Valent

As we had sailed past Dominica in order to be in Guadeloupe at the same time as our French friends, we felt the need to backtrack. So after saying goodbye to them we sailed south again to Dominica to explore this beautiful unspoilt island. On the way we stopped at Marie Galante, an island off the south of Guadeloupe which is very flat and covered with sugar cane. There used to be 100 sugar mills but there are far fewer now, although there are still three working rum distilleries!

On Dominica we reunited with our friends from family boats Saltair and Epiphany, and together the three families explored the island. The kids know each other well now and get on very well together as a group. Our first day was all about waterfalls, with an hour-long hike to Middleham Falls where the effort was rewarded with a refreshing swim in the cold water. Later we visited Trafalgar Falls, where our guide Octavius took a group of us barefoot up the slippery rocks closer to the base of the waterfall. Those brave enough to last the course enjoyed a dip in a hot spring next to the waterfall, and fortunately everyone made it back down safely without being swept into the raging torrent of water (though Will did his best to fling himself backwards over the drop at the end – luckily (but painfully) he got wedged between the rocks and all was well). The water level and strength of current was apparently a lot greater due to maintenance work on the nearby hydro-electric plant which meant that all the water was being diverted back down the river.

Our second day was a strenuous hike to the Boiling Lake, which took us around nine hours including stops for lunch and water. Octavius led us through the rainforest, pointing out different species of fern, flowers and trees as we climbed. The terrain was steep and rocky, with ropes to hold in a couple of places, but luckily it was not too slippery underfoot. All the kids managed the walking with great energy. For some of us adults it was more of a challenge!

On the way to the Boiling Lake we walked through the Valley of Desolation, where hot sulphur springs bubbled out of the ground, volcanic mud proved good for a facial and the streams were full of boiling hot water. Octavius boiled some eggs for us to prove this – they were delicious and perfectly done!

After four hours of walking we eventually reached the Boiling Lake. Plumes of smoke covered its surface and you could see water boiling at the centre – the temperature there is apparently over 250 degrees F or around 130 degrees C.

The return journey was helped by being able to bathe in a warm spring followed by a very hot spring, which the children all loved. At the very end of the hike our reward was to swim through the Titou Gorge, where cool water led us through the rocks to a hidden waterfall (also a location used to film scenes in Pirates of the Caribbean 2).

Our time in Dominica had been short but action-packed. It really is a beautiful island, and there are many more hikes to be done through the unspoilt rainforest, but for us it was time to head north again, this time to explore the west coast of Guadeloupe.

Our longstanding French family friends were going to be on holiday in Guadeloupe in mid-February, and having looked at the charts we saw that it was possible for us to get up to Guadeloupe in time to see them. We had planned to explore further north along the coast of Martinique, but seeing a large weather front coming we decided to set off for Guadeloupe two days early – and we were very glad we did!

The wind was supposed to be southerly (i.e. coming from the south), therefore behind us and pushing us steadily north. Unfortunately the weather system started to come through about 12 hours earlier than expected and the wind turned northerly, meaning we were sailing into the wind. This gave us an uncomfortable journey, which with the swell made the sea state very rolly and slowed us down to 3 knots. Having left Martinique at 8 pm on Wednesday 7th February, we arrived in Guadeloupe at 3 pm on Thursday 8th February and anchored in a sheltered area to recover from our trip, just before the heavens opened.

We were there just in time, as the band of weather passed through the islands on the night of Thursday 8th February, with extremely strong winds causing carnage. Many boats dragged their anchors. One boat was blown onto the rocks at Les Saintes islands off the south of Guadeloupe, and many fellow sailors helped the owners to carry their belongings off the boat and safely to shore. Another boat, which we know from the ARC+ rally fleet, was dashed on the rocks in Dominica and was damaged beyond repair. It shows how quickly things can go wrong in these unpredictable conditions.

The following day brought calm, albeit very wet weather again, and we were able to venture ashore to explore Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe’s colourful capital city. We met up with our French friends Sophie, Gilles and Estelle during the week, both at their hotel and on our boat when we took them for a day sail along the south coast.

The middle of February is also carnival time in Guadeloupe, with processions each day leading up to Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) all over the country. At Pointe a Pitre on Dimanche Gras we saw the colourful costumes of the carnival parade with many carnival troupes dancing in time to drums, blowing conch shells and cracking whips to chase out bad spirits. On Ash Wednesday, an effigy of the carnival king Vaval is burned and black and white costumes are worn instead of colourful ones to mark the end of the carnival.

In Guadeloupe we also met up with our friends from Swedish ARC+ family boat Lady Ellen. Together we explored Pointe a Pitre, visiting the aquarium and a very interesting UNESCO museum dedicated to the memory and history of the slave trade, which aims to raise awareness and promote discussion about its repercussions.

Lady Ellen cooked us a delicious Swedish meal of meatballs with lingonberries and ‘brown sauce’, (a very rich Swedish take on gravy), onboard their catamaran. Another evening we had dinner ashore and were also joined by American/Canadian ARC+ family boat Cupid as the three boats were by chance in Guadeloupe at the same time.

On our last night in Guadeloupe we anchored in a bay close to our French friends’ hotel, and dinghied around the headland into the bay of their hotel James Bond style, tying up at the dock and stepping ashore for dinner. The chart shows that Valent was the only boat anchored in the huge bay that night. (There was a reason – it was not the most comfortable of nights).

