We decided to skip Dominica and return there someday, staying on land, because of security concerns.  We could have hired security to care for us and our boat while there.  However, stopping at Dominica would also mean that we needed to get COVID tests before arrival.  If we continued on to another French island, we didn’t need to take a PCR test. 

We had a 12-hour sail the next day to get to Les Saintes so we were up at 5a and pulled our anchor up just before 6a.  We hadn’t heard of Les Saintes before but many fellow yachters recommended stopping there.  We try to avoid sailing overnight and this grouping of islands allowed us to make it there before sunset so that we could anchor in the light.  Our sail was uneventful and we arrived with approximately 45 minutes before sunset.  We decided to anchor in one of the outer islands called Terre-de-Bas.  There are mooring balls located closer to the main island, however, we knew that there was more demand for them than supply.  The water was a little rough in these islands and boats swung so tying up to a ball would be very convenient.  At 7:30a the next morning we motored over to Terre-de-Haut, the main island in Les Saintes.  We were so lucky.  The first cove we came to, Anse a Cointre, had four mooring balls.  We decided to motor around the corner to see if we could find anyplace closer to town.  After a quick inspection, we returned to the first place where we saw the mooring balls.  It turned out to be a lovely location.  There was snorkeling off of the back of the boat.  We could take our dinghy over to the main town or tie it up at a private dock located in the cove where we were.