Today we are going to Marie Galante, an island we have never visited before, and grouped, along with Iles des Saintes, as part of Guadeloupe. Mike decides that Johanne and I can go ashore to visit the shops which were closed yesterday as long as we are ready to go by 9am. We are only a bit late but he takes us anyway. I then discover the reason he has given in to our shopping desires is that he actually wants to go ashore himself. OK, only to buy a chisel, but even so.
Only one of the shops is open for us and has nothing we want to buy so that was a waste of time. We go to the supermarket hoping that it will be more stocked than yesterday. It isn’t and all we can get that we need is bread.
We set off to look at a little anchorage on the way round to Marie Galante and immediately we round the corner the sea becomes very rough - the wind is on the nose, gusting around 26 knots. Very unpleasant. We pull into the little anchorage, Marigot, and have breakfast of smoked salmon baguettes (Johanne has hard boiled egg – how can any friend of mine not like smoked salmon?).
Even this anchorage is rolly and uncomfortable but after a couple of hours it seems to calm down a little and we decide to make a run for Marie Galante after all.
Pulling out of the anchorage we meet the full force of the wind again and slap unpleasantly straight into the waves. After ten minutes or so, and knowing that there is about 2 hours of this ahead if we are to make it to Marie Galante, we decide that we don’t want to go there enough to put up with the journey and turn the boat round, heading back to Bourg de Saintes, where, as before, all is calm.
We spend the afternoon reading although Johanne goes in for a swim later on then showers off the back of the boat – a real yachtie!
Photo: Johanne doing her best starfish impression
Photo: A lovely hug
Unfortunately the weather takes a turn for the worse and when I say the heavens open, they really open. It absolutely buckets it down and we scurry to close all the hatches. After about 10 minutes of sheet rain I recall that I saw the hatch over Johanne and Steve’s bed open during the afternoon and casually ask Steve if he shut it. He says yes, but goes to check anyway. Guess what? He hadn’t, and their bed is now soaking wet.
Luckily there are plenty of spare mattresses and he changes things over but is not in Johanne’s good books for a while. At least rain water dries out better than sea water.
Eventually the rain stops and after drying the dinghy out so we don’t get wet bottoms we head off for dinner. Again, most places are closed, in fact, even more are closed tonight as Wednesday seems to be the general mid-week closing day. We settle for Le Mambo, a cheap and cheerful pizza bar. The meal is OK, I just choose badly I think. Oh well.
At least the walk back to dinghy is dry as it hasn’t rained again, although whether Johanne and Steve’s bed is better I don’t know.
I think it's the boobs one has that makes women float like "starfish". You should hear my grandkids hoot when I do that. I can cross my ankles even in fresh water...grinning here.
ReplyDeleteYeah Wednesday seems to be the universal day of closures around the world. It is here in Canada in the small towns too.
Cheers...N
So, I'm not the only one who has trouble with the hatches Mike!
ReplyDeleteI was reminded about that incident, (and I am sure we would both rather forget it) by Pete this week when we hired a lovely sailing cruiser on the broads for a couple of days. The weather here is perfect and yet almost all the holidaymakers are gone. There wasn't another boat on Hickling Broad or Horsey Mere. we had 3 great days - certainly beats working.
Terry