The grand finale for our southern Caribbean adventures was a week with our sailing buddies Holly and Bill. We have raced 23' Sonar sailboats with them at the Nyack Boat Club, and have literally broken the ice together during the winter "frostbite" sailing season on Long Island Sound. Kitty and I were excited to give them a taste of a more cushy sailing experience and do some exploring of the outer islands of Guadeloupe.

Not surprisingly, they picked up the helming of a bigger boat in short order, and we were off.




Our first destination was the Iles de la Petit-Terre, two small uninhabited islands about 5 miles off the eastern tip of Guadeloupe. We had heard tantalizing descriptions of this remote location, with many cruisers saying that it was the most idyllic spot in all of the Caribbean. Getting into the anchorage was going to be a challenge, however - the last 1/4 mile required passing through a shallow uncharted dog-legged channel and crossing a bar which becomes inconveniently impassible if the wind picks up. The guidebook says to be prepared to eat iguanas if you are there and the weather becomes unsettled!

Fortunately our conditions were auspicious, and we tiptoed our way into the anchorage with Bill calling out depths and Holly and Kitty calling course corrections to a nervous David at the wheel. The inner lagoon was spectacular, with azure blue water surrounded by white sand beaches and palm trees.




There is room for about a dozen boats with a coral reef providing protection from the ocean swell (though not from the whistling wind). We explored the island and its historic lighthouse and snorkelled with turtles, fish, and some very large Permit fish in the shallower parts of the lagoon. After a quick shower on the back of the boat, Kitty treated us to an amazing lentil stew as the sun set and the stars came out.


From Petit-Terre we had a nice downwind sail to Les Saintes, where we anchored next to Ilet a Cabrit. This island is inhabited only by some wild goats, chickens, and pelicans, which provided an interesting soundtrack for our happy hour on the back of the boat.





We spent the next day exploring the main island of Les Saintes, then it was back on the water, this time beating upwind 20 miles to the Island of Marie Galante.



We spent a breezy night at anchor there, and the next morning rented scooters to explore the island.







I am not sure exactly why I thought this was such a great idea. The plantation scenery was great and the old rum factories were cool, but the rental lady was not impressed when I crashed the scooter into a stone wall at the end of the day. Luckily she did return our deposit and we left with only minor scratches. Some local medicine and an excellent meal took the pain away.






Then it was back to Pointe de Pietre to drop off Bill for his trip back to the US. Holly, Kitty, and I will make our way up the west coast of Guadeloupe to Deshaies, where we will check out of the country. Then we will bid goodby to the southern Caribbean and head north for a two day passage to St Johns in the USVI. It is amazing to think that we arrived in the Caribbean almost 4 months ago.