Gosier is named for the pelicans that are indigenous to the area. They are still around, and can often be seen in the morning, perched on the island ferry as it sits at its mooring, the birds observing what is going on around them.
The anchorage in Gosier has reefs and a small island to the south and the east, and the body of the main island on the north, making this a fairly well protected anchorage. It also makes for a well protected beach that enjoys a great deal of use by a variety of people. This beach is in the middle of town, with easy access by car and bus, and is very close to the main city of Pointe a Pitre. This makes for a good place to people watch.
In the morning, around the time the church bells start chiming at 6:00 am, we can already hear voices in the water and on the beach from the fitness crowd. There is a regular collection of people that go to the beach in the morning to do distance swimming, water aerobics, beach running or circuit training work (or a combination of these). There are the hard core, gotta get it done bunch, and the ones who seem to be more social than sweating. They are a nice bunch, and quite inclusive of new people. Every morning when I go ashore with the dinghy (still rowing!) I often see the same faces and we exchange “Bonjours” and other greetings, or exchange our workout plans. It’s nice. At the entrance to the park is a van selling fresh fish, and there is a man selling some fruit out of the back of his vehicle by the showers on the beach.
After about 9:00, the crowd changes over to the tourists and the beach limers. This includes families on vacation to the tropics, with parents playing in the sand and water with their children, and others who don’t realise just how cooked they are getting in the sun (we have seen some very impressive shades of red). Locals also come to the beach to enjoy the relative tranquility, with easy access, of the area, usually finding the best (shady) places to enjoy their time by the sea. Vendors set up by the parking lot, with homemade ice cream, bokits (a local version of a “bake”) and other lunch possibilities if one doesn’t want to dress to wander up to the road for other choices.
Towards the end of the afternoon, the crowd transitions back into those seeking some exercise, and more swimmers with buoys dot the anchorage, while more people run the length of the beach.
Friday evenings there is a wonderful open air market at the park adjacent to the beach area, chock full of local produce, ready made treats, a butcher van and fresh fish. Arts and crafts also abound. And all of it is locally grown, produced or made. One can graze along trying Guadeloupan delicacies, all at very reasonably prices (accras, or small fish cakes, at 7 for a Euro!). There is a great deal of the very colourful Madras print that is iconic of the island.
And the pelicans just keep watching and fishing.