Awesome Antigua

 After Tot and Jason left we spent the next day putting the boat back together, doing laundry and just getting things back to our normal. That evening we caught up with our friends on Fortitude X who were also staying at the marina. We met them at L'atelier (a beer bar at the marina) for some sundowners and friend time. It was great seeing them after over a year had passed since our last meet up in Panama. 

February 12th, 2026 would be our last day at Bas Du Fort so we took advantage of being in a marina and took a nice long walk, picked up some fresh food and did the last of our boat chores. We were more than ready to be on our way and to be leaving France, again. 

Final Days at Bas Du Fort Marina

Sundowners With Fortitude X 

While we were close to getting out of France we weren't all the way there yet. The next morning at 0922 we left Bas Du Fort Marina and made the 54 mile trip north to Deshaies, Guadeloupe. It is known for being a rolly anchorage but was a good distance between Bas du Fort and Antigua, our next destination. Seas were a bit lumpy at the start 3-4 footers with short periods and 15 knots of wind. Once we rounded the corner from the south towards the north everything laid down in the lee. We arrived at 1604 to a packed anchorage and mooring field. Rolly and crowded my favorite. I was glad we would only be there overnight. We relaxed and enjoyed being free and on the hook again. 

Leaving Bas du Fort

Cruising The Guadaloupe Coast

Deshaies Anchorage

Sunset Deshaies 

At 0755 we were pulling anchor and making our way to Falmouth, Antigua. Today was Valentine's day and always a special day in our house because it's my mom's birthday. Over the years Jeff and I haven't taken it for granted either, always finding a nice place for dinner and tonight would be no different. The passage was sunny and smooth and uneventful. Just what you always want. The 49.5 mile jaunt found us among lots of sailboats also enjoying the weather window. When we pulled into Falmouth harbor it was like something out of a movie. First we had to avoid several expedition racing sailboats who were positioning themselves for a race and then once in the channel we were afforded views of some of the most spectacular vessels we have ever laid eyes on. 300 footers with helipads and tenders the size of our boat. Row after row of enormous boats all enjoying the same place we were about to be. Where were we?

Ready To Race

Entering the Harbor

Big Boys

The Biggest Boy- 300 Foot Mega Yacht  Leviathan

After we caught our mooring ball and our breath we lowered the dink to head to customs and immigration. We got our bearings and noticed the many restaurants surrounding the bay and knew instantly we were going to like it here. The Customs and Immigration offices are in English Harbor a short 5 minute walk from Falmouth, a historic town and harbor and now a UNESCo World Heritage site of Nelson's Dockyard. It's so charming and hard to imagine that Lord Nelson was here. Back on the boat we had a happy hour zoom call with Mom and Dad for Mom's birthday before heading back into English Harbor for our Valentine's dinner at Pillars. When we arrived at Pillars there was a three piece jazz band playing and we were shown to our seats and given a complementary glass of Prosecco for Valentine's Day. They had vegan options for me so I was happy and Jeff got a nice lobster. It was a hectic day but a very nice one. 

Dinner at Pillars 

We woke up pretty hungover from our Valentine's day celebration so we spent the whole day onboard. The advantage of being on a mooring ball or anchored in Falmouth harbor is that it's a nonstop parade of mega yachts coming and going to and from the marina. We sat in the cockpit just in awe of the show. We spent the day just watching and swimming and finally heading to town to get some good Mexican food (which we haven't had since San Diego) to help with the hangover. It was so nice to be able to get a variety of food and not just French or creole food. 

Boat Parade

More Parade 

Not In The Parade But A Pretty Boat

Sunset

The next morning we went slow as we like to soaking up more of the parade while we drank coffee and eased into the day. At some point we realized that we needed some exercise so we lowered the dink and headed into town. We took a nice loop walk which afforded us panoramic views of the anchorage and then picked up some produce on our way back. Being overheated we quickly threw ourselves in the water back at the boat. 

Anchorage From Our Walk

Hey That's Us 

Sunset 

The next several days are what I would call, "wash, rinse and repeat." We had nice slow mornings, watched the parade of mega yachts and then eventually went into town and swam. It was a great routine. We did finally spend some time in Nelson's Dockyard in English Harbor going in and out of the historic buildings and museum learning about the history of where we were. Everything was so well preserved. We met some Seas Sisters at the Pizza restaurant and I had already found my go to afternoon coffee shop where Jeff learned he could get a piece of carrot cake while I had my coffee. We were very well set up here. 

Our Friend's Boat Quinn's Gambit With a Big Boy Behind

The Famous Maltese Falcon 

Walking Around Nelson's Dockyard

Big Boys At Night With Their Aviation Obstruction Lights On

Do you know when things are going so well and you are enjoying yourself so much that you think of nothing else? This is where we were- moored in a boaters paradise with lots to see and do, several friends around to hang with, lots of good restaurants and endless walks to explore. Well that was all about to change. I don't remember if it was before we went to sleep on February 18th or as we woke up on the 19th but our inverter stopped working. Jeff noticed that despite running our generator that once on battery our inverter charger  wasn't working and thus not charging our batteries and they were getting lower and lower. At 0700 I radio'd the Falmouth Harbor Marina telling them that we were having a charging problem and could they possibly get us a slip? Fortunately it was the Dockmaster who responded to my call and without hesitation he said yes proceed in and we will get you tied up. The honeymoon was now over. 

