Guadeloupe to St. Martin - out for a Sunday Drive La 18.03.0'N Lo 63.05.9'W Anchor to Anchor - Deshaies, Guadeloupe to Simpson Bay Lagoon, St. Martin - 138 miles - 26 hours We lifted anchor in Deshaies, Guadeloupe at l000 hours, February 20, 2010 and set sail in superb conditions - wind E-NE, averaging 12 knots, swell E-SE. At 1610 hours, while making excellent time, we had the north end of Montserrat abeam. Visible off our port bow were the islands of "The Kingdom of" Redonda, Nevis and St. Kitt's, abeam of us starboard was Antigua and off our stern Guadeloupe. By the time we had St. Kitt's (St Christopher) abeam our port we lost the wind and after "bobbing" and hoping for 3 hours for it to pick up again we fired up the diesel. By the time we reached our destination of St. Martin we had been motoring on our Sunday drive for 10 hours. As we were abeam of Statia (Sint Eustatius) the impending front finally found us and we endured heavy rainfall on two occasions on our approach to St. Martin. Tired and wet, we tried to nap in Simpson Bay beside the airport runway as we awaited the 1730 bridge opening to access the shelter of the lagoon. At 1800 hours we dropped anchor beside the "witches tit" amidst a crowd of other boats already assembled. During the past 10 days we have sailed over 300 miles and stopped at 4 different islands along the way, all of them French - Martinique, Iles Des Saintes, Guadeloupe and St. Martin. We truly do enjoy the French culture.

Guadeloupe - Deshaies La 16.18.3'N Lo 61.48.5'W Anchor to Anchor - The Saintes to Deshaies, Guadeloupe - 36 miles - 7 hours As suggested by Robin (Ngoma) we took the opportunity of resting over-night, on our way north to St. Martin, in Deshaies located on Guadeloupe's north-west corner. Once inside the field of fish-nets surrounding the harbour we had a good view of Montserrat's active volcano 30 miles off in the distance. We thought we might be able to see a glow in the darkness but non was visible however we did find Sea Star covered in black soot in the morning. While enjoying a pleasant breakfast in town one of the many dive operators located in this bay obviously undid the clevis holding the chain to our dinghy and moved her out of sight. We returned to find our chain still securely locked to the dock but no dinghy at the end of it. A few anxious minutes later we found her tied in another part of the dock. All was well. Whew.

The Saintes - A French playground La - 15.52.01'N Lo 61.35.15'W Anchor to Anchor - Le Marine, Martinique to Terre D'en Haut - Iles Des Saintes 128 miles - 22 hours We left Martinique as it was in the midst of Carnival. As we slipped north along the coast the beat of the music could be clearly heard off shore. We had a lumpy but very fast ride north in a southeast 15-20 knot breeze, as we surfed along on a southeast swell. At dawn, as we reached Dominica's north coast, we encountered squalls, 25 knot winds with a large swell on our starboard side coming in from the south east. Fortunately we didn't have far to travel before we joined the crowd of yachts anchored in the lee of the Saintes. Since the carnival celebration was going on as well here the customs office was closed and it would be four days later, as we were attempting to clear out, that we would finally get cleared in. While at the Saintes we joined the crowd of French tourists at play. Each morning the ferries would make their way in the 7 miles from Guadeloupe. The few roads there are in the Saintes are too narrow for cars. This prompts a brisk scooter rental business. The daily crowd would spend their day shopping, swimming, sun-bathing, kite-boarding, wind surfing, sailing hobie cats, kayaking, dining in the fine restaurants, snorkeling, exploring the forts or just "bombing" around on the scooters from site to site. At the end of the day the ferries would return them all back to Guadeloupe and those of us left on the Saintes would heave a collective sigh of relief. While here an expenditure of 8 Euros allowed us excellent wi-fi access from on board. As we sat out on anchor under the stars we talked on skype and emailed well into the night.

Ngoma in Martinique Le Marin, Martinique La 14.27.98'N Lo 060.52.63'W Anchor to Anchor - Admiralty Bay, Bequia to Le Marin, Martinique - 24 hours - 109 miles We stopped in Martinique with the hopes of connecting up with our good friends, Robin and Sandra on Ngoma. As we neared shore we were absolutely thrilled when they answered our first call on the vhf radio. While we enjoyed Robin and Sandra's company for 4 days, we explored Marin, the yachting capital of Martinique and relished in the French ambiance. We were in awe as we visited the Jesuit church, built in l766. With interest we watched as the local yole boats sailed about the harbour. To balance the boat, as wind fills the sail, crew members must slide their weight along poles that extend out the side of the boat - a real balancing act, for sure. Not to be outdone by the yole boat sailors were the hang-gliders who daily rode (in tandem) the thermal currents on the hill beside us. It was hard to wave good-bye to our dear friends Robin and Sandra on Ngoma. Our time together with them has expanded our perspective on life. We were constantly fascinated to hear of their journey - where life has taken them, their family, their diving excursions and of course, their home in Zimbabwe. Robin and Sandra will forever be a part of us.

