KIM IN THE CARIBBEAN – PART 4 GUADELOUPE TO GRENADA
- Paul Weston
- Jul 22
- 5 min read
We found that Deshaies in the north of Guadeloupe was an unsatisfactory place, crowded, with a northerly swell finding its way into the bay. We went ashore and tied the dinghy dock up at the jetty, but the waves were breaking over and under it most unpleasantly. We went shopping and had a meal in a pizza restaurant, but we hurried over it as we could see that the swell was worsening and were concerned that boarding the dinghy might be difficult if we left it too long.
On March 21st we were on our way by seven in the morning, heading south along the spectacular west coast of Guadeloupe, avoiding the numerous fishing buoys. All of the bays marked as anchorages looked uncomfortable, with surf white on the beaches, and waves breaking over the dinghy docks.
We had booked into the marina at Basse Terre, but when we stopped “for a rest” at Anse a la Barque we decided to stay there for the night as it was almost free of the swell that plagued the rest of the coast. This was our second stay at Anse a la Barque, peaceful enough today, but in 1809 the scene of unimaginable violence as HMS Blonde and Thetis engaged two French flûtes – frigates carrying cargo – which had taken refuge there. The British squadron included the 74 gun Sceptre, which engaged the fortification on the northern headland, Pointe Batterie, the remains of which can be seen today, complete with spiked and broken French guns. Boats landed British seamen and marines. The flûtes were destroyed, and the French surrendered. A few weeks later, Guadeloupe surrendered, demoralised by lack of supplies, and the lingering effects of a brutally repressed rebellion.
On the following day we continued south along the coast of Guadeloupe and had a windy trip across the 25 miles or so of sea that separates it from Dominica. We picked up a mooring in Prince Ruperts Bay in time for the anniversary celebrations of the boatmen’s collective PAYS which operates the moorings and provides services to visiting yachts. We went for an excellent tour of Fort Shirley under the guidance of Dr Lennox Honeychurch who has been the driving force behind the restoration of the former British fortification.
We rented a car and visited waterfalls, and had a memorable walk from Penville in the north of the island back to Prince Rupert’s Bay. The path winds along the coast, through various types of forest, before it ends at Capuchin, a former British signal station. We attempted to walk along a further path heading south, but this ended after a mile or so, and we headed back to Prince Rupert along the road, which was almost free of traffic. Prince Rupert’s Bay is a very secure anchorage, free of swell, but it tends to be very windy.
On 27th March we coasted along the west coast of Dominica, anchoring for the night at Mero about half way down the coat.
We left early the next day, continuing down the coast before crossing to Martinique. We did not stop at St Pierre in the north of the Island, as we had found it rather uncomfortable there when we were heading north. We had intended to stop at Anse d’Arlet in the south of the island, but when we saw a reasonable looking anchorage at Schoelcher on the northern outskirts of Martinique’s main city, Fort de France, we decided to stop there. In the morning, on our way south, we saw that Anse d’Arlet looked very attractive, with walking trails shown on the map, and we determined that we would make it a stop next season.
When we emerged from the wind shadow of Martinique, it was clear that a direct course to St Lucia would be hard on the wind, and uncomfortable, as it was blowing quite hard. We decided to get some distance to windward by motoring west, close to the land, passing between the fantastic steep island of Diamond Rock and the south coast of Martinique. From the vantage point of the boat, it almost defied belief that in 1804, Commodore Samuel Hood of the Royal Navy, ably assisted by Lieutenant Maurice, fortified the island, building defensive works, hoisting large guns to the 600 foot summit from the deck of his 74 gun ship, Centaur. The log of Centaur’s commander Captain Murray Maxwell for 15th January 1804 laconically recorded ‘Off Diamond Rock. Wind EbN … landed two 24 prs at the Rock. At noon squally with rain …’. Only a few miles from Empress Josephine’s birthplace, HMS Diamond Rock was commissioned into the Navy, to Napoleon’s intense annoyance. Eventually, in 1805, short of water, Diamond Rock fell to the French who deployed a large fleet under Admiral Villeneuve against it.
When we were as far west as we could go in the shelter of Martinique, we set the sails – triple reefed main and sliver of jib, and had a rough though fast passage to Rodney Bay, St Lucia, where we entered the marina, and spent several days maintaining the boat, the main task being cleaning and re-varnishing the aluminium on the cabin sole boards. The marina is close to a very useful DIY shop, and has a chandlery and other facilities. The dinghy had developed a leak which I successfully repaired, despite being told by the local repairers that the boat was a write off.
On 11th April we left Rodney Bay and travelled down the coast, and picked up a mooring in a spectacular location beneath the famous Piton mountains.
From St Lucia we bypassed St Vincent, and stopped at Bequia where we went for a beautiful walk over the ridge to Friendship Bay, accompanied by a local dog, and visiting a boatyard which built and repaired traditional wooden sailing boats, sometimes used for whaling.
Continuing south from Bequia we stopped at Charlestown on Canouan, in the throes of rebuilding after Hurricane Beryl, organised and financed by Ian Wace. We were anchored next to Kialoa III, a famous racing yacht.
Chatham Bay on Union Island provided a windy anchorage, but the ground tackle held, and we had an excellent walk across the island to the immigration office in the capital Clifton, whose friendly staff organised a lift back for us in a pickup truck. Union Island had suffered grievously from Beryl, but we were impressed by the rebuilding effort.
On 18th April we sailed to Tyrell Bay in Grenada, our first port of call after sailing the Atlantic. We moved the boat to Prickly Bay, and inspected the marina there. We decided to stick with our original layup choice, Grenada Marine, and on 20th April picked up a mooring in St David’s Harbour, which was full of Sargasso Weed.
After a pleasant stay on the mooring, Grenada Marine lifted Kim and put her in their ‘yard’, which is really a grassy area cleared of jungle.
Grenada really is a most pleasant island, and while we worked on the boat to prepare her for our absence, we stayed in a delightful former farmhouse about a mile up the road from the yard. The memory of swimming from the little beach near the yard’s jetty, and then walking back to the house in the gathering dusk is an experience we will not quickly forget, and we are very much looking forward to resuming Kim’s cruise in November.
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