Catching Up #2

So with the bow-thruster fixed we left Porte-a-Pietre and had a nice sail south and west to Les Saintes...AND...then the following day we had a wonderful sail across the inlet...north...back up the west side of Guadaloupe...first to Basse Terre the capital of Guadaloupe to hopefully "check-in"...but also to try to find a REAL French baguette for Paul and hopefully some dingy gas as there is too much oil in the current mix and we...well...Stinky (the 8 horse two stroke engine on Little Bit) REALLY stinks (and smokes). No luck with the check-in...and no luck with the dingy gas (out of fuel due to the island issues)...but we did find a REAL French baguette. And this cute little guy...well not so little...okay, the sail across the inlet was wonderful...but with wind coming from the east and the island mountains...well, the winds became "fluky" and we motored for 15 miles...to Pigeon Island and Jacques Coustea's Marine Park. There was a little incident about us being called off a mooring ball by a "cattle boat"...but by late afternoon...we had a mooring ball in 60 feet of water on the NW side of the Island. The water was very clear and we were very much looking forward to diving the next day! I had read that the mooring balls could be rolly...and soon after we went to sleep the wind shifted and sure enough...we rolled all night! Breakfast...getting everything together...and waiting for the sun to be over the water...while we waited I "fretted and stewed" about how close we were to this water spout in the rocks...





Paul shortened our mooring line...and told me we were okay! We "splashed down" at 11:15am. We went down to around 75 feet...I was looking for the dropoff or a wall of some sort...Paul was still getting comfortable again...with his new BCD and after not diving since last May in Z. It was great to be diving...I was busy following Paul...when he started to relax he also started pointing out things...an eel...and the biggest hog fish I had seen to date AND so beautiful! I didn't get as many pictures as I usually do BUT the pictures I did get with the Olympus were pretty cool! We surfaced back at the boat...climbed aboard and both decided that we would get the tanks filled that afternoon and take a dive Saturday morning before leaving back for Les Saintes.Pigeon Island sunset from anchorage. The Saturday dive was from the dingy as the mooring balls for the area we had chosen to dive could not be lifted enough to get our bow line through (and we did try)...so back to the main anchorage of the town and a short dingy ride with all gear to the spot. There was a bit of a current running...so we dropped down...hoping that the current would not be as strong (and I don't think it was). I had to take a heading on this dive as the topography was such that we could have gotten lost very easily. North...very easy... I should have put batteries in the flash for the camera...the orange light went on after the first pictures...so while I have some pictures of this dive...well, one is of two NIB's...(not in books)...we were doing our 3 minute safety stop and I looked down and in the rocks there were two bunches of something nestled in the rocks...I went down only a few feet...took a picture...and now that I see the picture...I should have taken the time to go all the way down to the rock and figure out just what this was...it looks like baby somethings!!! A couple came over to the boat the other night (in Les Saintes)...they were both divers and were headed up to Pigeon Island the next day. I showed them the pictures told them exactly where they could find the NIB. I hope to hear from them soon!! Anyway...we filled up the tanks with the local dive shop again...and now we are back to Les Saintes! Fresh French Baguettes every day...Note that one of the baguettes will never make it back to the boat!!! And finally I have even gotten some sun...really...while the weather has been warm...and the sun is there somewhere - beneath the clouds and the sun peaking out through the intermittent squalls...well, sufice to say...the weather is getting better? The internet here is spotty (of course as I type this it is totally down)...good sometimes...usually early morning...and by late afternoon when it is late enough to call my kids...too many people are taking up the "bandwidth" and it works...but slowly. BUT...the bandwidth hog...better known as Paul...yes, Paul...has been getting some downloading done on Graboid...of note is SEA HUNT....yes, SEA HUNT!!! We are certainly having some fun with that! My how things have changed!!