The Dictator Of The Day

Our Little Pooper Docked With Some Big Boys

 

Just When We Thought We Were Out Of France We Get Pulled Back In

 On January 29th 2026 we were finally leaving our mooring ball in Saint Pierre, Martinique and heading to the beautiful country of Dominica. We were told by several Sea Sisters that Portsmouth is a great place to get a mooring ball and that twice weekly the organization who maintains the balls (PAYS) has a bbq on shore for all the cruisers. This sounded like a lot of fun. A couple days prior I sent a text to a man named Eddison who is one of the PAYS workers and requested a mooring ball for us. He said, "sure no problem." So at 0715 we untied from our mooring ball in Saint Pierre and made the 63 mile 7.5 hour cruise to Dominica. We weren't alone. At one point I counted 14 boats total all sailing  to various ports. Our friends on Quinn's Gambit was also underway and heading to Portsmouth as well. The cruise was uneventful- sunny skies, 4 foot seas and 13-16 mph of wind. As we were pulling into Portsmouth I texted Eddison to let him know we were arriving. I got no response. I called him on the radio and he said someone would be out to help us. After Quinn's Gambit were taken to their mooring ball it was our turn. As the man approached in this skiff he told us that they no longer had a ball for a boat our size and that it had been given away. I was in total disbelief. I told the man I had reserved one especially for us from Eddison. He said he understood but there were no more balls and a group called Salty Dawg was in town and they had all of the balls. Well at this point my disbelief turned to anger. Little did I know at the time that they don't reserve mooring balls that everything is first come first serve. Had I been told that from the start maybe we wouldn't have been so shocked or pissed. It's now 4pm and heading towards getting dark. The man explained we could anchor next to the mooring balls. Instead we headed way over to the other side not wanting anything to do with those balls. We decided we needed to pivot. If we couldn't be there on the balls and just randomly anchored we didn't want to stay. So we would leave in the morning for La Saints. 

Leaving Saint Pierre, Martinique 

Passing Some Big Boys 

Pulling Into Portsmouth, Dominica 

Sunset Portsmouth

The next morning now leaving we pulled anchor at 0656 and headed the 25 miles to Terre-de-Haut, Les Saints. Today the sea wasn't as cooperative as the previous day. We were taking 4 foot swells on the beam every 5 seconds with 2-3 foot wind waves. It was very washing machine like and not very comfortable. Having forgotten how lumpy it could be we failed to secure our little drinks fridge and all of the contents emptied out onto the floor. So as we sloshed back and forth I bent down trying to rescue rolling cans of beer and clean broken glass off the floor. Good times. We crossed with two of our friends- Daggers Down and Quinn's Gambit. Daggers Down flew past us enjoying the 16mph winds and arriving almost an hour prior to us. Fortunately there were several available mooring balls and we quickly snagged one. That afternoon we went to town to check in and have some ice cream with Daggers Down. It was hot per the usual but town was cute and quaint and it was nice to stretch our legs a bit. That evening we had dinner with Fin and Quinn's Gambit. 

Daggers Down Flying By

Les Saints

Approaching Mooring Field 

Terre-De-Haut, Les Saints

Church In Town

Dinner With Fin & Quinn's Gambit 

The next morning we enjoyed sleeping in. Well at least until 7 when the generator needed to be turned on. We moved slowly enjoying coffee and our new scenery. We took care of some projects around the boat until it was the hottest part of the day when we finally were motivated enough to take a hike. It never fails. We laze around until after lunch and then finally around 2ish we're ready. Luckily the hike after reaching it was covered with trees and shade and not too hot. We made our way to the other side of the island where we found a calm and peaceful anchorage occupied only by 2 boats. Jeff decided to reward himself with an ice cream before we returned to the boat. 

Hiking Around Les Saints 

We Met Friends On The Trail 

Our final day in Les Saints thanks to good advice from Daggers Down we rented a golf cart and tooled all around the island. It was very reminiscent of Avalon in Catalina where everyone is on golf carts. It was a great way to get around the whole island. We visited an old fort, a couple of lovely beaches and a cemetery. We had a nice lunch and Jeff had his final ice cream. We felt like we had thoroughly seen the island from end to end. 

