Last night was noisy.  The wind was blowing quite strongly and our boat spun around the mooring ball.  It also pulled on our ropes that are attached to the mooring ball, creating a lot of noise.  The wind was so strong that it was blowing our American flag that flies off of the back of our boat and that triggered our motion-sensor lights in the outdoor saloon to go off.  I don’t think that has ever happened before. 

This morning, however, we woke to sunshine and calm water.  Steve and I went snorkeling right off of the back of our boat and it was spectacular.  We saw so many different kinds of fish and coral.  At one point we were swimming amoungst thousands of small white fish and I thought to myself that it was similar to swimming in a fish tank full of sardines like I have seen at an aquarium.  Then I thought that they might actually be sardines.  It was amazing to have the fish all around us.  We also saw some different, feathery coral that I don’t think I’ve seen before.  The elk horn coral and fans were quite healthy here as well.  And, the best part was that the water was warmer than in Antigua and easy to get into. 

One last thing to note about snorkeling today is that someone arranged conch shells beneath our boat spelling out “extinction.”  I wonder if that was a name of a boat or if it has some other sinister meaning.  I’m going to choose to believe that it represents the name of a boat.  It was very well done and the conch shells were aligned so perfectly that it was easy to read in 20 feet of water.

Fishing is a popular livelihood on Guadeloupe.   There are a lot of “fish pots” in the water.  These are markers indicating that nets or other traps are beneath the water.  So, when sailing, we need to look for these markers and avoid them.  Otherwise, the nets will wrap around our propellers.  There are so many fish pots off of the coast of Guadeloupe that it takes two of us on watch to find them.  These markers are small and get hidden in the sea swells until we are very close to them. 

We left at 6:30a from our anchorage in Basse Terre so that we were able to see the fish pots.  We wanted to get to the Saintes Islands early so that we could pick up a mooring ball.  Mooring balls are balls attached to cement that lies on the ocean’s floor.  We then tie our boat up to the mooring ball instead of anchoring.  It is really important to get a mooring ball in this anchorage because the water is deep and the wind swings the boat all around.  The swinging motion is precarious on an anchor because it could dislodge the anchor.  Last year when we were in this anchorage, there were more boats looking for a mooring ball than were available. 

The crossing between Guadeloupe and the Saintes was not that bad.  There were storms around and the winds were between 16 and 23 knots so we decided not to put up our sails.  We were again on the lookout for fish pots and had to weave back and forth to avoid them. 

When we arrived, we saw a Windstar Cruise Ship anchored, which surprised me.  I didn’t think that cruise ships pulled into such small ports.  They use tenders to move passengers back and forth to shore. 

Steve and I found a mooring ball off of Isle Cabrit.  This is one of three main anchorages located off an island across from Terre d’Haute, the main island.  The water here is relatively calm and protected.  However, to get to shore, we need to take the dingy across the channel, which can be rough at times.  The anchorage is fairly pretty with trees and a combination of black sand beach and rocks lining the shore.  There are approximately a dozen boats here, most of which are on mooring balls. 

It rained a lot last night and the pattern has continued throughout today.  We are waiting for the rain to pass before going to town to clear into the country of Guadeloupe.  We arrived too late in Basse Terre to go to the customs and immigration office.  We went into the office here in Iles des Saintes this morning but there was a sign on the door that said that they are only open between 2p and 4p Monday through Saturday. 

Steve had planned our sailing route.  We were going to sail to Basse Terre, which is a large city at the southern part of Guadeloupe.  This meant that we were going to leave as soon as we could see objects in the water, which was about 6am.  If we arrived in time, we would clear into customs in this town. 

We made good time between the islands of Antigua and Guadeloupe.  This crossing can be rough with high sea swells and strong winds.  However, this crossing was quite good. We saw approximately 5 foot swells and the wind was fairly constant between 16 and 18 knots.  We probably averaged between 6 and 7 knots per hour for the entire trip.  However, once on the Leeward side of Guadeloupe, the wind died and we put on our engines to keep our time up so that we could arrive before the sun went down.  Our sail plan worked well, which was great. 

Anchoring in Basse Terre was challenging.  The anchorage was in deep water – approximately 50 feet.  So, we had to put out all of the chain that we had to hold the boat.  We had to re-anchor one time and then we found good holding.  There were several other boats in the anchorage.  The anchorage was off of an industrial part of the island.  Given this, and the deep anchorage, we decided to continue on to the Saintes the next morning.

Tomorrow we plan to sail from Antigua to Guadeloupe.  So, today we are provisioning the boat and preparing for the journey.  Preparations include planning the route, departure time and the average speed needed to arrive at our destination before the sun goes down at 6p.  It also requires looking at the weather several days in advance for a “weather window” which means low sea swells and winds of 15 to 20 knots.  We did some last-minute grocery shopping at the store across from the marina.  And, we cleared out of customs and immigration in the hut located at the entrance to the Jolly Harbour Marina. 

