Dominica to Antigua. 17:00.61N 61:45.67W

We headed up to Portsmouth at the north end of Dominica where Will and I went on the trip up Indian river. We saw where Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed and stopped at the top where there is a wee bar for fruit juice and very strong home made rum punch if you’re brave enough. The trees here were very impressive with massive roots and there was lots of wildlife to see. We also saw the shipwrecks on the beach which are shown on an earlier blog. After getting our fruit from Allowishus, a man on a surf board and a paddle, we headed off for the French Islands of Les Saintes. We went ashore for a bit of French culture and fries. There were lots of boutique type shops and an open square looking out to sea which was all very nice. The local populace here are Breton, Les Saintes never having had any sugar cane plantations and as a result no slaves were ever brought here. There was hardly a black person to be seen on these islands and it looked very much as if we had sailed into Brittany in France in the middle of summer.

From here we sailed up to the north west end of Guadeloupe which was quite a slow sail but we arrived in Deshaies about 3 pm. We tried and failed to clear customs again because they were closed till Monday lunchtime. The French and their 30 hour weeks! Despite this we went ashore and had a juice, some home made ice-cream and had a look at a few of the shops. Duggie was involved in a daring flip flop rescue. We took Doody for a some snorkelling just off the rocky shore where we saw spiky sea urchins and colourful fish. We had also run over some line on the way in which was round the prop so John went with mask, snorkel and a knife to cut it off.

It was an early start the next day for an 8 hour sail to Antigua. We were the 3^rd or 4^th boat out of the harbour at 6.30 am and there were about 5 yachts sailing fairly close to us all the way across. We had a photo season with a yacht called ‘Elza’ so mum and Dougie will have to catch up with them so the they can exchange photos.

We’re anchored at English Harbour at the moment and there are some very impressive boats in here, big and shiny and we haven’t even been to Falmouth Harbour yet, where the super-yachts are, with masts so tall that they have red lights on the top to warn aircraft! On the 1^st night, after clearing a rigorous customs, we went to Shirley Heights which is a Georgian lookout post built for the Napoleonic wars which is on the hill overlooking the harbour. There were loads of people here for the Sunday night watching of the sunset over Montserrat and a BBQ. Then the reggae music started but due to the early start that day and the overcrowding (it was like the Mishnish at West Highland Week) we went back to the boat- where we could still here it. We could also hear the bar onshore where there were lots of old people singing and boogying to ‘row row row your boat‘.

Yesterday we hired a car and went to a place called Devils Bridge which is a limestone rock formation over the sea. Then we went round to the nearby pineapple beach for a swim in the very light turquoise waters which was sheltered by a coral reef where we semi-snorkelled (we only had a set of swimming goggles) and there were lots of wee fish and crabs to see. Then we went to Half-Moon bay which was a big semi-circular bay and went for another swim, well more of a play in the surf than a swim as it is open to the Atlantic. Again an early night was had by all as we were absolutely shattered, as we are every day out here-it really is a struggle to stay up till 10 pm and Duggie quite often gives up the struggle, falling asleep in the cockpit when we are watching a DVD.

Today we travelled to the airport to time the run and to check John’s flights home as he is heading home for a short visit. The airport is set in the most magnificent grounds with lush cultivated vegetation which is a riot of colour. It is by far the most impressive airport that we have seen in the Caribbean. The island is also the most developed of the English speaking islands. The French islands are of course still part of France, never having wanted or been given independence. However, they are by far the most populated, with the average former British island having a population of about 70 - 100 thousand, Martinique and Guadeloupe have 450 and 350 thousand respectively.

We then went to Jolly Harbour to take a look as Swiftwing will be venturing there with her next guests, John and Helen Morgan who arrive in a day or two. Sadly we return to the UK tonight a couple of hours after John. Jolly Harbour was everything you would expect from a modern upbeat marina that has been designed with the American market in mind. It has absolutely everything on site including a casino and much to Duggie’s delight an Indian Restaurant that isn’t too pricey. In fact the marina charges aren’t bad for Swiftwing either, a reflection on the falling US dollar I think. Onward to Darkwood beach where had lunch at a beach restaurant then went for a swim and a snorkel, then back to the boat to change and off to the airport again. This is my final blog for now as Will and I have to get back to the hectic world of animal care until we can come back again, hopefully about Christmas time.

Sarah.