08/04/2014
16 15 57’N 061 32 07’W
Just after sun up we had an exciting sail to Guadeloupe easily able to average 6.5 knots so managed the 40 odd miles in about 6 hours dropping the anchor at Point A Pitre in the early afternoon. Check in was quick at the marina and then it was off into town to check out the scene. Guadeloupe is very French and so the bread is first class, this is normally the first job of the day as although the bread is divine it will not be as nice the following morning. The market is vibrant and first class for fish, fruit and vegetables with locals buying straight off the boats, we buy a nice piece of yellow fin tuna for dinner. Guadeloupe is really two landmasses separated by a river with two lifting bridges and this is why we chose Point A Pitre as it is at the start of this river. The bridges are supposed to open once a day at 5:00am in the morning and with care you can navigate the river saving at least 45 miles. I asked for the updated opening times at the marina and was told that the bridges have not operated this year and so we have to go round the island. As we are once again in a French island we hike of to Leaderprice to stock up with wine boxes before departure, it is easy to get carried away in the supermarket buying lots of wine and then all of a sudden you are outside with a rucksack which weighs just shy of 50 lbs for a 3 mile hike back to the boat in 30 degrees, it makes you appreciate the wine that much more.
We sail next to Basse Terre and anchor off, this is a very rolly anchorage so we vow to leave the next day for Deshaies on the North West corner of Guadeloupe and then leave from there. We arrive to chaos with several boats dragging and tempers fraying. Our anchor goes in buries itself, we are not going to drag so settle down with rum punches and watch the action. I go ashore to check out only to find the shop with the clearance computer shut for exceptional circumstances. We are either stuck here for another two days or we take the bus back to Point A Pitre and check out there. We decide against the bus as it is a whole day’s trip and so settle down to wait the opening of the shop.
We join Jim and Sally from S/V Chaos and explore the river Deshaies, which is about two hours rock hopping up hill. The scenery is great but the journey hot and we have to stop regularly to put our heads under the water falls. We find some vines hanging over the river and they will just about hold me but Jim being only 10 stone does the Tarzan thing out over the water, luckily the vines hold and tears are avoided. After several hours we stumble out of the undergrowth and take the small road back to the town. Doyle in his guide says that it takes 15 minutes and we decide that he had a car!!!