We really enjoyed Marie Galante, but it was time to move on to a different island and a new adventure.  We headed to Montserrat, which involved two days of travelling.  From Marie Galante, we sailed to Basse Terre on Guadeloupe so that we could clear customs.  Then, we sailed north two hours to anchor just off of Pigeon Island.  During our sail the Douane (customs patrol) surprised us and motored a couple of feet off of our port (left) side.  We waved to them and they waved back.  Then, they motored a couple of feet off of the back of our boat when we were anchored.  We don’t know if they were on a heightened alert or if this was simply their normal schedule.  I said “Bon Soir” to them and they responded the same way as they kept going. 

Our sail to Montserrat was another long day.  We left around 6:30a, as soon as we could see the fish pots in the water.  The sail was a little rough, but we made good time and arrived in Montserrat around 3:30p.  We were able to clear in through customs with only 7 minutes to spare.  Since it was Friday, this meant that we didn’t need to pay an additional fee to compensate staff to work after hours. 

The sun was shining brightly as we sailed along the lee of the island so I was able to take several beautiful pictures of the volcano.  We could clearly see where the lava flowed when the volcano previously erupted.  Taking pictures was a challenge, as we were bobbing up and down in the sea.  Even though I was strapped to the boat, it was a challenge to keep my balance and steady the camera. 

The anchorage at Montserrat was very challenging.  There was a small area designated where we could anchor, which was close to a large cliff.  The other area where we could anchor was not supposed to be as protected as where we were.  We ended up re-anchoring several times to ensure that we wouldn’t hit the cliff.  Steve set an anchor alarm to let him know if the anchor moved or if we were drifting too close to the cliffs.  Unfortunately, the alarm went off approximately every half an hour throughout the night.  Steve was up on deck several times watching to see where the boat was. 

Our original plan was to tour Montserrat Saturday and then leave on Sunday.  Steady winds were forecasted and the sea state was supposed to be 4 -6 feet. Unfortunately, the weather changed and the wind was supposed to die down considerably and become unsteady (both in speed and direction).  So, first thing in the morning, Steve said that we needed to leave Saturday.  We hoped to spend half the day touring Montserrat and then sail in the afternoon to Antigua.  However, with the boat moving around so close to the cliffs, we didn’t want to leave the boat alone.  So, in the end, we simply left without exploring Montserrat.  We felt very disappointed, as we were looking forward to seeing the active volcano.  Our hope was to get into the outskirts of Plymouth, which is still in the exclusion zone, but is somewhat uncovered.

On our sail to Antigua we encountered 8 to 10 foot seas, which meant we were bobbing up and down quite a bit.  However, after about an hour or so of sailing, the sea state settled back into 5 or 6 foot swells, which is much more comfortable.  And, once we got closer to Antigua, the swells were even lower and moving around on the boat was much easier.  We encountered several rain squalls along the way and seeing Antigua in the distance became a challenge, even 10 miles away.  Eventually we made it and we anchored in Valley Church, an anchorage in which we are very comfortable.