We left Dominica at 0730 and Jason very nicely came out in his boat to see
us off (and took our rubbish ashore). We sailed alongside the QE2 - quite
close until we saw the security notice banning all craft from approaching
within 50 Meters! Although she is an old girl now she still looks like a
real passenger ship as opposed to some of the floating blocks of flats that
we see around here. If my memory serves me right she has been sold to Dubai
for use as a casino and hotel. The sail to the Saints was straightforward
although again the wind was variable and we had to use the motor quite a
lot. Getting into the Saintes from the south is quite tricky as there is a
reef guarding the entrance and as far as I can see is not correctly placed
on the charts - the survey was probably done long before the introduction of
GPS. Fortunately there was a bit of a sea running so we could see the water
breaking on the reef. The repaired mainsail has obviously stretched somewhat
and we are having a little trouble furling it properly. It will do until we
figure out what to replace it and the main furling system with. The present
arrangement is just not man enough for the job but a lot of homework is
required first and that can't be done on board or in the Caribbean. We are
also still having trouble holding temperatures with the freezer and we are
going to have to find an expert to sort that problem out. We have tried
everything we know for the moment.
Our plan is to clear customs here and stay for a couple of days before
heading up to Antigua. It would be nice to find a good weather slot from the
crossing between Guadeloupe and Antigua after the rough passage we had last
time. We will have the opportunity to go to our favourite cafe again
assuming it is open over the holiday period.