Unfortunately, on New Year’s Day Kirsten had to leave.  Her trip was cut short by four days because of airplane delays, which was so unfortunate.  We loved having her onboard.  So, we went in the Jolly Harbour Marina in search of a restaurant for lunch.  We found one open and the food tasted great.  Then we put Kirsten in a taxi and she left.  She made it to her gate as the plane was boarding – perfect timing.  We returned to the boat and enjoyed a lazy afternoon of napping.

We took our dingy back into the Jolly Harbour Marina and piled into the car for the drive south to English Harbour.  We wanted to walk on the Middle Ground trail before the sun set.  This trail lies above Pigeon Beach to the north and English Harbour to the south.  The views are fantastically beautiful.  We were surprised that there were not more boats anchored in the two Harbours, as we had heard that the New Year’s Eve bash at Nelson’s Dockyard was “the place to be.”  We chose not to move the boat there so that we didn’t have to get into the mayhem that often comes with drinking and crowds.  We saw a group of goats way up on top of the trail, munching their dinner away.  There were several young goats there, which are always adorable to see. 

On the way down from the walk, we decided to exit via Pigeon Beach, which is located at the entrance to Falmouth Harbour.  A destination wedding was taking place there next to beach-goers laying in the sand.  We then walked along a road that took us into the center of Falmouth Harbour and searched for food.  We didn’t want a large meal since we had a big lunch.  Unfortunately the pizza place was closed.  We ended up walking to Nelson’s Dockyard and were very confused.  It was after 6p and the dockyard was fairly empty of people.  We were able to walk around and show Kirsten this impressive site.  It is a UNESCO world heritage site that has been restored.  Typically there are shops and vendors at the entrance.  That wasn’t the case this evening.  Colored lights were strung along the trails, making the whole area sparkle magically.  Many boats lined the dockyard waiting for the festivities to begin.

After walking around, we were hungry.  The restaurants in the dockyard were serving fancy gala meals and we definitely were not dressed for that.  So, we left the dockyard and found a small, Italian Street food restaurant along the road.  We had what was similar to a calzone and ate on bar stools while watching people walk past.  It hit the spot.  It was still only about 7p so we decided to walk back to Falmouth to play some pool.  After three games of pool, we started heading back to the dockyard and saw our friends in the bar next to where we were.  We joined them for a drink. 

Next, we all walked to the dockyard.  The music and the drinking started by this point.  We were dancing in the grass, which was a lot of fun.  Celebrating with our new friends was such fun.  It took us a long time to leave the parking lot after midnight.  Steve was wide awake and drove us home safely.  Getting in and out of the dingy was a challenge, as it usually is for me.  And our dingy ride back to the boat was difficult because we couldn’t see very well.  We had remembered to turn on the mast light as well as two lights in the forward cabins but we couldn’t see where the boats were in the water.  Luckily we knew that there weren’t many obstacles between the Harbour entrance and our boat.  The water was very calm at 3am with low winds blowing.  It was actually a pleasant dingy ride back under the half moon and twinkling stars.

It was New Year’s Eve day – Kirsten’s last day in Antigua.  Kirsten and I were able to visit the small, pop-up market that was set up in the entrance way to the Jolly Harbour Marina.  We bought some pastries, Mango juice, and water for our trip.  Kirsten also purchased a blue-painted wooden, ocean-scene plaque made of sea glass, sand and shells.  It was really cute and she will put it up in her room as a reminder of Antigua. 

While Kirsten and I were shopping at the market, Steve rented a car.  We drove to Devil’s Bridge, which is a beautiful outcropping of rugged rocks that is pounded by surf.  When we arrived, there were only a couple of other people there.  So, we had plenty of time to walk around and take in the natural beauty of the area.  This is the second time that Steve and I had visited.  Seeing it this time made more sense to us since the bridge is close to Nonesuch Bay.  We had anchored in Nonesuch Bay last year so we were able to easily get our bearings. 

Our next stop was at the Epicurian, the largest supermarket that we have seen in the Caribbean.  We were able to get a few supplies that we needed.

It was mid-morning and so we decided to head to Fort James off of the end of St. John’s Bay.  There are some cannons laying in the fort, amongst tall grasses, aimed out over the Harbour.  The Royal insignia of the British Crown was particularly easy to see on these cannons.  It appeared that they had a party at the entrance to the fort, as workers were cleaning up and picking up beer bottles everywhere.  This area is a park and had beautiful, feathery trees weeping over places to park.  The shade was welcomed, as it kept us cool. 

Every time Kirsten visits, she wants to eat lobster at a beach bar.  This beach happened to have a nice, beach-bar type of restaurant overlooking the water.  And, they served grilled lobster.  So, we got a table and had a relaxing lunch.  Steve and I ordered burgers and Kirsten was able to enjoy her lobster. 

Next we headed back to our boat to unpack the groceries and jump in the water before heading down to Falmouth to celebrate New Year’s Eve.  We only had about an hour to relax, but it was enough to get organized and cooled off.

