Ah! Food and the French Islands!
On January 9th Mom and Dad found a reasonable weather window and set sail at 6am from Antigua bound for St. Barthelemy. During the entire 9 hour passage we only saw two other boats which were both large 80ft+ power boats. The conditions were sporty but we were sailing downwind and it felt like a sleigh ride. We made great time and averaged 8.5kts. For quite a long time, we were accompanied by two birds who were fishing at our bow. As Two Captains cut through the water, the flying fish would spring out of the water and the birds, likely Brown Boobies would swoop down and gobble up the unfortunate fish.
Upon arriving in the Gustavia anchorage, it was absolutely packed with boats. We found a spot on the outer edge and snuggled in next to the super yachts. The anchorage was rolly, but that didn’t deter us; we were on a mission to find great French food and boy did we! I’ll cover the details of my favorite restaurants on the Dodger’s Choice page in case you’re interested.
I led Mom and Dad on a hike to the top of Fort Karl which is pictured here. They also rented an air conditioned car for a day to tour the island which was a nice way to get a break from the heat. We got to see most of the sites on St. Barts including Nikki Beach, Lorient and the Grand Fond which is on the south eastern side of the island and boasts incredible views and that day some spectacular seas. The weather and wind had continued to build over the days we were visiting and the seas were exhibiting their power on the windward coastline.
Did I mention the French love dogs? They especially adore handsome Papillons, like me. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that Papillon means butterfly in French. I mention this because I’ve been welcomed in everywhere, sans a few high end dinner places where Mom and Dad didn’t even attempt to bring me. The French welcome me in and typically will bring me water first before even serving Mom and Dad. I love the French!
After a quick 2 night stay at Colombier, Mom and Dad’s favorite anchorage on the island, we were off to St. Martin to meet up with our good friends Mike and Lori Wingert.
Au Revoir for now!
