Saturday 19 to Tuesday 22 April 2014

 

Distance Run  20 nm

 

Over the weekend and on Easter Monday the rains in Dominica were torrential.  In between Lin managed to make a quick dash to the ‘supermarket’ with Karen in their dinghy but most of the time was spent hunkered down.  The wind was very strong on Saturday with prolonged periods of 30-38 knots and we decided we weren’t going anywhere until everything settled.

 

On Tuesday we left around 9.30 am bound for Terre d’Haut which is the main island in Les Saintes.  The sea in Portsmouth Bay was muddy from the run-off of soil caused by the previous night’s deluge and we dodged a lot of floating coconuts and branches!  It was several miles before we reached clear water.

 

 

 

This boat was falling back having just come up close for a chat.  Dominica in the background:-

 

 

 

 

 

Now under sail and approaching the small rocks and islands in the approaches to Les Saintes:-

 

 

 

 

 

Anchoring is not allowed here so we picked up one of the mooring buoys.  The view of pretty Terre d’Haut from the boat:-

 

 

 

 

 

I went ashore to clear in through Customs in to these French islands.  The town is barely more than this one lane - full of tourist shops and cafes but has a very nice feel to it:-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The obligatory photograph of a church:-

 

 

 

 

Ferries arrive from Guadeloupe in the mornings loaded with daytrippers and the place becomes busy until they return in late afternoon. 

 

Being back in France we couldn’t resist going out to dinner in the evening.  On Wednesday we spent more time ashore followed by a dash back to the boat for a cooling swim.  The water is lovely and clear here and the sea temperature was 27 degrees, which is –1 degree ‘Linigrade’.