Back to the Saintes

They are just 18 nm from Portsmouth, an easy Friday sail. Winds are18 k with gusts to 22 k. Seas are 3' and 9 seconds apart. We are moving NNW in clear, sunny skies at over 7 kph. Nice sail to say the least, and little to no weather helm now that I found and fixed the lose, slightly misplaced reef line. There is a ketch, an Amel with three sails set, just ahead of us and to windward...she's whipping us and will get to the Saintes an hour ahead of us. We are just too heavy - too much stuff/junk aboard - to act like a true cat: FAST. Oh, well, comfort over speed.

We pulled into Ilet a Cabrit, the island where Ft. Josephine is (she's at the top of the picture), about 40 minutes after the Amel. Not too bad! We grabbed a buoy, there were actually two!?!, of the French persuasion with no painter, just the large ring: you gotta be quick to catch it and tie on the mooring lines before we fall away or it slides under the boat. Plus you have to tie it up tight so you don't bump into it all night.

Now that's tight!

The cost for a night, and they don't care if you're checked in ( they just want the Euros), is 13 Euro. Not too bad given they must maintain the moorings. Here they are in 51' of water and just 50' off the beach. Saves us from having to put out all our chain and damage the bottom which in this case is sand, mud, and some grass.

Next stop is Pointe a Pitre on bottom of the right wing of the butterfly; actually right where the a-hole would be.

 

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