We were aiming from the southeastern corner of Antigua to the north western corner of Guadeloupe. This meant that we were on a broad reach, possibly the best point of sail for KODA. As such, we cruised right along, occasionally being doused by the transient rain squalls. We made good time, and pulled into a broad and deep bay on the corner of Guadeloupe. Being part of France, there were no special clearance procedures, and we were able to complete all entry requirements online. Upon dropping the anchor we recognized that there was a long, rolling swell coming in. Although this is not the best for sleeping, it can create waves, and sure enough, there was a little right breaking on the rocks not far from shore. I paddled from the boat, and enjoyed a few short rides.

Working our way south along the west coast of Guadeloupe, we battled light and variable wind. This is typical on the leeward side of all the islands, and since Guadeloupe is the biggest the effects are most pronounced. It requires patience and adaptability to sail, especially when everyone else is motoring and making much better time. Nevertheless we persisted, and made it to a deep anchorage just past Pigeon Island, where a Jacques Cousteau marine reserve is located. We had a couple really nice snorkeling sessions here, practicing our freediving in the clear, still water. There is a bust of the Cousteau on the bottom of the ocean in about 40 feet of water. We also enjoyed a nice dinner in town; French food with a Caribe flavor.

One morning we got up early, and walked up to a waterfall. I was expecting it to be a normal trail to another tourist attraction, but it turned out to be quite different from that. The trail slowly deteriorated until we were picking our way up a creek bed with pieces of fixed line in place over the tricky sections. After more boulder scrambling we got to a series of plunges and pools that were topped by a 60 meter waterfall, and a large, deep, clear pool. We swam and sat around on rocks for an hour or so. The water was fresh and cool, something we hadn’t encountered in over a year. Swimming in fresh water approached a religious experience. It felt like the year old salt crust was dissolving, and the cold water was an invigorating contrast to the heat of the day, and the heat of the last year at sea.

Raising sail once again, we had a slow sail around to the south corner of the island, where we spent a night before having good wind to take us around to Les Saintes, an island group about 10 miles off the coast of Guadeloupe. These are popular islands, and people with sailboats flock here. This makes the anchorages crowded. We anchored in deep water, and endured three nights of gusty winds and rolly sleep before heading on. We sailed back east, towards Saint Francois. It was a nice day for sailing, and we made it in one tack. Our last time here we were with Matt, and only stayed a few days. This time we were prepared to settle in. We picked out a nice spot, in shallower water than most boats can tolerate, and dropped anchor. We stayed for 17 days.

A lot of our friends came through. Daniel and Miriam on Nava, Elliot and Anise on Pressure Drop. We also spent time hanging out with Dawn and JP from Escapade. This was especially cool for me, since I had started following JP’s blog years ago. He probably has the best blog of any Outremer owner, and was setting the standard for what I think boat life should be. They are always looking for remote spots, and are a foiling/ windsurfing/ surfing focused boat. Many cruisers look with disdain on any anchorage that isn’t a short dingy ride from a bar, but Escapade is always in the coolest remote spots, and taking full advantage of whatever conditions present themselves. Although Escapade, the boat, is in Indonesia, Dawn and JP had rented a house on the waterfront at Saint Francois and were here for the winter. We spent some nice days with them, and did a lot of laundry. They hosted a dinner party where we met some locals from Guadeloupe, which provided us with another view of the island we have come to regard as one of our favorites in the area.

We rented a car for a couple days and went on shopping and waterfall adventures with Nava and Pressure Drop. I failed to stay awake for the Mardi Gras parade, and we ate some good food at a variety of local restaurants. Our favorite remains the crepe place on the waterfront with Breton cider.

Most days we foiled. The wind in Saint Francois is smooth, coming in over the reef from the open ocean. Most days it blows in the 15-17 knot range, perfect for the foil. At the top of the lagoon there is a gap in the reef where you can exit into the open ocean, and ride swell bumps for a couple miles downwind, to a soft wave breaking over reef. There are a variety of things to do on the foil, and we both progressed significantly while we were there. We bought a few more foils and Kate ordered a custom board that will be ready for pickup when we return. We were settling into a routine, and the boat was growing a fur of marine growth on the bottom. It was time to leave.

We pulled up anchor and navigated down between the boats and out the channel where we unfurled the genoa and drifted five miles downwind to Sainte Anne, where JP was competing in a wavesailing competition. We watched a couple of his heats, but it was rolly, and we wanted to get back to Les Saintes, so we headed out, arriving in too much wind with a little daylight left. The main anchorage was a carnage of waves and wind, so we went around the Pain du Sucre and picked out a spot in deep water. Although it was less than ideal, we made it work.

Our friends Greg and Maggie from Prevail were there, and it was Maggie’s birthday. We enjoyed a couple of days with them, eating dinner on their boat (which was delicious) and being treated to a nice dinner ashore as well. It was great to reconnect with them, as we had first met them in the Saronic Gulf of Greece. They were headed north to prepare the boat for racing, and we were going south, to check out the rest of the Antilles. On our third morning we pulled up our anchor chain (with some difficulty) and pointed the bows south, towards Dominica.