Making tracks
Oriole
Sun 4 Jan 2009 21:07
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Les Saintes, Guadeloupe
15:52.18N 61:35.10W.
We finally left Bequia on Tuesday and there was no sign of life on Sea Shuttle as we sailed past at 0600. This was the first day when it had not been blowing a hooley for a week and there was a mass exodus of yachts. Nordlys was ahead of us and being bigger sailed away into the distance. The north end of St. Vincent is often very uncomfortable as the sea kicks up there and the wind accelerates by 5-10 knots, but today was the most benign we have ever known it. As we approached St Lucia we were enveloped in rain but that was more than offset by a close encounter with a Sperm Whale which blew a few times alongside before sounding in the classic way raising its enormous tails flukes clear of the water. Nordlys was only just ahead of us when we anchored in Rodney Bay. It rained hard during the night and was overcast in the morning, but we had planned to move on although they were staying to sort out some repairs.  Mt. Pelée erupted in 1902 killing the
entire population of St Pierre bar two.
By 0900 the sky had cleared and we
had idyllic conditions for the sail to Martinique - a close reach, brilliant
blue sea with plenty of white caps and a few big seas and then in the lee of
Martinique flat water but screaming along with 20 knots of wind on the
beam. We anchored in Anse de la Touche at the southern end of St Pierre
Bay under the shadow of Mt. Pelée. We had the place to ourselves except for a
delightful German girl who swam out from the beach to hitch a lift to Antigua.
John has been kicking himself ever since for turning her down! We
celebrated New Year at midnight GMT which allowed us to get to bed shortly
after 2100 local time! Another sparkling sail took us to Prince Rupert
Bay, Dominica, one of our favourite anchorages but sadly spoiled by an
increasing number of rusting hulks swept up on the shoreline
by hurricanes and never removed. Hurricane Omar in October had
contributed three further coasters and at least five yachts to the litter of
wrecks, one of which is blocking the entrance to the Indian River, one of the
prized tourist attractions which generates income for the locals. The
Government do not seem interested in doing anything to help.
   Three
new wrecks swept up on the foreshore in Prince Rupert Bay by Hurricane Omar in
October.
 But looking in the opposite direction
perhaps there is a crock of gold.
We sailed on to the Saintes and met
up with Simon and Hilda Julien from Newton Ferrers on their yacht Calisto.
We spent two delightful evenings with them. They have now moved off south
and we are moving on north tomorrow.
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