Valentine's Day in France - Martinique Since Martinique is a province of France, it proved to be a perfect setting for a couple of romantic old fools on Valentine's Day. The local market was filled with gorgeous flowers - ginger-lilies, antherium and bird of paradise to name a few. In the courtyard two prickly pear trees caught our attention. During our stay in Martinique the Soufriere volcano (l85 miles north of us) on the island of Montserrat was erupting prompting N.O.A.A. to issue an ash advisory. Sea Star was coated in a layer of ash for several days. As a matter of interest, in the Customs office in Martinique, there are several large signs posted advising travellers regarding "knock-off" items (copyrighted material). It is illegal to bring in any imitation designer clothing, leather belts, handbags, shoes, perfume etc. One sign shows a guy wearing a pair of sunglasses and reads, "If you're hiding behind these, we'll find you". This is obviously an effort to protect France's lucrative fashion industry. The fine, if caught with copyright infringement merchandise is 300,000 Euros and 3 years imprisonment.

Bequia - the Grahams Before we set off cruising in the summer of '06 we had the good fortune of visiting Garry and Linda Graham in Port Stanley. At that time they had made 3 passes along the (Caribbean) island chain in their boat "July Indian" (Niagara 42). They kindly answered a multitude of questions that we asked. We were introduced to Garry and Linda by their nephew Chris (Susan's partner). We have kept in contact with "July Indian" as we both cruised in the southern Caribbean but it was not until now that we would finally drop anchor in the same location at the same time. As an added bonus we had the great pleasure of meeting Glen (Chris' Dad) and Michelle as they were enjoying a 6 week vacation on land in Bequia. We shared a very memorable evening together and were grateful for their kind hospitality.

Bequia - Superbowl Sunday 13.00.3'N, 61.15.0'W Anchor to Anchor - Tobago Cays to Bequia - 6 hours - 28 miles We enjoyed a perfect sail in light winds (NE-E 15-20 knots) from the Tobago Cays to Bequia. We are always fascinated by Bequia's age-old traditions of boat building, fishing and whaling. Under International agreement St. Vincent and the Grenadines has been granted aboriginal whaling rights by the International Whaling Commission because it is considered a true cultural tradition, providing food for the islanders. It allows Bequia's small group of whalermen to harpoon no more than 4 whales per year. Boat building remains an honoured calling in Bequia, whether in life or minature size, using tools and techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation. We purchased a locally crafted (toy) coconut boat. The Easter Regatta, held annually in Bequia even offers a coconut boat race category. We enjoyed a fun night out with a Superbowl party crowd at an open-air restaurant/bar on the waterfront as we cheered the Saints on to victory. Once the initial power supply problem was resolved, the projector t.v. that was brought in for the occasion, saw the game through. We've found the locally made yogurt is a truly yummy treat. It is offered in irresistible flavours such as guava, pineapple, ginger, plumrose, banana, vanilla and cinnamon. A severe winter storm in the North Atlantic is causing us to bounce around in a north swell in Bequia as we await a weather window of calmer seas before we move on.

Tobago Cays 12.37.79'N, 61.21.4'W The Tobago Cays are a cluster of 5 tiny, uninhabited islands collectively sheltered from the open sea by the appropriately named Horseshoe reef. The shallow water of the lagoon surrounding the Cays inspires an ever-changing kaleidoscope of blues, greens and seemingly limitless shades of aquamarine. The Tobago Cays are considered the most scenic anchorage in the Grenadines. We spent hours snorkelling in the crystal clear shallow water amongst millions of reef fish of every size and colour imaginable. We also snorkelled at the edge of the white sand beach over the sea grass bed with no less than 8 green and hawksbill turtles feeding around us. They didn't seem to mind us swimming along-side them, though they were much better swimmers. The green turtles average from 100 to 200 pounds while the hawksbill turtles average 30 to 100 pounds. While relaxing on board we were entertained by the kite boarders as they caught the trade winds (15-20 knots) yet enjoyed the calm water inside the reef.

Living the dream A few steps across the low land from Salt Whistle Bay is another beach, on the windward side, edging a gorgeous reef. The view north-east is to the island of Canouan and to the east are the Tobago Cays. Breath-takingly beautiful.

Paradise Found - Salt Whistle Bay, Mayreau 12.39.0'N, 61.23.7'W On route to the Tobago Cays we made a day stop at Salt Whistle Bay in Mayreau. This beautiful bay has a sweeping half-moon beach. Salt Whistle Bay Club Resort is discretely hidden in the palms tucked away behind it. We relaxed over cold drinks in the resort's dining area which is set in the open among the trees, each table built of stone with its own thatched roof.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines St. Vincent and the Grenadines make up one country. The Grenadines are, without question, one of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world. St. Vincent is located 160 km. west of Barbados and the Grenadines extend 72 km. to the south-west of St. Vincent, like a kite's tail. They include Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Young Island, Mayreau, Union Island, Palm Island and Petit St. Vincent.