Casting off the lines at Marine Fort St Louis was a little more complex than usual, as many of the lines had been doubled to cope with the high wind. Additionally, we were alongside, meaning the starboard side was tied off from bow to stern, with springs in between. There was a medium size motor cruiser at both the bow and the stern, each with no more than 1-2 metres clearance. The skipper talked through his preferred order of releasing lines with the crew and the last line to be released was the stern line. While we were in that process, two young adolescents came along the pier and offered to throw lines off for us. The skipper agreed, but there was a problem with miscommunication and the lines were released in the wrong order by the two lads, who probably spoke a lot more French than English! Thankfully Trilogy has a secret weapon for these tight situations...the dock-and-go system. It is possible to move Trilogy sideways out of a tight space and this moment called for exactly that at full speed. It is also possible to spin Trilogy on her own length, another neat trick! We had gathered a small crowd of startled yachties during the manoeuvres and even got applause, as not many yachts have this system installed. Steve had not yet seen Trilogy's extraordinary capability and he was left gobsmacked when the skipper demonstrated his command of the tricky exit.
Out into 15 knots of SE breeze, we motored just 4 miles to Anse Marcel, a favourite bay from last year's cruise. This small deep bay has two resorts either end of a beautiful beach and turquoise water on sea grass bottom. We picked up a mooring and settled in for the remainder of the day. At one end of the bay is a narrow entrance to a small marina, which is surrounded by steep hillsides and therefore makes a perfect hurricane hole. Trilogy's 2.1 metre draft makes her ineligible for such shallow passages. After a delicious French baguette filled with chicken and avocado for lunch on board, we swam ashore for a wander and a relax. The beach was full of bikini clad bodies soaking up the sun. At one end of the beach we got more than we bargained for! Two women in the briefest of gear were flaunting it all to do their own photo shoot! It was definitely a performance and the one strutting her stuff for the camera was purportedly an actress by trade. A passing American couple told us this 'look at me' behaviour had gone on for the last 3 days. Oh well, we got our entertainment and they clearly could not have cared who was watching! We stopped by at one resort for a gin and tonic and then wandered down to the other resort for a swim in their pool. It is a big, well maintained pool and again their was lots to keep us amused by the poolside scene. Last year there were two very large resident iguanas sitting poolside, but they seemed to have disappeared and this year two younger iguanas were present. We walked through the beautiful gardens of the resort in the direction of the marina and watched various day tripper craft returning from  excursions.
Back to Trilogy we relaxed and prepared an evening meal of Boeuf Bourguignon, a tasty dish we all thoroughly enjoyed, washed down with a Bordeaux red. Internet connectivity was strong, so we all enjoyed catching up on our correspondence. We had a bit of a rolly night as the wind had shifted overnight, but we slept well. In the morning we had another swim ashore before departing.
Next stop was a 4NM motor into the strong 15-20 knots wind to Baie Blanche Tintamarre. This is another beautiful bay, with all the same credentials of the perfect beach in the Caribbean. This small island has a wild beauty about it, low in profile and rocky at both ends of the beach. We lunched on board before swimming ashore to check out this lovely spot. A few day tripper loads of snorkellers pulled up beside us and all descended into the clear water to observe the turtles we'd noticed popping up around us. Eventually the boats stopped arriving, leaving only two yachts in the bay for an overnight stay. It always feels good when the 'madding crowd' departs and tranquillity descends for the evening. Dinner was fresh salmon, rice and veggies with a lemon juice salsa and a glass or two of Trapiche white from Argentina...perfect!