During our 2005 winter travels in the Caribbean and Bahamas we spent a week or so in the largest city on the island of Guadeloupe, Pointe-a-Pitre.  There is a big marina complex just south of the city of Pointe-a-Pitre called Bas Du Fort that includes restaurants, gift shops and grocery stores, as well as all the usual boating facilities you would expect.  We considered getting dock space, but decided that the 57 euros per night would be better spent on other things. We found a nice anchorage about a mile east, with plenty of room, far enough away from the noise and lights of the city, yet close enough to the dinghy dock so the trip to town was not too daunting.  The anchorage was amazingly calm and comfortable, despite some pretty gusty winds.  We put out a second anchor, mostly for practice but also as insurance in case more big winds found us.  We heard from other marina guests who had just returned from touring the island in a car that it was really rocking and rolling on the windward side of the island, although you couldn't tell it back in our protected spot. 

Guadeloupe, together with The Saintes, St. Martin, St. Barts and a few smaller islands, are actually a "department" of France.  The atmosphere is a strange mix of island warmth and colors and French language and attitude.  The language barrier is tough, but traveling with our two girls provides a great ice breaker wherever we go.  Juliana's little "bon jour" never failed to bring a smile to the face of every passerby.  We spent the first day enjoying the marina complex, eating pizza at the waterfront cafe where there also happened to be a free wireless signal (love that!).  The grocery store was well stocked with fruits and vegetables as well as baguette and cheese and good cheap French wine.  We also met some fellow cruisers from Switzerland, Muriel and Gabriel and their 5-year-old son Michael.  It is always a good thing when you find other cruisers with kids!

The next day, we decided to rent a car to explore the island and check out the rainforest and the waterfalls that we had heard about.  Guadeloupe is actually formed by two islands in the shape of a lopsided butterfly, which are separated by a river.  The western island, Basse Terre (low land), is larger and quite mountainous, much of it covered by rainforest.  The eastern half, known as Grande Terre (large land) is, of course, small and low.  Our 10am reservation with Budget to meet us at the marina with a car turned into an 11am shuttle service to the Budget office 20 minutes away where Joe picked up our car and drove it back to the marina to collect the rest of the family by noon.  Minus two hours of touring time, we headed straight for Basse Terre and Le Chutes de Carbet where there were three spectacular waterfalls.  We decided to find a place to eat along the way and were almost disappointed (Sunday = closed) but found a nice little Creole restaurant in the small village closest to our destination.  We had chicken and goat curry which was quite good. 

Cassie & Juliana take shelter in the rainforest.

Guess what?  It was really rainy in the rainforest!  We didn't let the constant rain deter us, however, and we hiked up the 30-minute path to the waterfall.  We had heard there was a warm pool to swim in, but it must have been at the end of the hour-and-a-half long path, because the water we felt was cold.  I wish I had bought that waterproof enclosure for my camera as it was too wet to take any pictures. We did get to see the waterfall through the heavy mist and clouds, and could make out the small crevice over which the water came tumbling down.  It was quite impressive.  If the weather was a little better and the kids a little older, I would have loved to make the longer trek to the warm spring.  We'll just have to come back one day and do it again!

We also spent some time in the city to get a closer look at the local scene. There is a big central square with a nice playground that the girls enjoyed.  We were struck by the ragged appearance of most of the buildings in the main downtown area.  Although tourism is the biggest industry on Guadeloupe, as it is on most of the other islands in the Caribbean, it does not seem to bring in enough money to pay for the beautification and upkeep of the waterfront area.  I am not familiar enough with local politics to know what other demands there are on the available revenue, nor do I know how much of the infrastructure is supported by monies from France. St. Martin and St. Barts both seem to be much better off than their southern brethren. 

The rest of the main island of Guadeloupe, sadly, was unexplored by the Zia crew. There are many wonderful anchorages on both sides of the island that would have been worth a visit, but we had guests meeting us in St. Kitts so had to depart before we had a chance to go anywhere else. The blustery weather confined us to the protected anchorage in Point-a-Pitre for our stay on the island. It was another example of how you really are not completely the master of your own destiny, even when out cruising. Weather, guests, and boat repairs are the factors that tend to get in the way, no matter how hard you try to plan around them.