The geography of the boat trip is special

The slap falls without warning, right out of the anchorage. The wind descends from the soaked hills of dark green vegetation as well grey clouds. 30, 35, 40 knots. In a few moments the anemometer reached the level of the "wind blow" and the agitation is intense on board. We are on the coast "in the wind" (what joke!) of Basse-Terre.

Navigate to the Caribbean when it starts to grey and cold in metropolitan France, it is delicious. Incidents and surprises without which there is no real cruise live in swimsuit. But it must be that the alizé is not, contrary to what our imagination can invent a Zephyr girls allergic to the vessel on the tropics. Guadeloupe is part of the Islands "in the wind" of the Antillean arc. The "normal" regime outside sheltered areas is 15 to 20 nodes always is, strolling in the days between the Northeast and Southeast. This large fan which makes the slight heat grows often clouds more or less dense, sometimes black and windy, occasional and brief rainy.

The geography of the boat trip is special. Intense masochism or sadism to an impressionable crew family Boater favours the coasts "downwind", where normally the breeze is less felt, the sea soothes and shelters are quieter. But it must be moving from one island to another. A vessel may not stop anywhere, in any case for the night. "La Desirade" is striped with at the outset of the map because the island offers no safe anchorage. Conversely, throughout the world, since human navigates, benefits for a stopover of the superb harbour of the Holy.

Flying fish

But let us look in order. We have come for a week and quickly enough took the decision to stay in French waters to avoid police and customs formalities. Not incursion to Dominica (to the South) or Antigua (to the North) this time.

Gosier, the marina where installed several rental including ours, Sunsail, is ten minutes from the airport of Pointe-Ã -Pitre. In the heat always surprising even if it came to it, it quickly is his bag aboard (never bags rigid, very difficult to store in a boat!). All members of the crew and especially the children are the Tower of the "owner". The comfort of a large modern catamaran a 43 Belize of the great French site Fountaine Pajot here has nothing to do with old sailing: four independent cabins with toilet, two refrigerators cabinet... The whole, despite its size (13 metres long), to train without problem (two engines...). 30 Meters from the pontoon, the aquarium restaurant tables installed under vigorous coconut expect that for a nice dinner before attempting to catch-up of lag (5 hours).

Except rental with skipper, you must always have at least a half-day "lost" in inventory, taking control of the boat, refuelling. This is why we rarely rent for less than a week. A hypermarket in Guadeloupe, even if it is the same sign as in metropolitan France, it is already a hint of the exotic, less than the RADIUS fruits and vegetables. After the refuelling of base, need to go very quickly to avoid the crew to get bogged down in vague apprehensions and systematic research of what still could forget. Without go to allow time for each to its brands. We should sail.

Attention exotic markup. We are in America. The buoys red and green are reversed from the metropolis. And on the buoys, cormorants are often replaced with pelicans. The first clapots raise the hulls. "Ah!" Oh! ", are children. A half-hour, providence has installed the islet of Gosier on a far blue sea: sand white coral, coconut palms waving all shades of green to yellow with the sun setting. All enhanced by the small lighthouse just above red head fins. First bath, new exotic impressions. A fisherman brings a big amazing fish, a "great z' scale ' or tarpon, ivory and silver scales are well actually 2 cm each.

The next day, the "wargame" of the wind command to begin by turning on Marie-Galante. At the close, moving a little too much for some of the younger stomachs. The first sunburn prepare quietly while the old wise men remain from the canopy which these latitudes constantly maintains the wide rear cockpit sunlight and small showers. "The flying fish." The most valid children bulge eyes for two, three, sometimes a dozen fish gliding along the water, step always easy to distinguish in the Sun on the small upturned white waves. The tradition is not respected: none landed on the deck to allow a closer observation, or even a gastronomic test. After four hours of navigation and a last edge to the engine a little uncomfortable against the wind, everything is soothes magic of the coast in the wind when the practice looks like theory and our Navy is close to the coast of Marie-Galante to the level of old fort, a little over St. Louis. It is that immediately lined Beach by vegetation, and immediately behind the famous fields of sugarcane of Marie-Galante. Seasickness is instantly

forgotten. "An island deserted!" proclaim the smaller by fi the single House, a few other vessels at anchor and the road obscured by the mangrove.

