Hugh and Liz got a bit of everything in their trip. We left Pointe-A-Pitre in a high 20+ knot wind, and had to point into 8+ foot waves for about an hour and a quarter. It was a little wet, and a little scary, but we were well reefed, and we got through it. We then turned downwind after clearing the east side of Basse Terre, and had a bit of a sleighride into the Saintes. While there, they got to enjoy this quaint, unique area, with fun shops and little beaches. However, the waves were bending into town, and Cat Tales literally rattled at the mooring ball. After 3 days, we did another sleigh ride downwind to the lee of Basse Terre, actually seeing the boat hit over 11 knots over ground in 33 knots of wind. The captain hid his nervousness.
Anchorages in Pigeon Island and Deshaies were calm, and we enjoyed beach time and beach restaurants in both locations. The Grand Anse Beach north of Deshaies was entertaining, as was a trip to the Deshaies Botanical Gardens.
Grand Anse Beach, just a 20 minute walk from our anchorage in Deshaies
Same shot, but a closer look at Laurie:
Same shot, but a closer look at Laurie:
Taken at the Botanical Gardens in Deshaies, Guadeloupe
Cat Tales has been having trouble, however. Coming into Deshaies, we hit a wind of 33 knots. We were under a reduced jib only, but it still seemed to be a strain. I opted to furl more of it in, but did a sloppy job of it such that the jib flapped so violently that bits were flying into the wind. Sunday afternoon, after Hugh and Liz departed to the airport by taxi, Dawn and I took it down and sat to our sewing in the cockpit. It had lost a velcro pocket that was part of the foot tensioning system, as well as some repair materials that were sewn on in 2011. With the UV strip starting to fall apart, and with quotations for the repair coming in at half the price of a new sail, we have some decisions to make.
Twice in as many weeks, the starboard engine has pumped all its lubricating oil out the dipstick hole and into the bilge. Today, I took the advice of a mechanic, and replaced the engine's fuel pump. The mechanic suggests that diesel may be leaking through a compromised diaphragm in the pump and into the engine oil. This expands the volume of oil until it overwhelms the engine's ability to deal with it and it sheds it out into the bilge. I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope this works, as it is a real mess to clean up each time. The same engine seems to be having some trouble with its alternator, but I'll work on that tomorrow. I replaced the pohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifrt alternator only 10 days ago.
We're also working on lights, engine checks, toilet issues, and general boat cleaning.
Regardless, we're off to a wedding at a resort in Dickenson Bay. We'll celebrate the wedding of Lyndsey, daughter of Roger and Gail Moser, to Mitch, son of Jan Pelkey. Also attending will be Scott and Tina Kennah, Bill and Lynn Cabel, and likely others we will know and enjoy seeing. We'll anchor in the bay and enjoy whoever makes it to the beach. For the wedding day, we have day passes at the resort.
For anyone not tired of reading, we have had another story printed in the Caribbean Compass. You can see it at this location: http://www.caribbeancompass.com/online.html You can find it on pages 34 and 35.
A few weeks ago, Laurie and I stopped by the tourist office in Deshaies to arrange a taxi to take Hugh and Liz to the airport. We confirmed a couple of days before the leaving date. As we sat on the step awaiting their driver, along comes this wonderful specimen. He hopped right out, spoke to us in English and teased us about the fact that he was 5 minutes early!
