Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is the second biggest French island in the Caribbean, after Martinique. For years I’d only stopped in the small fishing village of Deshaies to clear in and out, then went to the Iles des Saintes. So, I assumed that the rest of the island was similar – but Pointe à Pitre sports the 2nd largest shopping centre in France, a large airport, and a good-sized town!

It is a typical French island that pretends not to understand English and with excellent food and drink. The village of Deshaies, and Jacques Cousteau’s favourite dive spot, and the magical Saintes offer a stark contrast to the metropolitan Pointe a Pitre.

The Saintes rank in my top 5 favourite anchorages, the only downside is that anchoring is no longer possible and sometimes the main anchorage can get quite choppy. The small area around the Pain de Sucre is perfect, but there are only a limited number of mooring balls available there.