We have an appointment. It’s a rarity and we don’t want to miss it. Neighbors from our old hometown are escaping the gray German winter and are on a cruise through the Caribbean. During a short stopover in Guadeloupe we want to catch up with them. So the capital Pointe-à-Pitre with its big cruise terminal is our first stop on Guadeloupe.

We may not have been away for long, but the crew are delighted to be back in France. We are beginning to feel at home. We have come to terms with our lack of language skills and our respective counterparts are thankfully just playing along. We even manage a trip to the launderette before the German delegation arrives.

The three vacationers from Germany leave their floating vacation home and join us on board. We spend a wonderful day off the Ile du Gosier, swimming in the warm water and reminiscing. It’s a shame that we have to drop our guests off again, but the cruise ship’s schedule is merciless. From the anchorage, the ship passes us, brightly lit. We wave our goodbye into the darkness one last time.

Crepe-shaped island

Marie Galante is an island straight out of a picture book. Round and flat, full of island flair and leisure. In the evenings there are barbecues under palm trees and jazz in the beach bar. The only downside are the constant rain showers and the strong wind, which is expected to continue for quite some time. Anyway, the water is clear, snorkeling is fun and a whole group of German-speaking kids are together and roaming the beach. A moray eel and a small lionfish live next to our anchor, which we visit from time to time. Not that they need us to check on their whereabouts. On land, we eat Caribbean staples like accras de morue and chicken colombo.

Îles des Saintes adventure playground

The next idyll is already waiting. You just have to get there somehow. Waves are building under a rain front with winds over 30 knots. Luckily, the course is on a broadsheet, with wind from astern, and the discomfort is limited. We quickly approach the mooring. But things turn out differently: shortly before entering calmer waters, we hear a call for help on the radio. A sailor had become entangled in a lobster basket and is unable to maneuver. As we are only 20 minutes away, we change course and take the 16-ton boat in tow. Not so easy in these conditions, but a good exercise. Three hours late, the anchor hits the sandy ground at our destination. Our exhaustion helps us to get through the uncomfortably bumpy night.

Luck kisses us awake the next morning: a friend’s boat leaves its mooring buoy in a sheltered corner of the bay and we take over before anyone else gets the idea of switching to this premium buoy. It feels a bit like cheating, but the joy outweighs it, as only a few meters make the difference between weal and woe in the bay. Despite the windy days, we are now very comfortable. We hike to viewpoints, secluded bays and Fort Napoleon, take a diving course, snorkel around the wreck next to us, enjoy the flair of the island and the large playground, where the children romp around every evening while the older ones play boules. At the weekend the first colorful carnival parades take place.

Mission water pump

The water pump on board had been a nuisance for a long time. Then it broke down completely and became a problem. For two weeks, we flipped a switch every time we needed running water. For showers, someone had to stand at the control panel and turn the pump on and off on call. Feasible, but impractical. Finally, the spare part that would save us landed in Pointe-a-Pitre and we pick it up on the ferry. In addition to the ferry, we need a rental car for the mission; the bus connections are modest. After we’ve done our mission, we take the car for a short drive around the island and to the zoo. The zoo comes second in our international zoo ranking. On the minute we catch the last ferry back to the Îles des Saintes. If there had been any other passengers on board, we would have seen cases of acute seasickness for sure.

Jacques Cousteau says hi

It’s hard to say goodbye, but a few days later we continue to sail our way up north. With a reef in the main sheet and the staysail, we are prepared for the short strech of open sea before finding calmer conditions in the lee of the island. But with 40 knots of wind, the reality exceeds our expectations. Nikola is less bothered by this than we are; she glides unperturbed through the waves. By the hard-to-hold rudder pressure she lets us know is that we haven’t trimmed her properly. So next time we’d better put one more reef in the mainsail. After a few nautical miles the hard part is over and we have time to admire the lush green slopes. For the first time, the Soufrière is cloudless and the 1467 meter volcanic peak is visible.

r destination is Pigeon Island, a nature reserve teeming with fish. However, the corals are not doing much better here than elsewhere. We try to find an underwater bust of Jacques Cousteau, after whom the reserve is named, and have no luck. A beautiful sunset is a consolation.

On land, there is everything a sailor’s heart desires and, after months of deprivation, finally a pizza worthy of the name. It’s only logical that we stay a few days. Besides, familiar faces arrive every day. Organizing play sessions for the children and coordinating invitations for the adults becomes the main task. We see a Canadian boat again for the first time in eight months. Going to the pub together on Guernsey feels like yesterday. Another boat gives us a tip for a bay further north. In Grande Anse Bay we say goodbye to Guadeloupe with a picnic on the beach before hoisting the sails for the night sail to Antigua.