit on our way 

Great sunset

Rum distillery, Guadeloupe 

Self explaining 😁 Guadeloupe 

Guadeloupe 

Pointe à Pitre Guadeloupe 

Le Gosier, Guadeloupe 

Catherine’s bar from Death in Paradise series
Deshaies, Guadeloupe 

Mike’s favorite meal😳😢

Botanical Garden, Nevis

Botanical Garden, Nevis

Kurt’s Birthday 🥳 

Great architecture St Croix

2 Flamingos having a fight
Botanical garden, Guadeloupe 

 

Anchorage in Montserrat 

Honah Lee, anchorage in Nevis

Great sunset, Nevis

Anchorage St Kitts
With view of Nevis volcano 

Arriving in St Croix

Finally an IPA beer…..🍺 

Biggest cruise ship in the world…St Kitts,

Anglican Church, St Kitts

Arriving in Montserrat 

View of our anchorage in Deshaies, Guadeloupe 

Bombax tree. Most amazing flowers

Busy dinghy dock Guadeloupe