Guadeloupe as much of the West Indies is a destination that goes to the children because the steps are never very long: two, three, four hours of navigation and then "splash" and "replouf", lunch on a calmé boat or if the anchorage is attended in one of the small restaurants where parents can monitor their children on the beach or in the waterbefore a small walk on land... On the beach, trying to take an interest in the coconuts by the sea. They are already taking root and escape top their "baby Palms". But the lure of the water is too strong.

In the evening, the village of St. Louis seen nearly is very, very, very quiet and not prosperous, outside a few buildings that attest to demands of the Republic. The exoticism of nature is easily forgotten that it is in France. In a Court House, it looks at length a tree in the size of a Sycamore with leaves green, thick, and cut, reminiscent of the salon Metropolitan of a fan of green plants, and fruit large, green, bigger than a lawyer, larger than a mango. It will take time to identify the tree bread which was both dream in Jules Verne. At the end of the dock, the monument to the dead surprised. But it attests that many young people are left to die here for the France.

The next day, a strong wind blowing in a few good black clouds grow us at high speed towards the archipelago of the Saintes, who take tunes of Breton Islands. Later, strolling in the sunset on the streets of the village of Earth-de-Haut to the cries of the roosters, is back at other more Metropolitan Islands despite many Caribbean House punches that offer many Islanders on their doorstep. This is not only the amazing "blanchitude" of the population (fishermen, Terre-de-Haut Island did not use slaves to work the cane). There is a "whatever" makes the accomplices islands of Chausey at the Holy mullein and Porquerolles. Perhaps this impression that could be to tour on foot... If we were brave enough. Our courage we will be only ride to fort Napoleon, with its fun small museum local and his iguanas are at hand for children. "Don't touch!".

Coral Reef

Also exotic images ahead under water. At anchor in the "small Cove", behind Sugar Loaf, 2-3 metres under water, you can admire corals, gorgonians, fish multicoloured "Ah these blues." and exotic sea urchins very long black points. "ouin years com a!", try to shout the frightened children who forget to remove their snorkel. The funds are not interesting throughout. Two days later ourselves big on the official website of the Leeward coast diving: the Pigeon island. Here we move as earthlings with a diving clubs for tourists on the beach, which will allow those wishing to dive with bottles. Result: several baptisms of diving and several pairs of eyes delighted on board. Tiny baby squid turtle through all kinds of fish more or less beautiful, more or less alarming, there is much of what fill the trunk to memories.

This coast as the wind is more mountainous the Soufriere Hills is close, even if it often hides in the clouds and particularly verdant. Night at anchor, it benefits the sounds of the forest. The sand on the beaches is dark if really black.

We are completing our journey by tour de Basse-Terre by the North and returning by the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin and the Salt River that separates high-land of Basse-Terre. Change in landscape. The coral reef is home to a wide range of small islands with shallow water that forms a natural reserve. The Salt River angles in a mangrove landscape attention to mosquitoes at night! Upon passing under two bridges lift at 4: 30 p.m. and 5: 30 in the morning and a few questions about the lights flashing, you arrive at Pointe-Ã -Pitre by behind the scenes, after having shaved the airport runways, in time for the market in the morning at the bottom of the old camber stands in the centre.

There are fishermen often sighted at sea with their large ' z'orbords "("saintoises"sailing no longer serve as the regatta), selling their fishing on the dock. It is the season for dolphinfish bream "biting better nights of full moon", assured us a fisherman. Their steaks cut with a machete will wonder in our plates.

We less seen the Guadeloupian that remaining on the ground Not sure. Differently for sure. When it fell once on the long litany of death notices in seeking the marine weather radio, it saw the cemetery multicolor of the city of Basse-Terre welcoming sailors passing offshore and heard this funeral procession preceded by the complaint of the saxophone on the waterfront of Sainte-Anne, it starts with the feeling of having captured something of the soul guadeloupéenne.