Snorkeling, Salty Sailing and the Saints
Monday 15th and Tuesday 16th April, 2024
Tax day began with completely overcast skies and rain. We ventured to shore on a dual mission. Mike was checking us into Guadeloupe, while Rod and I were to attempt some food shopping. Unlike some places the check-in process was so speedy that Mike caught up with us at the grocery store. We returned to the boat in another rain shower. After a few preparations, we left the mooring and motored south along the coast to Pigeon Island, part of the Cousteau National Park. The skies continued overcast with bouts of rain. We even put on our foul weather gear!
Once we had anchored in the bay opposite Pigeon Island, we had a major debate about the likely weather. We settled finally on going to snorkel even though the light might not be great. Once tied up to the dinghy mooring, we donned our snorkel gear and set off. We were fortunate in terms of timing as the tour operators must have been on lunch break! The fish were numerous but other swimmers were scarce. While there didn’t seem to be a lot of living coral, there were hundreds of fish. Big schools were to be seen in the deeper areas and brightly colored specimens seemed to inhabit shallower areas around rocks. The sun even came out, enhancing the brilliant colors.
Upon our return, Cotinga was rolling side to side. Combined with intense heat from the emerged sun, I started to feel distinctly unwell. We elected not to stay overnight in that location. The next bay along didn’t seem to offer better protection from the swell, so we decided to carry on to Les Saintes. The initial portion of the trip followed the coast of Guadeloupe. Surprisingly the wind was from the west! This was accompanied by some short period wind chop - right on the nose! Finally, the trade winds prevailed. However, the wind direction from the south east was such that we very tight to the wind. The motor was necessary. Once out from behind the island, the seas were significant. Although the open water section was less than 10 miles, it was far from easy, a very salty ride. We were lucky to find a free mooring at Isle de Cabrit and the sun set just ten minutes after we tied up. The entire crew was tired.
This morning, we went by dinghy to Terre d’Haut. Our plan was to walk up to Fort Napoleon, followed by lunch at a restaurant we had enjoyed on an earlier trip. Once again the walk up seemed quite daunting and pretty sweaty. We toured the museum and the gardens. Our lunch plan failed as there wasn’t a table available. We wandered around the town and found another place to eat, which turned out to be good.
After lunch a short hike took us to the Bay of Pompiers. While this beach is one that Mike and I have visited several times, we have never gone swimming there! Having planned ahead we had swimming gear with us. The water was quite warm but still refreshing. Once Mike had a sufficient number of goose bumps, we got out. To our delight there were fresh water showers that were even more cooling! We spent some time people watching before returning to town and the dinghy dock.
It has been a quiet and relaxing evening aboard.
Gloria
15 52.375 N, 61 35.780 W
No comments:
Post a Comment