Deshaies harbor

The second time is the charm ā€“ we decided to skip Montseratt and get to Guadeloupe to get organized before John & Natalie (Tripā€™s niece & her Dad) arrived. This meant an overnight sail. The only problem was that we didnā€™t anticipate better speed and we donā€™t go into new harbors at night so we wound up having to drift off shore of Deshaies for several hours waiting for daybreak. We tried heaving to, but had too much sail up so went back to drifting.

Deshaies sunset

 

 

Flamingos at the gardens

Deshaies is one of the most charming fishing villages weā€™ve ever visited. Itā€™s a popular place and we had to anchor in 40 feet of water, but we hooked well. Guadeloupe is a French island so I immediately started brushing up on my high school French (later downloaded a dictionary app onto my phone). Thereā€™s really only one main street but itā€™s loaded with cute tourist shops and fabulous restaurants. Thereā€™s one boulangerie in the center of town where weā€™d do croissants or quiche and coffee for breakfast before heading out for the day.

John & Natalie

We were fortunate enough to come across Zen Latitude, the boat we had chatted with during our off-shore passage. Turns out they were in a very similar situation to us, running low on fuel, and had convinced a cargo ship to drop diesel in jerry cans a mile away from them. Sylvie showed us pictures of his messy fuel filters and advised us to think twice about doing the same. Worse yet, they told us that another sailboat made the same request but came alongside the cargo ship and wound up damaging their boat in the process. Theyā€™re heading south so weā€™re hoping to see them again.

New friend at Poisson Rouge

The only thing lacking for Deshaies is a marina or any facility for boats other than the local fishing boats. Luckily a local boat concierge service had just been started by a woman named Anne Laure who became our new best friend. She delivered water for our tanks, took laundry (ouch, so expensive!), and helped us arrange for repairs on the staysail. As I was dropping the staysail after our ride over from Nevis I noted that the top hanks had completely blown and the next several were close to going. Luckily North Sails is operational in Point a Pitre (Guadeloupeā€™s capital), and Anne Laure arranged for the new hanks as well as hand delivering the sail.

Feeding the lorakeets

Aboard Nautilus at the Cousteau Marine Park

We had a day to kill before John & Natalie arrived so we went up to the botanical gardens. After a delightful lunch by the waterfall, we wandered through the gardens enjoying the samples of plants from all over the world that fare well in the Caribbean climate. The birds had to be the highlight though. You can feed the lorakeets which was wild, you can talk to the macaws (though they obviously didnā€™t like my accent and wouldnā€™t answer), and you simply stand there and admire the grace of the flamingoes.

Carbet Waterfalls

Rainbow in Deshaies harbor

 

After a day of missed flights and crazy misdirecting (at one point Delta booked them to Haiti because ā€“ hey – whatā€™s the difference between Point au Prince and Point a Pitre?) John and Natalie made it. Natalie had been our first guest on board over the summer in Block Island and she was the first one to make it to the islands too! They had booked a car, and Guadeloupe is a rather large island, so we made tracks.

The first day we headed south, looking for waterfalls. Unfortunately the map we had was pretty basic and I earned my nickname ā€˜doublebackā€™ by getting us to a trail that would take hours to make it to the waterfalls. We didnā€™t realize that though till we were 45 minutes into the hike. Only the French would pave trails with the most beautiful stone arrangements ā€“ it made you forget (almost) the height we were ascending. Turns out we were on our way up to La Soufriere, the summit of the island. Aside from people coming down warning us that you needed better shoes and jackets (the summit was clouded in that day), we also witnessed a young man with a broken arm, clearly still in shock, being guided down by friends. We turned around and decided there was a better way to find the waterfalls. After an hour of driving downhill, around the southern end of the island and back up, we found it. The Chutes du Carbet are spectacular and because we got there so late in the day there was no competition for a great view and lots of photo opportunities. Unfortunately, after storms and an earthquake in 2004, you can no longer hike directly to the falls because theyā€™re too unstable, but it was a great view anyway.

Second trip to Grand Anse – hiking with Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā Ā  Torben, Judy, Klaus & Karin

After a day of hiking we decided the next day was a beach day. Grand Anse Beach was just north of Deshaies so we made the drive in just a few minutes. The beach is huge and the sand is the most spectacular range of different colors from white to pink to brown to black. There was plenty of room to lounge without feeling crowded and most people wound up just floating in the water for as long as they could take it before they got all pruny. From the beach we headed up to an eco lodge called Tendacayou that Natalie had heard about from someone on the plane. We lucked out and got a table overlooking the ocean at their restaurant Poisson Rouge. It was there we discovered that marlin, a fish for sport only back home in the US, is quite tasty on a skewer. Back in town we strolled through the boutiques and wound up having an early dinner at Paradise Kafe where half the cat population in town found us and were rewarded well with chicken and duck from our plates.

