Hop to Dominica

One of the interesting decisions we are faced with is where to go next and when. So far, we have wanted to go just about everywhere. Never having been to these islands before, unknown shores, and all. This time of year, the trade winds are pretty reliably from the East, with some slight Northerly or Southern component from time to time. Leaving St Kitts to head south, we are FINALLY going to be able to sail something other than close hauled. So, one tack, predictable distances in the calculation. Now, destination. Montserrat is the next island south, only 25 miles away. Montserrat is a volcano, with no good protected harbor. We will skip for now. Guadeloupe is next. Big island. Good diving. WiFi. French food. Generally similar to Martinique where we are definitely headed. Problem is, Guad. is about 70 miles. More than a 12 hour sail. Can't do it in the daylight. If we continue on past Guadeloupe to Dominica we would arrive in the morning. Then, on the way back from Martinique, we can skip Dominica and make the full day run to Guadeloupe. It is all about being efficient with time, using the wind, and arriving well rested and ready to explore.

We had a wonderful trip. Winds 45-70 degrees on the port bow. 20-25 kts from St Kitts past Montserrat to Guadeloupe. Rolling along at 7 knots, sweet. The lee of Guadeloupe was calm, even to the point of motoring a little when the sails got to banging in the wee hours of the morning. Come daylight, we doused the staysail and raised the jib. We were soon at 8 knots, powering across the gap between Guad and Dominica and into Prince Rupert Bay. A mile wide crescent, well protected by high mountains, it is home to Portsmouth.

We were met at the harbor by Sam of the Lawrence of Arabia guide service. A warm friendly smile, and a knowledgeable helper to get us anchored. Holding was not good in hard sand and grass. I free dove the anchor each time, and it was dragging like a curling stone on smooth ice. A nice cruiser pointed to the sandy patch behind his boat. We dropped anchor on it, and Ginny and Tricia say "What about the boulder right under us?" A quick dive show a big coral bommie under the keel with inches to spare. We were able to retrieve the hook and only bounced twice. Then we went and took a mooring for $10/ day. You know the part I hate most? Anchoring is a spectator sport. Everyone watching and judging you. The Russians gave me a 2.0 on the compulsories!!

Now, what will we see??