Mooring Field 

Guadeloupe In the Background 

The Old Fort

Beach

Cemetery 

Full Moon 

We made a plan to meet our niece and nephew (Natanya & Jason) in Guadeloupe so now it was time to head that way. At 0912 we let go of our mooring ball and made the 26 mile run to Bas Du Fort marina in Guadeloupe. Back to France. We had calm seas 3-4 feet with long periods and 12-13mph winds. We are getting good at med mooring as all of these marinas force you to do it. There are a few variations we've come across. Sometimes you tie two bow lines to a mooring ball then two stern lines to the dock. Other times you tie two stern lines to the dock and you're given what's known as a slime line that comes from the dock and you walk it up to your cleats on the bow and secure a line on each side. This requires gloves because the lines are slimy and nasty. Bas du Fort had a mooring ball in front which they helped secure our lines to via dinghy and we backed into the stern and tied two more lines. Despite this being France they did have 60hertz power which meant we could run our ac's and operate like normal. A lot of French islands only have 50hertz which either requires a converter or no power. 

Checking in at the office was a long and smelly process. The entire room reeked of b.o. and we waited in a line of 6 people just inhaling the essence of France. I think Jeff went outside at one point. The rest of the day was chill. We walked around the marina and got our bearings. There are 10-15 restaurants on site and a little grocery store and a boulongerie so it's pretty well set up for cruisers. 

Guadaloupe 

Bas-Du-Fort, Guadaloupe 

Our Dock 

The next several days were spent getting the boat ready for Natanya (Tot) & Jason. We cleaned and did projects and bought food. Then on February 6th they arrived. They arrived around 2pm after a short nonstop flight from Miami. We dropped their bags and we headed straight for lunch. Everyone was hungry and ready to eat. We chose a restaurant at the marina called Quai Ouest and enjoyed a nice lunch and cheers'd their arrival in Guadaloupe. After lunch we walked the property with them and showed them around. Back at the boat we rested a bit and they settled in a relaxed before dinner. Again at the marina we went to Le Fregate where Jeff and Jason both had lobster which they chose from a tank of living swimming lobsters. It was a great first day. 

Tot & Jason Arrived

Lunch at Quai Oust 

Dinner Le Fregate

Jason Shopping For Dinner

The Victims 

Saturday February 7th Tot and Jason's first full day in Guadaloupe we rented a car in order to explore the island a bit. Guadaloupe is shaped like a butterfly and we were staying in the body at the marina but would explore the left wing today and the right wing another day. Both sides are vastly different. The left side is mountainous and full of waterfalls and hikes and lush green forests whereas the right side is flat and dry and almost desertlike. Today on the left wing we would explore Carberet falls, drive the D23 route through the national park and visit the soufriere volcano. A lot of driving but worth it to see everything. 

Guadeloupe- The Butterfly 

Carberet Falls 

Hiking 

Tot & Jason Hiking 

The next day happened to be Super Bowl and had it been up to me we wouldn't have left the boat and just watched coverage the entire day until kickoff but with guests we felt like we had to do some touring before camping out. We made a compromise to be out until after lunch then we would head back to the boat and tune in. Today we would explore the right wing. We drove the car to Pointe des chateaux, Port Louis and Anse Betrand. And we actually found a nice spot for lunch completely by accident. Jeff spotted it and we all had nice lunches. As lunch droned on I was getting anxious to be back to the boat and see what was happening with pre-game. Everyone was good sports. Jason is a football fan so he didn't take much convincing but Tot not so much. She went along with it and we ordered pizza from a place at the marina for dinner and settled in for the long evening. It was a good game and I was ecstatic to see my Seahawks win and become Super Bowl champs. Great day!

Point des Chateaux

Hiking To Top Of Hill 

Lunch At Cap Du L'Ocean 

Super Bowl Champs Baby! 

After a late victorious night we hopped back into the car for more exploring and touring. Today we went to the Distillery Bonne Mer where we learned all about the rum making process. It was supposed to be an English tour but our tour guide surprisingly didn't know a lot of English and most of the tour was in French with a sprinkling of English woven through. We didn't feel like we were given all the information that the French speakers were. There was a tasting after that was just ok. Caribbean rum is super harsh compared to the Central American rum we have been used for the past few years. Tot didn't even try hers so I had to work cleanup. We stumbled upon a restaurant for lunch that was pretty good and had a nice view of the sea. After lunch everyone (sans moi) wanted to go for crepes at the restaurant by the marina so I sat while they ate. 

Distillery Bonne Mer

Rum Tasting 

Lunch

Crepes

Tuesday February 10th was Tot & Jason's last day. Their flight wasn't unit 4:30 so we still had some time to explore a little more. Today we drove to Pointe a Pietre the capital and largest city in Guadaloupe. This too is where the cruise ships dock so we set out to explore and maybe shop and have some lunch. In my opinion Pointe a Peitre was a bit of a bust. The town is busy and packed with people and there really wasn't a single shop we wanted to go into. After some walking around we hopped back in the car and had lunch at the marina before taking Tot and Jason to the airport and dropping off the rental car. It was great having visitors and exploring Guadaloupe together. 

Point a Pietre Waterfront 

Shopping in Pointe a Pietre 

Point a Pietre