Glug Glug

Nick and I had a fantastic dive on sunken rock in Antigua before the day we set sail for Guadeloupe, 40 miles to the south. Between the two islands we hooked a marlin that eventually shook the lure, then landed a 25 pound Wahoo. These are terrific eating fish and we were able to give a feed to Paul and Lizzie on SY “Amaranth” when they anchored near us in Deshays. We had followed Amaranth’s progress across the Atlantic by listening to the SSB radio after a shroud broke; he finished the crossing on a jury rig. It was nice to put a face to Paul’s Auzzie accent and meet his lovely Canadian partner, Lizzie.

Guapeloupe is French, the croissants are baked fresh every morning, and quaint restaurants line the shore of Deshays. The people are proud of their Creole culture and language, and are a mix of the descendents from emancipated African slaves, Indian labourers and French colonialists. Even the native forest looks slightly French as the leaves are turing gold on many of the buttressed chestnut trees. The megaphyl rainforest plants and coconut plams give it a tropical France feel. Its all about the good things in life, instead of wine they grow sugar cane and distil many different brands of Rum.