Pastures New

Farewells said to our friends aboard Tam Lin and the new dinghy safely attached to the davits, it was time for us to leave St Martin and head south. Needing to be out of the hurricane belt between June and November, we had decided to sail to down to Trinidad and Tobago – a new place for us to visit.

Leaving St Martin, our first stop was another new destination, the islands of St Kitts and Nevis. This was a passage of just 70nm and it should have been a pleasant overnight sail to arrive in the early hours the following morning. I say, ‘should have been’, but it wasn´t! The wind was good, generally Force 5 (17-21 knots). Unfortunately, as it was from E/NE, we were sailing almost directly into it, meaning progress was slow. Along with this, the weather was very grey and extremely damp. To make matters even worse, as we approached St Kitts, we were hit with very heavy squalls. The worst was 6nm wide and it was with us for just over 30 minutes. The winds were Force 6 (22-27 knots), but gusting up to Force 8 (34-40 knots). All of this combined to give us a higher sea state and, consequently, some of the worst sailing conditions we have ever had!!

One reason for choosing this bay was the ability to check in at the nearby Christophe Harbour Marina. Once safely anchored, it was a quick dinghy ride to the beach followed by a short walk to the marina offices, complete with customs and immigration staff. Formalities finished quickly, we were hoping for a relaxing coffee at the little café advertised on the marina website. We were disappointed that it, along with the other shops, was closed. It was all very strange – a newish and quite large marina with only three boats and limited facilities…almost a ghost town.

From Nevis, we made our way back to Guadeloupe. Again we had good winds, Force 5 (17-21 knots) from E gusting Force 6 (22-27 knots). Wanting to sail, we headed on a SE course and Escapade was close hauled at 5-7 knots. The final part of the passage was directly east, so it was a course change and on with the engine.

By passing Deshaies, we headed straight for Pigeon Island. This is part way down the west coasting it meant we could to do a few more dives in one of our favourite dive spots, Jacques Cousteau Marine Reserve.

As we have our own kit on board, we always dive independently here. Unfortunately, we are finding that this is becoming harder to do. Anchoring is understandably prohibited in the Reserve and there are maintained mooring buoys to use for short periods. Over time, more of these have been converted to commercial buoys, and, on this visit there were only three available for private use. Luckily, we were coming towards the end of the season, so there were less visiting boats.  With careful timing we managed to get in three dives: Japanese Gardens, Source des Eaux Chaudes and the wreck of Fran Jack.

As usual the Reserve did not disappoint. The visibility was good and the vibrant colours and varied marine life made for interesting dives. Watch the video to share some of our experiences here.

As well as excellent diving, the anchorage is also great for provisioning. We can easily take the dinghy to Carrefour, Leaderprice and an amazing bakery. Oh and also a super self service laundry. All of the important things for a life aboard.

Continuing south, we decided to sail to another new destination. Marie Galante. Still part of Guadeloupe, it is an island to the south east of the mainland and several of our friends had recommended stopping there.

The following day the 17nm turned into 33nm and almost 7 hours of tacking into the easterly wind.

It was worth it though. The main anchorage at Saint Louis is a large bay with plenty of room to anchor. holding is good if you spot the sand patches in between sea grass.