Guadeloupe (Island of pretty waters) ( 2nd December to 6th December)

We left Dominique on the 2^nd of December for Guadeloupe. We had a great sail passing Iles de Saintes and up the western, leeward side, passing lots of Sargasso weed

It was our best sailing so far in the Caribbean. The wind is to our favour now as we continue north.

The country is separated by a navigable mangrove river (Riviere Sallee) and is shaped like a lopsided butterfly. We had planned to transit from sth to nth but unfortunately the opening bridge was not operational and we could not use the river

A region of France with a population of 330,000 Guadeloupe relies on the production of sugar cane and produces local Rum along with other agriculture and tourism.

We arrived in Deshaies, a pretty little fishing village in the afternoon

The next day we set off on foot up the Deshaies river, carefully leaping from boulder to boulder or scrambling through the tropical forest along the river bank until it became a trickle at some falls.

A swim in a cool shaded rock pool the french way (a la naturel) was a soothing respite from the tropical heat.

critters along the way

These traps were hanging off a flowering tree. 

The root systems on some of the trees were spectacular

Apart from some thorn scratches and fire ant bites we came back unhurt.

Homemade coconut icecream from a roadside vendor followed by heineken at a beach side bar rejuvenated us

Several yachts we had met on the way left the next morning for Antigua as the weather was changing to very light to no wind. We decided to stay for a few days in this lovely bay.

A walk to a battery and lookout with a packed lunch proved pretty lame. It was one of the few sites we have seen that was unkempt.

We shared our lunch with a neglected stray dog who was very shy and wary initially then enjoyed a pat and proceeded to follow us. We had to sadly and gently discourage her. She was obviously a family pet at some stage as she gave me her paw to shake and followed orders. We reported her existence to an English speaking customs representative who said he would inform “Mimi” whoever that was!

After a day of snorkelling and exploring around the town we setsail for Antigua