Daybreak
I woke up a couple of times during the night, as the winds had died and wavelets were slamming against the transom area of the sugar-scoop. Nothing that earplugs didn’t solve. I had to get up once to close all the hatches due to showers passing by overhead. Despite this, I had a good night’s sleep and am ready for the day ahead. I’m heading to Deshaies today. Most likely under engine power all the way.
Coffee
I’ve adjusted the coffee grinder and modified my pouring method thanks to recommendations from David Hoffmann in the video above. The Martinique-roasted coffee is now a lot less unpalatable. Despite this, I’m looking forward to drinking the excellent coffee that I can make from beans roasted at Carib Bean Coffee Roasters.
10:00 Departure
I’m going to depart here in about 30 minutes, after I get the dinghy bailed out and the cabin contents secured. I’ve learned my lesson about leaving stuff about when not expecting any winds or waves. I now always assume heavy weather underway when preparing to leave an anchorage, and the few minutes of extra preparation are worth it.
I weighed anchor just as a sprinkle of rain began and soon found myself in the channel. I had full sails out and the winds picked up a bit, letting me turn off the engine and sail at 4-6 knots all the way to the southern tip of Guadeloupe. After that, the wind shifted 180° and I motorsailed with both sails fully out, giving me an extra 1-2 knots speed.
16:00 Arrival Deshaies
The last 2 miles were dead into a 15 knots wind. The anchorage is, as expected, crowded close to shore in shallow water. My first anchoring attempt in 40 feet wasn’t successful. I had my foot on the chain and could feel it bump across rock or coral on the bottom. The second attempt in 50 feet was successful. I’ve got 200 feet of chain out and know that the wind is going to shift in a couple of hours.