15:52.25N  61:35.03W

 

Distance Run  22 nm

 

Wednesday 25 to Tuesday 1 July 2014

 

We stayed at the anchorage hoping that the forecast might improve enough for us to sail to the island of Marie Galante.  This is only about 18 miles away but it is an upwind slog to get there and once there the shelter is not good.  Provided the wind eased a little and didn’t come from the southerly quadrant it would be fine.  Unfortunately neither of those things happened so after a few days we motored back to Marina Bas du Fort in Pointe a Pitre to provision, do some laundry and top up the boat’s water tanks.

 

On Monday we intended to set off for Les Saintes but as we checked the weather forecast using the wifi at a restaurant the heavens opened.  So we ignored the fibs in the forecast and stayed where we were.  We had a nice lunch whilst watching France win their World Cup match.  The atmosphere was electric but friendly and as honorary French nationals we enjoyed the fact that ‘our team’ won a match.  Even Lin was exhilarated and shouted in excitement during a couple of near misses!

 

 

Some of the apartments, shops and restaurants at the rather tired marina:-

 

 

 

The boat tied stern to the pontoon.  Lin is sitting in the shadows in the cockpit.  Our ‘passarelle’ for walking ashore is merely a plank (right hand side).  Just beside the red ensign you might just be able to see a white rubber tyre on the black wheel of our ‘granny trolley’ hidden behind the white liferaft canister.  Used to carry heavy shopping we overcame our embarrassment at having one years ago although we do insist that it shouldn’t be tartan:-

 

 

 

 

 

Taken from the bow of our boat you can see we are amongst boats of a similar length except for a slightly larger white one.  The dark blue one is massive - a ‘superyacht’, ie over 100 feet long (we are 47 feet):-

 

 

 

 

 

The mast of the superyacht towers over everything else.  What a grey day:-

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday we set off in a south westerly direction for the islands of Les Saintes, about 22 miles away.  Arriving about 4 pm we tied up to a mooring buoys and leapt into the clear, warm water for a swim.  Lovely to be back in clean water again after the smells of the last marina.