Lavers cruise continues:

January 24: We talk to Chris, the diver, at length. He has used anchors, but they are much too large for Singoalla. Finally a bit of good luck – The Golden Hind chandlery has a stainless Bruce anchor that someone reneged on a special order for. We get it for a very reasonable price. Nautool drills a hole in it for the bow roller pin, and Hoagie delivers it to us at the marina. Elisabeth gives Singoalla a much needed fresh water bath, and we set off for Great Harbor on Peter Island. We sail over under partial jib with motor assist – about ½ hour. We elect to pick up a mooring; it would be a shame to get our shiny new anchor dirty. We spend a quiet afternoon, reading to music from the iPod, then a spaghetti dinner and a movie, The Royal Tenenbaums. It is a very strange movie.

January 25: Just the two of us. We have a moderate air beat around Beef Island and pick up a mooring in Trellis Bay. We eat lunch on board, then shop for supplies at the pitiful little market ashore on the beach. We look at our blog for the first time at the Internet café, then meet Mats and Gunilla at the airport, which is only a five minute walk from Trellis Bay. Dinner on board: pork chops in a tomato and black bean sauce.

January 26 – January 27: An eventful two days. After breakfast we motor to Lee Bay to get an approximate location of our old anchor so the diver can look for it while we are away. Then we have a nice light air beat to Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda. The weather is finally favorable for the beat to St. Martin, and we plan to clear out from the BVI there. We see Rockhopper – they plan to sail to St. Martin on Monday. Buck’s Market yields the best provisioning we have seen in the BVI. We leave about 2:00 and motor slowly south along the island to get a good look at the Baths and the beaches. We round Round Rock about 3:00 for a fantastic overnight beat to St. Martin. Except for a quick squall just before 10:00, it is about as perfect a night sail as you can get. Dolphins pay us a visit – always fun. – followed by a spectacular sunset. Half moon rises about 10:00. We are a always within sight of a couple of other boats, and are passed slowly by a cruise ship that is dawdling to arrive at St. Martin by daylight. We arrive at Marigot Bay on the north, French side of the island, about 10:30 a.m., but by the time we have launched the dinghy and made our way to shore the customs office has closed for the day. We have a nice lunch at a quay-side restaurant, then Larry takes two buses to the airport to meet Craig and Ebba while everyone else takes (cold) showers at the nearby marina. Back at Marigot, Larry showers while the ladies prepare a magnificent shrimp dinner. The anchorage turns out to be very open to the north swells, so it is not a very comfortable place to spend the night.

January 28: Mats, Gunilla and Larry hurry in to Marigot to clear in at 8:00, only to find that customs doesn’t open until 8:30, regardless of what it says in the guide book. As compensation we find a really good bakery for croissants and a baguette. Finally cleared n, we have a great breakfast on board. Larry, Craig and Ebba then take the dinghy in to Simpson Lagoon to the US Supermarket. Back on board, we sail immediately for Road Bay, Anguilla. The wind is from the WEST, unheard of around here. Very pleasant reach around Anguillita, and a run to Road Bay. We are not impressed by all the construction we see along the shore, it gives the area an almost industrial appearance. Once again we arrive after customs closes, but find a very nice little restaurant, the Dolphin, where we have several beers and conch fritters as an appetizer. The waitress gives Larry a “Dolphin Jump”, a drink made with tequila and sprite, on the condition that he drink it in one gulp. We revise our first opinion of the island for the better. We eventually make our way back on board and Ebba prepares a nice dinner of grilled chicken with mango sauce. We are relieved when the freighter at the nearby pier leaves in the early evening, and get a much deserved restful sleep.

January 29: Larry and Craig go ashore at 8:30 to clear in and out. The wind is still from the northwest. We sail around St. martin, past Simpson bay. Off Phillipsburg we see four 12 meter sloops “racing” with about 20 passengers on board each. Two of them are versions of Dennis Connors’ Stars and Stripes. We reach past Ile Forchue at 7 knots, wind back in the northeast where it belongs, too late for the hoped for snorkel stop. We anchor off Gustavia and clear into this Greenwich of Caribbean islands, stunned by the quantity of gold-plated mega yachts. We have dinner at a very nice bistro on the dock, and nurse the last bit of dinghy fel upwind to Singoalla. We arrive wet but happy. A little wine in the cockpit leads to a very pleasant night.

