Adventures a deux

I haven't contributed to the Tin Tin Round the World blog since we arrived in Trinidad and laid up for the hurricane season last May.  Now after a lovely period of family cruising with our Anne and I are alone, sailing out of Point a Pitre in Guadeloupe heading north to Antigua. Rain squalls keep sweeping down out of a grey sky and the mountains disappear into the cloud Along the coastal strip the land flattens out a little and the rich green of the sugar cane fields and the red roofed houses of the villages look very enticing and picturesque. But today the weather isn't the picture postcard tropical sunshine that we've rathergrown to expect.  

Guadeloupe looks like a butterfly and we will be sailing right round the western wing, Basse Terre.  Oddly Basse Terre (or Low Land) is the mountainous active volcano, while the other wing, Haut Terre, is low and fairly flat.  Its volcano was much more ancient and has eroded away almost competely.  

On enquiry it seems that Bas and Haut refer to Low and High winds, as the mountains create a sheltered western coastline while the flat island is swept by the unceasing Trade Winds. 

I came back to Trinidad in November with Stuart, who was a great help in getting Tin Tin recommissioned for the winter season.  There turned out to be a lot more work than I'd anticipated and we must have engaged with about twenty different professionals to get all the jobs done. The saving grace was that the cafe bar at Peakes  Marina  offered a half price Happy Hour from 4pm till 8pm, including various dishes from the menu. Over ten days of hard work I gave Stuart a guided tour of most of the cocktails!

Finally we set off to sail to Grenada in the darkest hour of the night with lights off and AIS off to avoid Venezuelan pirates. On arrival our engine wouldn't start, but we sailed into Prickly Bay and anchored. 

Luckily we got the engine fixed before Anne and Beccy arrived and we set sail northwards towards St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, and Martinique. 

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Best regards

Paul

J. Paul Stephens