On December 30 we sailed south to Jolly Harbour.  We anchored in Valley Church, which has a gorgeous, long beach to look at.  A beautiful, bungalow-type hotel lines the starboard side of shore.  Steve had made reservations at their Sheer Rock restaurant.  To get there, we had to beach the dingy on the shore.  This area was very shallow and grassy.  So, Steve had to lift the motor and pull the dingy towards the shoreline.  Kirsten and I paddled to help.  Once on shore, we climbed the path up to the restaurant.

This gorgeous restaurant is situated on the edge of the rocky bay, overlooking the water.  We got there for sunset.  While the sunset wasn’t great that night, the evening was quite pleasant.  We were seated at a table that was at the edge of the water.  We could look down and see the clear water below us lapping up over the rocks.  The atmosphere and view were breathtaking.  The food was good but the service was extremely slow.  We were getting tired by the end of the meal. 

Returning to the boat via a dingy is always challenging after eating a big meal and returning in the dark.  Because of where we landed the dingy, we all had to wade into the water to launch it.  Then Kirsten and I paddled hard until we got to deep enough water where Steve could put the engine’s motor down.  We forgot a light for the dingy, which usually happens.  However, we were not very far away and were back onboard our boat in no time. 

Kirsten and Steve tried standing up on the foil board while being towed behind the dingy.  After a quick break, they got the wing out and practiced with it.  They did fairly well for just starting out.  For those of us on the boats, they provided fun entertainment to watch. 

We also went snorkeling to our favorite spot just off of Bird Island.  It is fairly rough in this area, as waves and current pushed us around as we snorkeled.  We had to be very careful to not get pushed into the coral.  The fish in this area are larger than anywhere else that we have seen.  We saw schools of Blue Tang as well as Sergent Majors, Groupers, Yellow Goatfish, and others.  In addition, there were beautiful Fans and Elk Horn coral formations.  After snorkeling, we wound our way through the coral in the dingy (easier said than done), and beached our tender on Bird Island’s beach.  The water here is so clear and calm.  The white sand is fine.  Mangrove trees line the shore.  It truly is a slice of paradise.  Steve and Kirsten went walking around Bird Island.  They have made several improvements to the trail as well as added new, mint-green picnic tables along the beach.

This evening we received a nice surprise.  The large boat in the anchorage, the Marie, sent their crew to both of our boats with a bottle of wine to say “Thanks for sharing the anchorage with us.”  It was a very nice gesture for the holiday.  The crew who delivered the bottle said that they were heading down to Falmouth for New Year’s Eve to participate in the re-enactment on their sister ship, the Rebecca.  Apparently the English Harbour management selects a slow boat and puts a French flag on it.  Other older boats fly a British flag and chase the French out of the Harbour.  We told the crew that we were heading down to Falmouth for New Year’s Eve as well.  We would miss the reenactment but would be there in the evening.

After last night, we were even more on guard about the anchor dragging while we slept.  In the middle of the night I heard some banging going on.  This can happen for many reasons.  Sometimes it is the chain pulling.  Other times it is the water hitting the broad side of our hull.  And, sometimes, it is a mooring ball getting pushed into our hull.  Steve got up and determined that our bridle had come off.  The hinge on the clip had broken off.  So, he zip-tied the bridle on and I let the chain out to reset the bridle.  When we pick up our anchor, I will need to cut the zip tie off to get the bridle and chain up.  Luckily, we are headed to the North Sound Marina, where we had our boat stored for the winter.  That is where we are going to meet Kirsten, if she ever arrives.  And, there is a chandlery onsite.  So, hopefully they will have a replacement connector and we can get that fixed today.

Kirsten’s flight out of Seattle was delayed and she missed her connecting flight from New York to Antigua yesterday.  She was rebooked on a flight this morning.  We are waiting to hear if everything goes well.  She has been trying to fly to Antigua since Friday.  Today is Wednesday.  Most of her vacation is already used up travelling and she hasn’t even arrived yet.  It is really too bad. 

As soon as Kirsten arrived, we picked up the anchor and moved to our favorite anchorage in Antigua, right off of Bird Island.  We actually anchored at the far end of Rabbit Island and then determined that the wind was too strong there.  It was a shame because the view from there is gorgeous and we were protected from swells.  However, we decided to anchor off of the center of Rabbit Island to get some protection from the wind.  We were thrilled to see that our new British friends were already anchored there.  (We had told them where to anchor the night before.)  As we were motoring in our dingy to do some snorkeling, they dingied past.  We invited them over for Margaritas around 5p – sundowner time.  

There was one other gorgeous boat in our anchorage called the Maria.  It was a refurbished wooden boat from the 1930s that looked like it was once on a river.  They kept to themselves, as most people on the larger boats do.  We waved to them and their crew a couple of times, however. 

It felt so good to snorkel.  We saw a few fish and different coral formations.  However, we didn’t see any lobsters off of Lobster Island.