aborted trip to Guadeloupe, in Dominica instead

Panulirus
CR and KN Williams
Fri 11 May 2007 21:27
15:59N 61:44W

10th May



We left Antigua at 6:30 on the 9th and arrived in Guadeloupe at 14.30 having done a record 9.5 knots. Guadeloupe is complete rubbish. The Northern-most port had only anchorage, so we ignored that and went halfway down the Eastern coast to Pigeon Island with a Jacques Cousteau National Park around it. There were supposed to be Visitors buoys but, in typical French fashion these were in the worst possible position and, of the two there, one (the better one) had a dive boat on it. The cruising guide said we could anchor nearby in a sheltered bay, but didn't mention that it was absolutely full of laid buoys with French locals on them. We headed off for a night approach into a marina at the southern end to find a small harbour FULL of French. The Visitors Dock was half broken with ageing signs saying it dangerous et defendue, the other half was full of local boats that clearly hadn't moved in months and one of them had sunk! We tried a nearby berth but were screamed at by a frog fisherman, a Catamaran refused to let us raft up, and the fuel dock was occupied by two locals who refused even to reply. Anchoring was a nightmare so we set off on a night passage to Dominica.



Don't ever set foot on Guadeloupe.



Possibly the riviere salee and Grande Terre are nicer [C], so might Sheerness (K)