Pidgeon Island Rocking & Rolling
Scot Free III
Frank & Anne
Wed 29 Nov 2017 16:00
16:10.4N 61:46.8W
Just a few hours sail, south from Deshaies, is the Jacque Cousteau, Marine Reserve of Pidgeon Island. You can't anchor here, but there are buoys, where you can tie a dinghy. They are also used by the profusion of glass bottomed boats ferrying less adventurous tourists out for a look, without the bother of getting wet. A couple of charter boats don't seem to be aware of this restriction but the helpful wardens will hopefully wake them up at daybreak and shout at them. Failing that, the less polite tripper boat skippers (who rely on the buoys for their livelihood) will accidentally ram them in the morning, to make sure they get the message.
Anchoring is restricted to a couple of beaches about a mile away, on the mainland, where the snorkelling is also very good. It became a very rolly anchorage after the first night and two nights there was more than enough.
Pidgeon Island is reputedly one of the worlds best dive sites, but we won't get to swim on it, as our pathetic little outboard and inflatable would make hard work of the trip. A recurring theme, which is leading us towards splashing out on a hard bottomed RIB and a bigger outboard. We are anchoring further out of most harbours these days and shopping trips are becoming a wet chore. The dinghy is our "car" and we need an upgrade. It's only money.