Isle des Saintes

Alas we have been stranded in yet another idyllic bay, this time an anchorage on a little island called Ilet a Cabrit in the Isle des Saintes, without internet access.  Attempting not to be slaves to the internet, we have instead been snorkelling in the bay (which was described by another cruiser as snorkelling in a fish tank), reading, sunbathing, having BBQ’s with other cruisers ashore, and of course doing a bit of work on the boat – scrubbing, polishing and scraping the barnacles. 

Bourg Des Saintes from the top of the hill

The beach at Ilet a Cabrit

View from the fort at the top of the hill

Interesting inscription in the jail cell at the fort

We have been ashore on the “mainland” to Bourg Des Saintes, a much larger town than Deshaies but along the same lines.  Unfortunately, it has been a public holiday for the weekend and Monday, so we haven’t been able to enjoy the local spoils ashore. 

We are off to Dominca tomorrow, with a little hesitance.  The guidebook, while saying the place is beautiful, makes cautious remarks about locking the boat while you sleep, only using certain dinghy docks that are safe “most of the time”, and stressing that one must use the local guides.  Another cruiser, who loves Dominica, also warned that we should use local guides.  She recalled the time she went on a guided walk up to a waterfall, and the guide casually remarked that the blood stained patch of grass to one side of the path was where they knifed the Frenchman who was found wandering without a guide yesterday.   It might not have been as bad as it seems.  It appears that the Frenchman may have stumbled upon the local’s cannabis patch and helped himself.

I am keen to spend as little time in Dominica as possible, but Gary wants to do a guided tour of the Indian River through proper rainforest.  There are not many times in ones life when you have the opportunity to venture into the rainforest in such a beautiful place as Dominica.  We will feel the place out when we arrive and make our verdict then.

Wish us luck on our passage and entry into Dominica!