Elusive waterfall hike

For our final day we headed south to the Jacques Cousteau Marine Park in Malendure. There are different dive and snorkeling options, but we opted to take a boat out called the Nautilus. Once they get you out to the islands you walk down into the bilge of the boat which is lined with plexiglass windows. They circle the islands and you get to enjoy the fish and coral in all its beauty. We also had a chance to snorkel as well which was fun if too short.

Grande Anse Beach

John and Natalie had to head back to frigid New York (an 0400 dinghy ride to bring them ashore!) after a much too short visit. Tivoli had arrived the day before, so we had dinner with Torben & Judy at Le Katz. Great to see them again. The next day we were exploring the option of a car rental where we met Jean-Luc & Eva (the owners of the Amel ketch ā€œReve de Luneā€ that we were next to in Nevis). Later that day, they invited us for sundowners (which morphed into dinner, dessert, digestif, etc.). We managed to snag a mooring knowing that stronger winds were coming which required better protection. Turns out we were moored next to Reve de Lune & wound up organizing a dinner party on board. I did the main course but Judy brought a curried mango cheese ball and Eva baked a chocolate cake ā€“ we eat in style in the islands! We may be one of the smaller boats in the harbor but we know who to invite for entertaining!

Guadeloupe lobster special

We also managed to get a booking with one of the local dive companies. The water in Guadeloupe is full of nutrients and some sediment, but the dives were still great. Massive barrel sponges invited exploration and every once in a while youā€™d find a crab or even soft coral growing in the base. There was one new type of coral I have yet to identify that looked like brain coral but was the colors of fruit loops. And the highlight was seeing a frogfish ā€“ looks like a lime green toad in fish form just calmly sitting there. We also saw five Lionfish ā€“ beautiful to look at but a real nuisance with no predators.

Busted Tevas

Point a Pitre market

Judy and Torben organized a hike with another Danish couple Klaus and Karin. The guide books gave a sketchy description and Active Captain (Yelp for boaters) gave even sketchier reviews but we decided to try anyway. The trails disappeared frequently and we were left bouldering up the water which was fun I admit. We finally gave up and tried to bushwack back to the main road only to wind up in the backyard of a local who greeted us with a machete (luckily he was just clearing land and we werenā€™t perceived to be any threat). His wife got us situated on the road and we meandered back to town.

Satisfied kittie at lunch

The next day the same fearsome six had a more successful hike, over the hill back to Grand Anse. Both bases of my Tevas ripped off but I had enough sandal to finish the walk. It was a completely different beach than what we saw with John & Natalie. What had been lapping low waves were now furiously crashing against the shore and the local surf community had come out to enjoy it. Absolutely amazing how high winds and big seas can transform a place. We had lunch at the Hibiscus Restaurant where I had some of the best octopus ever in a tomato creole sauce.

The food in the island is a beautiful mix of French and Caribbean. Fresh or smoked fish is available at every meal. The wine is fabulous (and cheap). Salt cod fritters have become my new favorite appetizer (much better than the conch fritters further north in the BVI). Baguettes available daily. Avocadoes the size of a small childā€™s head. I already mentioned the marlin but the wahoo and tuna here are amazing as well. Goats are all over the island and the goat curry is delicious. And Iā€™m happy to report that Trip can not only eat the Caribbean curries (he canā€™t do Indian at all) but really enjoys them!

Uncle Trippy & Natalie

Trip and I also made it to Point A Pitre two different days. The first time I jumped into the markets and was excited to find spices and fresh fruit galore. Given the 1.5 hour ride back I opted not to get fish as well. We found a dive shop where we were finally able to buy weights to make it easier when weā€™re diving on the bottom of the boat, and I treated myself to a new scuba mask. We visited the Slave Museum on the second visit ā€“ a must see for anyone in the area. While it does not go into the true horrors of slavery, itā€™s a well presented (you could bring children) permanent exhibit about the history of slavery in the Caribbean. They go out of their way to point out that many other cultures have used slavery throughout history and itā€™s still alive and flourishing today. The building itself is a stark piece of art sitting right on the waterfront.