Mar 20, 2018 - Guadeloupe

We had absolutely glorious weather flying over the Caribbean. The spectacular, other-worldly images speak for themselves. On touching down in Guadeloupe, a small principality of France in the Lesser Antilles, our wonderful hostess (Marie Jo) drove us at least an hour over mountainous passes and hairpin turns to our "gite." She is the third generation owner at Gites Les Mangiers, a family passionate about their island and welcoming guests for over 30 years. Our comfortable cabin had everything we could need, nestled in a garden filled with...

Jan 21, 2015 - Anse Colombier to Ile Fourchue

Wednesday, January 21 -- From Anse Colombier to Ile Fourchue via Gustavia We had to go back to Gustavia today to clear Customs because that can only be done one day, maximum, before departure from St. Barth. But before we left Anse Colombier we wanted to have one more snorkel in this quiet spot. At 8:30 we moved the boat to a mooring ball on the south side of the bay. There was more sunlight than yesterday evening, which improved visibility. The north side had more fish varieties whereas the south side this morning had more corals. Perhaps...

Jan 20, 2015 - Anse Colombier hike

Tuesday, January 20th -- Anse Colombier It was very relaxing to not have to move the boat today. After a satisfying breakfast we agreed that on this cloudy morning a hike up the hill was a good idea. Each person gathered their preferred hiking necessities into bags and climbed barefoot into the dinghy. Before locking the boat up we double checked the key-lock match for both the boat lock and the dinghy lock. A few large waves helped us beach the dinghy quite high on the sand. We secured it with a rope around a large rock and with the...

Jan 19, 2015 - Gustavia and Anse Colombier

Monday, January 19th -- Ile Fourchue to Anse Colombia via Gustavia After another unhurried breakfast we discussed the day's plan as we waited for the sun to rise above the eastern ridge wall of the bay. Because we were able to get a mooring ball close to shore we snorkeled the distance from the boat to the cliffs. There were more fish here than we expected, especially in the sunny patches. There were quite a few hard corals too, although some of them, sadly, were quite damaged. After exploring the east side of the bay for 30 minutes or so...

Jan 20, 2012 - The French Way: Guadeloupe 1

‘Vous-êtes raciste, raciste!’, the words spat out of the mouth of the black woman. ‘Pourquoi vous me chassez, c’est parce que je suis nègre, vous êtes raciste!’. She is enraged and moves to re-enter the café terrace she was just been sent away from and physically attack the white waitress she is shouting at. Then the owner looms in the door opening, alerted by the fracas, and she walks away past the tables where I and others are following the spectacle and down the pedestrian street full of Saturday shoppers. I return to the ‘Canard...

Jan 20, 2012 - The French Way: Guadeloupe 2

Continued from the entry before. My first years in Paris I felt exhilarated, as if I was living on a cloud and floating along the streets, enjoying every minute of living in the fantastic city. It also curiously gave me a new and lofty perspective on who I was and where I came from. I now saw a straight line from my original ancestry in Sweden to my new French-European identity, with the Dutch period being more like a detour, a distraction. I was back on the main track again. That exhilaration has abated of course and my feet touch the...

Jul 10, 2011 - Bonjour & Bon apetit

Bonjour family & friends, Our 13 hr passage was made up of 5ft seas,and steady 20 knot winds from midnite to noon the following day. St.Kitts gives us a problem due to dog importation,so we just anchored at different beaches for 3 days.Actually St.Kitts is called St.Christopher formally and this name does appear on some postage stamps,charts,(as the chartplotter tells me) this island of St.Kitts dominates the northern part of the Leeward islands because of its dramatic size and its beauty. Perhaps the main reason so much blood was shed over...

Jan 1, 2007 - Guadeloupe

Salut les z'amis! Bonne année!!!!! Nous voila de retour après presque 3 semaines au soleil...enfin il a aussi plu tous les jours...mais la pluie tropicale, moi, j'en voudrais bien a Edmonton. Maman dit qu'il n'est pas utile de faire de grand baratin, il n y a que les photos qui vous interessent. Ca, c'est parce qu'elle ne veut pas que je vous dise tout ce qu'ils m'ont fait faire ces fous de parents. Shut... je vais vous raconter quand meme... J'ai tout fait comme eux. Ils m'ont trimballé comme si j'étais un sac a dos (mais de luxe !)....