Our sleep was quite disrupted in this bay, with heavy rolling at times, heavy rain at times, and bright moonlight illumination at other times. We seem to be perpetually opening and closing hatches as the grey clouds slip off the mountains and gather across the bay. We woke to sunshine and that is all that matters!
All were keen to head over to Ilets Pigeon for a snorkel. These are two small islands with a small isthmus separating them. They are surrounded by coral reef and abundant fish. The underwater cameras captured beautifully the yellow and green tinted coral in various shapes and sizes, along with schools of brightly coloured fish. Both sides of the islets were explored before returning to Trilogy. A decision was made to stay at this anchorage another night and have a quiet afternoon at leisure. There was one more meal of Paul's 5 kg tuna and before too long with hearty appetites, we gathered around the cockpit table to lunch on Curried Tuna Mornay washed down with an excellent Chilean white wine.
After siestas for some or a brisk long walk for others, we gathered at the beachside cafe for drinks and sunset watching. It was Good Friday and there was nothing open other than the local dive businesses who were doing a roaring trade. Paul and Deb reported that only the local church was open for business and it was packed with locals. The beach was packed with all the tourists and yachties ( there is a difference!) and a few of the local young people strutting their stuff. Back on board just as the last rays of light were fading, some of us prepared Mahi Mahi for dinner while others hit the Rum Punch again!! Deb took on the challenge of making a delicious sauce for the fish, based on coconut milk, lime zest and curry spices. It was a truly delicious meal!
Historically, Gaudeloupe was occupied by the Arawaks about 2000 years ago and then by the warrior-like Caribs. Columbus discovered the island in November 1493 and named the island after a Spanish monastery, Our Lady of Gaudalupa de Estramadura. It was colonised in 1635 by the French but was less well governed than Martinique and Gaudeloupe was taken over by the British in 1759. The Treaty of Paris returned The island to the French, but the English took it back in 1794 and then it was immediately recaptured by a French revolutionary commissar, Victor Hugues. There followed a period of decrees about the issue of slavery but it was not finally abolished until 1848. The local Gaudeloupe Creoles never regained their former power and this has meant that land ownership is largely in the hands of large French companies.
Today, Gaudeloupe has been governed as a department of France, deputies being sent to the French National Assembly. This has some undoubted economic advantages, but has not resolved all of Gaudeloupe's problems. Agriculture, mainly bananas and sugar cane are declining relatively speaking, and after direct subsidies from France, tourism is the island's economic mainstay.
If it wasn't for the islands that surround it, Gaudeloupe would lose a significant part of its tourist appeal. The appeal of Les Saintes' natural beauty is enhanced when it is realised that it was off Les Saintes that the biggest naval battle ever fought in the Caribbean between the French and the British took place in 1782. Admiral Rodney's fleet defeated Comte de Grasse's French squadron. This victory is of special significance as it marks the beginning of the era of British maritime supremacy.