The guys relax in the cockpit

January 30: A day ashore at St. Barths. Gunilla, Elisabeth and Larry go in by dinghy to the commercial port to get dinghy fuel. The pump is closed for the day while a hose that must be 300 meters long delivers fuel from a ship anchored in the bay. Gunilla, with her fluent French, gets a ride to the airport where she is able to get fuel. . Elisabeth walks to town and finds her longed-for WiFi hot spot in the tourist office. Gunilla walks to town with the garbage – a service above and beyond the call of duty – while Larry returns to Singoalla to pick up the rest of the crew. Reassembled in town, resplendent in the Singoalla cruise tee shirts that were supplied by the children at Christmas, we explore the town. Larry finds the bilge pump at a good price. Lunch at the Route des Boucaniers is followed by a walk to the Swedish Fort Oscar, which is now occupied by the gendarmerie, and to the light house that overlooks the harbor. Back on board, Ebba and Gunilla perform their magic in the galley, preparing a delicious sole dinner, while Elisabeth revels in not being chef on board.

Gustavia from Fort Oscar

Gustavia from Fort Oscar again

Gold Platers in Gustavia harbor from the lighthouse

St. Barths was once Swedish

Streets in Gustavvia still have Swedish names

Showing off our new crew shirts

January 31: We decide that Antigua, our planned destination, is too far and too much upwind. St. Kitts seems like a nice alternative – we can see it directly south of us. We make the mistake of towing the dinghy. We sail downwind with reefed main and very little main at 7+ knots. Seas are 6 to 9 feet. The dinghy does acrobatics, including turning around so it is being pulled backwards with the bridle going under the bow towards the stern. Miraculously it does not flip over. The ancour that Erik found at Sandy Cay pops out and acts as a very heavy drogue. We decide to stop and try to bring the dinghy on deck as we should have done in the first place, but just then the anchor line pulls completely through the retaining hole, and it sinks in 2,000 feet of water. St. Kitts proves to be a beautiful island, and the sail down the coast in the lee of the island is idyllic. But Basseterre is a disappointing harbor, totally without charm. We get there just after customs is closed (!). There is no room in the new concrete marina. Mats and Larry take the dinghy under the big concrete cruising ship pier to the concrete commercial port to clear in and out. After they get back, we all have a glass of wine on board then go ashore to explore the town. We wander around a lot of closed shops, but finally find a very nice garden restaurant on Princes Street, where we have a wonderful dinner. It is amazing how a good meal can send everyone to bed in a good mood.

Mats drives while Larry and Ebba relax on the way to St. Kitts

February 1: Everyone but Larry goes ashore for a shower. Larry installs the new bilge pump acquired in St. barths. The wiring is complicated, but it finally works. We go into the marina for fuel and water, then sail past Nevis and Redonda about 35 miles to Montserrat – a one-legged beat in about 20 knots apparent wind speed. The volcano, which erupted in 1995, is very impressive. We plan to anchor in Little Bay and clear in at customs, but the swells are so uncomfortable that we decide to go down to Old Road Bay, right at the foot of one of the old ash flows. The golf course there has completely disappeared, and the shore is several hundred yards farther out than it used to be. It is still very rolly, but much better than Little bay. We fly the quarantine flag and never go ashore. Ebba prepares a magnificent coq au vin, and we enjoy a good wine selected by Mats. Gunilla declares that she has to sleep. Everyone thinks that is a wonderful idea and we have yet another early-to-bed evening.

We have learned our lesson about towing the dinghy!