To get to Guadeloupe in time to coincide with our French friends being there, we had had to sail straight past the island of Dominica. As we didn’t want to miss it out, our next plan was to sail back south to Dominica and spend a while exploring this beautiful natural island. After that we would come up the west coast of Guadeloupe, to continue our journey north – Guadeloupe part deux.

After Saint Lucia we headed north again, to Martinique. A beautiful three hour sail between the islands in sunshine and good winds took us to Sainte Anne’s bay, where many other boats were anchored.

It is amazing how many family boats you meet when sailing, with children aged from babies and toddlers right up to teenagers. Apart from those who crossed the Atlantic with the ARC and ARC+ rallies, many more boats followed across independently afterwards and are now travelling in the Caribbean. There are kids’ boats WhatsApp groups in lots of the islands which organise activities together, plus one large WhatsApp group for the whole Caribbean – Nauti Kids!

Martinique feels rather like being in the south of France, with road signs, police sirens and post boxes all just as if you were in France. We had a lovely French meal with a creole twist one night in Sainte Anne, and then continued along the coast anchoring in a succession of picturesque bays, coming ashore by dinghy for walks and geocaching.

In Martinique we caught up with our American/French friends on ARC boat Saltair, who we had got to know well in Las Palmas when Valent and Saltair were there for a few weeks prior to the ARC departure. Together we anchored in Anse Dufour, a small bay with very clear water, where we snorkelled over a coral garden with many turtles swimming. We enjoyed a dinner and a games evening together in a quiet bay with just us, Saltair and one other boat anchored overnight.

One day when we were travelling along the coast near the capital city, Fort de France, we were contacted by the French MRCC (Marine Rescue Coordination Centre) asking for our help to investigate a report of a life raft which was drifting unattended. As we were the closest passing boat (who was listening to their VHF), they asked us to check if we could see any people or debris in the water. We diverted course to get closer to the life raft which was still over a mile away. Through binoculars we could see its bright orange triangular shape, but nothing in the water around it, and in fact it was inside the container port very close to a large merchant vessel. With a patrol boat close enough to take over the investigation, the MRCC stood us down and thanked us for our assistance. The life raft must have inflated by accident and drifted away, and luckily was not being used in an emergency situation.

Meanwhile around this excitement normal boat activities also continued, with meals to be cooked and schoolwork to be done, which sometimes coincided with Will working on the generator. As the generator is still not charging our batteries well enough, we bought a small portable petrol-powered generator in Martinique which we are now using to charge our batteries whilst in anchorages.

On our last night in Martinique we and Saltair also caught up with our Swiss friends from ARC boat Gian, a very friendly and hospitable couple who are well known to all the ARC family boats. It’s great to keep crossing paths on different islands with other boats from the rally, who after all the shared experiences are old friends now.

After Martinique it was time to head north again, this time to Guadeloupe, for a rendezvous with some friends from France and to experience the carnival.

We stayed in Saint Lucia for almost two weeks, firstly in the marina at Rodney Bay, and afterwards at anchor in the bay itself. Being in the marina enabled us to fully charge our batteries, catch up on washing, supermarket shopping and everything needed to keep the boat running. We even bought a new dinghy to replace our old one, which kept deflating and was condemned (as old PVC and beyond economic repair) by the dinghy repair shop.

Saint Lucia is a definitely a damp island. There was lots of rain due to its mountainous terrain, and each day brought a mixture of sudden downpours and strong sunshine. We were on the alert to close all hatches and take in the washing at the start of each downpour, only to open the hatches and start again when it was over.

On the drier days we went out exploring, and had a fun hike up Mount Pimard to the south of Rodney Bay. This involved an element of climbing using ropes, which the girls predictably loved.

Another day took us on a hike to Pigeon Point, where along with our friends from Epiphany we climbed up to Fort Rodney for a spectacular view back over the bay and up towards Martinique.

One day we went on a tour of the island, taking in a clearer view of the Pitons, and a mud bath followed by a dip in the hot thermal pools to wash it off with. Sophie found the water far too hot and much preferred the cool waterfall we visited afterwards.

Being in the marina also allowed us to meet up with our ARC+ and ARC friends more easily. With Epiphany moored beside us and Rum Cat on the next pontoon, the girls were never short of company at the marina swimming pool. The kids had a movie night on Valent, complete with popcorn, and we also caught up with our friends on ARC boat Easter Snow, who we had first met in Gibraltar. All in all, Saint Lucia was a very sociable place to spend time.

by Sophie

When we were in Tobago Cays, we did lots of snorkelling. It was amazing!

At Petit Bateau, I saw a ray among the coral reef, only a few metres off shore. It was incredible! It was the first ray I had ever seen in the wild, and the closest I have ever got to one.

At Petit Rameau, which is a turtle sanctuary, I saw lots of huge starfish, each around half a metre in diameter. There were also lots of small rays close to the seabed, when you got into slightly deeper waters. We also saw three turtles. One larger one and two smaller ones. They would dive down to the bottom and then come up for air. They were beautiful.

In Petit Byahaut, St Vincent, there were some interesting shapes of coral. There were some large ones that looked like giant leaves, and some curved ones that looked like brains, but my favourite were the yellow tubes. There were lots of small clusters of them, dotted all over the bay. They looked like straws, or chimneys, stuck together in a bunch and painted yellow.

Back in Tobago Cays, in the section of the reef near Jamseby, there was a pufferfish. It was blue around the edges with some greenish brown in the middle. I followed it through the seagrass for a bit, before it turned into deeper waters.

There was so much more to see at Tobago Cays and the other islands, but these were my favourites.