“Rum is the answer …. What was the question?”
Eight boats left Antigua on Monday 4 May and visited Guadeloupe, Les Saintes, Marie Galante, Dominica, Martinique and St Lucia during the following 15 days.
Our first overnight stop was at Deshaies where the boats that had started at Falmouth and Jolly Harbour assembled.
The following day we sailed to Bourg des Saintes in Les Saintes with a lunchtime snorkeling/diving stop at Reserve Cousteau near Malendure.
After exploring Terre de Haut the following morning we motor-sailed the 17 miles upwind to St Louis in Marie Galante where we spent the next two nights. Whilst in Marie Galante we visited the Domain de Bellevue and Rhum Bielle distilleries and explored the island by car and scooter.
On Friday 8 May we enjoyed a brisk 27 mile broad reach from St Louis to Portsmouth in Dominica and cleared in. After being entertained by Big Pappas music (?) until 4:00 am most of us visited the Saturday Portsmouth market at dawn and then spent the rest of the day exploring the northern end of Dominica including visits to the Cabrits National Park, Chaudiere Falls, Red Rocks and the Cabrits.
On Sunday we sailed the 10 mile south to Salisbury and anchored off Chez la Doudou, a beach bar on Salisbury Beach. We had a group dinner that evening at the Tamarind Tree Restaurant overlooking the anchorage.
Monday’s activities included a visit to the Macoucherie Distillery, a mango punctuated walk up the Macoucherie valley and a group dinner at Chez la Doudou.
The 45 mile sail from Salisbury to St Pierre was undertaken on Tuesday and we all successfully cleared in L’Esplanade internet café despite the concurrent T-Punches.
Our visit to the Chateau Depaz Estate was one of the high points of the cruise. Hosted by Christine Ozer, Depaz’s Marketing Director, the visit included a distillery tour, horse-drawn carriage ride through the sugar plantation, rum tasting and dinner at the Chateau.
A further day was spent exploring the north end of Martinique before heading south with a for a night’s anchorage and the final group dinner at Grande Anse d”Arlet.
Saturday 16 May saw us sailing the 33 miles to Marigot Bay in St Lucia in time for the final distillery visit at St Lucia Distillers on 18 May.
228 miles of sailing, 6 islands, 8 anchorages and 5 distilleries in 15 days
Report courtesy of Paul Jackson