December 18, 2014
We left Les Saintes and had a mixed bag of wind to Deshaies, Guadeloupe. First we had gentle winds, then no wind and finally good wind. We arrived and set anchor by 1630. There were two other boats sailing our way as well who we knew, Slow Waltz and Serenade. After anchoring and settling in, we invited both couples to CS'ta Time for happy hour, which of course lasted longer than an hour! A good time was had by all.
December 19, 2014
We cleared out anticipating heading to Antigua the next morning. We then met up with Slow Waltz and Serenade and the six of us walked uphill 1.5 km to the botanical gardens. Well worth the walk and the cost! There were plants, trees, shrubs, ferns, flowers, cacti and everything else green, from all parts of the world. The walking path was well done, taking us to small waterfalls, fountains and along a stream. We saw rainbow loriquets, macaws, flamigos and hummingbirds. We walked leisurely for almost 2 hours before coming to the end where we sat under a canopy at picnic tables and had lunch. Just in time too because during the last half hour of our walk it had started to rain, a fine mist at first but then it became more serious. We asked at the office if we could get a ride back to town and they obliged. We had a quiet evening on the boat, getting it ready for the next day travelling to Antigua.
Feeding the fish at the botanical gardens.
Rainbow loriquet.
Now that's a poinsetta!
The anchorage at Deshaies from the botanical gardens.
We were up at 0500 and left Deshaies by 0530, it was just beginning to get light. The winds were light at first but then we got hit with some rain and a squall, thankfully it didn't last long. We sailed most of the way to Antigua experiencing nothing out of the ordinary. We arrived at Jolly Harbour customs at 1500. Jorge cleared us in with the exception of the port authority. As it was closing time, he asked if we could stay at the customs' dock for the night and check in with the port authority first thing in the morning. No problem. We enjoyed a very peaceful night dockside with no anchoring or dinghy issues. The restaurants, showers, book exchange and grocery store were all with a 10 - 15 minute walk. Perfect! We had refreshing showers with real HOT water and then treated ourselves to supper at a restaurant.
Sunset in Antigua.
CS'ta Time at the customs' dock, Antigua.
Sports complex, Antigua (no longer in operation).
Road leading to customs from the marina.
When Jorge went to check in with the port authority, he was informed she had not shown up yet. We stayed all day at the dock waiting but she was a no show (which suited us fine as we felt like we were at a marina). Fortunately while waiting, we were able to provision from a wonderful grocery store with a great variety of fresh fruits and veggies, fresh cuts of meat I was able to identify and with Canadian/American name brands of packaged goods, not to mention a good selection of beer and wine!
December 22, 2014
We left the customs' dock around 0530 aiming for St. Kitts. The waves were from an uncomfortable angle and the winds were about 16 - 18 kts. It was a combination of sailing and motor sailing. We set anchor in White House Bay just south of Basseterre, St. Kitts in the late afternoon. As we were not clearing in, we flew the Q flag.
December 23, 2014
We were again up with the alarm at 0500. The winds had been quite strong during the night and we debated about leaving for St. Martin but decided to go, knowing a few spots we could head to if the conditions were really bad. Jorge had put a double reef in the main and we sailed with just that for the first couple of hours, then we added a bit of the genoa. At the top end of St. Kitts, the wind died and we had to motor, but just for a bit. A rain cloud and a squall hit us with winds into the low 20 kts. After that the rain stopped but the winds didn't. We still had the double reef in the main and about 1/3 of the genoa out. We saw wind speeds of 28.4 kts and big swells! At times when we were in the trough of some swells, we lost sight of the horizon and could only see a wall of water around us. If I had been in these conditions a year ago, I would have packed my bags and been on the first plane home! Amazing the confidence one gains in a year. It was a wild and wet crossing to St. Martin. Our AVERAGE boat speed was 6.5 kts for the whole day. Things that had been secured below for the crossing became unsecured and we had the occasional wave over the dodger and bimini. We arrived well ahead of time and are now anchored in Marigot Bay, St. Martin, where we plan to stay for 5 - 7 days. We had extra strong congratulatory drinks after setting anchor and putting the boat back in some kind of order. Bedtime was 1945.
December 24, 2014
We slept in, needless to say, exhausted by yesterday's travels but very happy with CS'ta Time and our performance. We cleared in, had showers, did some shopping and some internet stuff. Basically we tried to unwind.
December 25, 2014
We are having a lazy morning enjoying coffee and pastries on an outdoor patio next to a bakery. We received an invitation for a turkey dinner tonight from a Canadian who is living and working here. Fantastic!
Evidence of Hurricane Gonzalo still on the beaches of St. Martin.
(No internet issues here, good and fast!)
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