"A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT"

Guadeloupe's two main islands
look like a lopsided butterfly.

The ‘wings’are separated by a naviagable river
and we had a plan.

But wait. Getting there is half the fun. Right?

So let’s slow down a bit.

We couldn’t come to Guadeloupe without spending
some time in The Saintes, a collection of islands
off the southwest corner of  the main islands.

Bourg des Saintes, the only town there, 
is colourful and charming.

And in addition to bistros and baguettes,
there are beaches to enjoy.

Plage de Pompierre ……

Plage de Figuier ……

And the beach at Marigot Bay ……

The next stop was Pointe a Pitre,
the largest city in Guadeloupe.

We hadn’t seen high rises like these since Florida, in fact the whole experience coming into Pointe a Pitre was very reminiscent of the ICW heading into Miami.


Having a little walkabout is always part of the experience.

There were house and garden moments ……

The inevitable big city road construction ......

And MacDonald’s the French way …… ooh la la.

Geoff found some unexpected art
outside a restaurant men’s room.

Whoever placed those chairs had a good eye
for colour, shape and form.

Or did the artist work around them?

But enough sightseeing. It’s time for a ‘jungle cruise’ up the river.

The Riviere Salee is a natural saltwater channel through mangroves rich with bird life. But there are drawbacks to this passage - shallow depths in some areas and two bridges that open once a day on a set schedule. Traveling north, the first bridge opens at 5am and the second bridge at 520. Many cruisers avoid the river.

The day before our planned passage through Salt River and on to Antigua, we moved Beach House from the city anchorage to the staging anchorage
within sight of the first bridge.

And then we took a little dinghy ride
to check out the Riviere Salee in daylight.

The first bridge, Pont de la Gabarre, is a combination road

and pedestrian bridge that open in tandem.

The second bridge is Pont d’Alliance
with a sharp dogleg to port right past it.

The guidebooks promised flying friends

and we weren’t disappointed.

It was 5pm – roosting time for the night.

But this silver bird surprised us.

It appeared so quickly that we were lucky to get a picture at all. What’s missing is a size reference to us and the dinghy, but this shot is not zoomed in. The airport runway is just over the fence to the left and this big bird was seconds to touch down.

We were up at 415 the next morning, sipping caffeine in the cockpit while watching cabin lights come on in the other three boats in the anchorage. We would have company along the river. We changed the ASA on the camera to try for shots in the dark, but we ended up with some unplanned ‘arty’ shots.

The catamaran just ahead of us was first through the bridge. As Beach House passed through Pont de la Gabarre, I called up “Bon jour!” to the bridge tender. His response? “Allez! Allez!” We do wonder how he filled the rest of a work shift after his half hour here.

Twenty-five minutes later we approached the Pont de l’Alliance.
The light was measurably better.

Ahead? No more bridges,
just a well marked channel to follow

with mosquitoes for company.
Beaucoup de mozzies.

Sunrise is always a welcome sight on these early starts.

We cleared the north end of the river and followed
the rest of the channel towards the reefs
that fringe the exit to open water.

There was a small surf along the eastern reef,
just enough to make an Aussie boy a little homesick.

Will we do the Riviere Salee again? Maybe, but there are so many other possible adventures. Our research has convinced us that Beach House will be back to Guadeloupe. The interior beckons with its rain forest, cloud forest and waterfalls.

  

The Carib Indian word for Guadeloupe is Karukera,

meaning ‘island of lovely waters’. Who could resist?

"LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL"

We’ve been friends with Dave and Rosemary for years.

Always compatible, always laughing.

But living together 24-7 for almost two weeks?

On a 42 foot sail boat? What were we thinking?

Well. Here’s how the good times rolled out with Dave and Rose in St. Lucia.

We started out right with a ‘Welcome aboard!’ drink.

Just one - we swear.

Next day we did a little provisioning in Vieux Fort.

The blog photographer calls this picture ‘Shopping Daze’.

Dazed maybe, but not confused.
We knew for sure that we wanted some of that fine Coconut Cream Liqueur.


After shopping and checking out the town,

we enjoyed a late lunch at the Old Plantation Yard.

The two captains had diet-friendly Pitons for dessert.

Rosie and Dave wanted to experience the cruising life as lived on Beach House,

so next day it was over to the beach to scrub the dinghy bottom.

Rosie and I kept a close eye on the worker bees, offering advice as needed.

They were …… amused.

Rosemary did some snorkeling off the beach and found a friend.

And Rose is a star herself, bringing goodies galore from Toronto

– chocolate, cashews, fresh herbs, cheese spreads, Bailey’s, excellent coffee,

and <drum roll please> rack of lamb.

Geoff barbied ......

...... while Rosie and I prepped the rest of the meal.

And then Dave thanked Rose as only a husband should.

Good food with good friends with laughs on the side.

Who could ask for anything more?

The north shore of Rodney Bay

is Pigeon Island National Park,

a great place for some serious sightseeing

among the fort ruins.

And the Jambe de Bois café is the perfect place

to end a hot morning of exploring.

Castries is the capital of St. Lucia and our next stop for some more good times.

A little sightseeing, a little shopping and a lunch at the Balcony Restaurant

with its extensive menu.

Lunch was delicious, the drinks were cold and the view of the local square

showed off the Independence Day bunting.

You’ve met Ken and Diane on this blog before.

They’re Canadian cruisers and have built a home here on St. Lucia.

They had guests at the same time Dave and Rose were with us on Beach House. The whole group spent a day touring together and another day taking Beach House from Vieux Fort to Soufriere, just north of the Pitons, on the west coast of St. Lucia.

These photos prove what a shy, retiring group we weren't.

And meet Biset. He was our driver on tour day

and joined us on Beach House for the sail up the west coast.

Biset brought the coconuts and yes - it's his machete.

The coconut water turned our rum punch into ambrosia.

But it wasn’t fun and games all the time.

There’s work to be done on a crusing boat.

And Dave and Rose were much more than guests

– they were mighty fine crew.

We’ve been to St. Lucia several times now.

It’s a beautiful island with something for everyone.

But enjoying the sights through the eyes of good friends?

Perfection.

Cheers Dave and Rosie!

We’re looking forward to more good times during your next visit.