05/21/2006, Deshaies. Guadeloupe
Arriving in Guadeloupe I really felt like I was in the Garden of Eden. This picture shows some of the fruits (notice there are two different kinds of pineapple) and vegetables easily available from street vendors and small markets. Mangoes were so plentiful that we picked them up under wild trees beside the road. Many times the vendors make "change with mangoes" , giving you a mango or two when they don't have exact change.
I have been thinking about the differences in eating and cooking here in the islands compared to back home. Often things we would expect in any supermarket are not available (e.g., pine nuts, cream cheese, or fresh meat).
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05/21/2006, Guadeloupe Channel, Caribbean Sea, near Montserrat
Passing from Nevis to Guadeloupe, we came close to Montserrat where the volcano was much in evidence. We had heard an announcement advising boats not to come to Montserrat because of volcanic activity. You may remember hearing about the eruption that devastated southern Montserrat in 1995, destroying the capital, Plymouth, and leaving large parts of the southern half of the island almost uninhabitable because of volcanic ash and polution from the dust.
Our first view of Montserrat was from the north and showed a lush, green, mountainous land. Coming around the eastern side, we could see the clouds billowing over a wasteland. The contrast is stark, and the path of the eruption is easy to see. There was a lot of steam causing very high clouds. It almost looked like a snow storm except we were in the tropics, the sun was out and the temperature about 90 F.
The seas around Montserrat were very choppy and much rougher than forecast. We found out later that there had been another eruption the day before our trip along with a small tsunami which caused the rough seas and all the steam and clouds. After we got to Guadeloupe, 31 miles away, we could still see the clouds over the volcano for several days.
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05/20/2006, Pinney's Beach, Nevis
Nevis is only a short trip from St. Kitts, and we enjoyed a nice afternoon there walking on the beach and watching the sea birds. Nevis is another volcanic island which is dominated by a large flat mountain, and I would like to spend more time here on another trip. The challenge is finding a time when the sea is settled because the anchorages are not very well protected from sea swells. Since great scenery and remote locations off the beaten path are the most attractive things about these islands, another good option is to spend a few nights ashore while looking around, either by joining a tour or renting a car.
As a group these islands have flat land close to the water, high mountains in the middle and deep water close to the shore. This makes navigating by them pretty easy, but results in only a few bays and other protected places. When the seas are going to be rough we usually try to find a place that is protected enough so the boat doesn't roll around too much. A rolly anchorage usually doesn't make for a good night's sleep and leads to grumpy crew.
Since we had a good weather forecast and wanted to move on to Guadeloupe, we only spent one night at Pinney Beach.
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05/19/2006, Ballast Bay, St. Kitts
This picture doesn't quite capture how really striking these islands are. From sea these smaller volcanic islands look very much alike because they all have a flat mountain in the middle (the volcano which erupted in the past) and relatively flat land close to the shore. There are pictures of more of them in the photo gallery. The afternoon light was good, and going by St. Kitts was one of the prettiest passages we've had.
Because the weather forecast was favorable, we only spent one night at St. Kitts anchored in Ballast Bay. The view was very nice; the anchorage very comfortable; but the beach was unfriendly because it was all rocks.
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