The volcano at Montserrat

February 2: We make an early departure around the south end of Montserrat, and have breakfast underway. We have to stay two miles off shore because of the “exclusion zone” around the volcano. Another one-legged beat to Guadeloupe – a really nice sail except for the repetitive small rain squalls that dampen out clothes but not our spirits. We motor the final couple of miles to Deshaies, a pretty little town in a well protected harbor on the northwest corner of the Basse Terre part of Guadeloupe. But customs is seldom open, and that includes when we are there. We fly the quarantine flag and go in by dinghy to confirm that customs is closed. Mats, Craig and Larry have a beer in a small restaurant while the ladies shop for dinner and Elisabeth as usual tours the local church. We all wait out a rain squall in the restaurant and then return to the boat. Boarding the dinghy from the high concrete pier is an adventure, but we manage. Ebba once again has the opportunity to show off her culinary skills, preparing a wonderful fish ceole that melts in the mouth. Melon and cookies for dessert. Altogether a most satisfactory day.

Larry finds that sometimes it is best to let Otto steer

Rain squalls can come suddenly even when the sky looks blue

McArts prepare dinner while Larry relaxes with a book and a glass of wine in the aft cabin

February 3:Larry and Mats go to the boulangerie for croissants and a baguette for breakfast. Then we start south along Guadeloupe’s west coast for Riviere le Sens, where there is a marina and customs. We plan to stop at the Cousteau underwater park at Pigeon Island. Unfortunately, it is blowing about 25 knots and gusting substantially higher when we get there, so we pass on the opportunity to go snorkeling. Half an hour later the wind stops completely! We slow the engine to a crawl and have a delightful lunch while Otto (our autopilot) steers the boat. After lunch we set sail and arrive at Riviere le Sens in the early afternoon. We can’t raise anyone at the marina by VHF, so we anchor just outside the entrance. We dinghy ashore to find essentially everything but one restaurant closed on Sunday afternoon. That includes customs, so the yellow quarantine flag continues to fly. We walk the two miles or so into Basse Terre – after a Chinese fire drill in which everyone seems to go different directions and we can’t seem to get everyone together. There is a very nice new promenade along the shore where everyone gathers to watch the sunset. They are also preparing for the carnival holiday that begins Monday. A group of friendly policemen advise us that just about all the restaurants in town are closed, so we decide to go back to the marina and its lone open restaurant. We have a pleasant dinner, but the service can best be characterized by the phrase “island time”. Returning to Singoalla, we collapse early; again.

Ebba and Gunilla enjoy the last night in Basse Terre

February 4: Larry and Mats take the dinghy into the marina in the perpetual search for the customs people. The guide book says they may be there between 7 a.m. and noon, but they are not. OK, so the trip is not a total loss, we acquire the now customary croissants and baguette from the local boulangerie. After a nice breakfast we bring the bags into the dock and the Bolinders and McArts say their farewells. The local tourist office manager takes on the role of taxi driver. Larry and Elisabeth make a substantial contribution to the town’s economy at the local Laundromat, then immediately set off for Pointe a Pitre. We have a nice ride down the lee side of the island to Pointe du Vieux Fort, but when we round the point we are greeted by winds blowing 25-30 knots on the nose and some pretty rough seas. Our poor little motor can only drive us at about 3 knots into that combination. It becomes obvious that wee will not make PP before dark, and we must choose between diverting to Les Iles des Saintes or returning to Riviere Sens. We opt for the latter and soon are at anchor again about 50 feet from where we were last night. We relax for the afternoon, have a nice omelette for dinner and struggle to stay awake until 8:30. Elisabeth finds a secret stash of Toblerone brought by Ebba that had been totally forgotten. Mmmm!

A farewell picture taken by Mats

Pointe du Vieux Fort – before we round

Elisabeth relaxes at anchor in Basse Terre

Larry also relaxes in Basse Terre

February 5: Just the two of us on board. The boat suddenly feels much larger. We raise the anchor about 8:00. Today is holiday (mardi gras, or carnival), and we feel that there is no reason to take another fruitless run at customs. We motor down the coast and round Pointe du Vieux Fort again. Both the winds and the seas have moderated since yesterday, so we motor alng tahe south coast, then sail up the windward side of Basse Terre to PP. A little effort on the VHF finally wakes the harbormaster and we dock at the giant Marina Bas du Fort. Guess what? Customs and all the stores are closed until tomorrow. We wash the salt off Singoalla and have a really nice steack frites at La Rose des Vent. Coffee and a little wine on board – a quiet and restful evening.