Martinique to Iles des Saintes – 21/04/11

In the middle of the night Mike decides not to stay another day in St Pierre and sets the alarm for 5 am.  We get the anchor up and slip out as the sun starts to come up, noticing that Wild Tigris leave about half an hour after us but overtake us easily with their much bigger engine.

Photos:  Leaving St Pierre at sunrise

It’s a day for motor sailing although I don’t really think that the main gives us any help at all.  At one point we have two knots of current against us and have to use both engines to power us along, burning through gallons of diesel no doubt.

The sea is dead flat calm and there are only a few other yachts around.  We leave Martinique and after a few miles of open sea, start to pass the wild and lush green coastline of Dominica.

 Photo:  Dominica

The wind situation doesn’t change at all and at 4.30 pm we turn right out of the Caribbean Sea and into the channel between the Iles des Saintes, past the windmills on Terre d’en Bas and the conspicuous rock, Pain a Sucre, then into the town anchorage of Terre d’en Haut.  It’s beautifully familiar as we have been here for down island trips as well as wonderful holidays with Johanne and Steve.

Photo:  The town of Bourg des Saintes

Mike reckons that the best meal he has ever eaten was here at the restaurant Ti Kaz’la (beef carpaccio followed by stuffed pig’s trotters).  We watch through the binoculars to see if the shutters come up tonight.  Neither of us is hungry enough to go out for a good meal, preferring to go tomorrow night.  However, being Easter weekend we are not sure whether it will be open then so immediately I see the shutters up, I am on the phone reserving a table for tomorrow as, wonderful news, they tell me they will be open.

Photo:  Anchor down with Guadeloupe in the background

Sitting in the cockpit, the setting sun puts on one of the most amazing displays.  The sky lights up in different hues of blue, yellow, orange and eventually bright red.  The reflection on the water makes it look like we are anchored in a sea of blood.  It is extraordinarily beautiful.  Mother Nature is amazing.  I actually film it as well as take photographs as the scene changes before my eyes because then I can prove that I didn’t fiddle with the colours.

Photos:  An amazing sunset changes before our eyes

We eat dinner on board and watch a little Ab Fab before retiring, my head still full of the colours of the sunset.

 

Our position is:  14 deg 44 min N, 61 deg 10 min W

Distance so far:  24821 nautical miles