Hello there

Oh hey! How are you? Just wanted to chat a bit while we sit at anchor in Guadeloupe. I know! Can you believe we are in Guadeloupe? I just learned how to spell Guadeloupe! Everyone here speaks French. I thought we would be hated but we picked up some phrases and we took our "French for cruisers book" with us and so far the people here do not want to punch us in the face.

Everything is good so far except for the fact that they eat dinner real late. Well, late for us. We wanted pizza but the gal at the restaurant said not until 4pm. OK. We popped over at 5 pm and the sign outside said no pizza until 6:30. Damn! We had drinks and went back to the boat for an egg sandwich on a garlic toasted baguette with a slice of melted swiss. Yes life can be hard. Pizza! I want it now! Typical Americans. We think we can just get stuff when we want it or we go somewhere else. Not here. You have to roll with it baby. Yes thats a song. Steve Winwood I think. Maybe it was a cover. I never liked his voice. I could take one song from him and thats it. Bob Dylan, who is one heck of songwriter really got to my brain. I never understood what the hell he was saying anyway. If you know his songs you will be OK at a concert but if not then its all just nasal congestion into a mic.

On the way down we thought hey, we get to St Martin and life's a reach! Nope. On the nose all the way to Statia. OK from here to St Kitts it's a reach! Nope, on the nose and nasty. Well, from here to Montserratt it should be not too bad. Hell no! Turned back. Next day we did it but it was still just off the nose. Reach to Guadeloupe!! Um, well not quite. More like a trip through a washing machine. So WTF is going on? Why are we still beating into the wind?

Part of the problem is our deadline. June 1st we should be in the Grenadines. This forces us to go when we really do not want to go. The other problem is mother freaking nature who apparently does not like us anymore. Can't say as I blame her but you know Mom I could really use a beam reach here every now and then. This would really help my attitude a bit and I might think twice about buying the shampoo with the beads. Kidding, I would never buy shampoo with micro beads. What the hell kind of crap is that anyway? Micro beads of plastic that do what to your hair? People are stupid.

We are sailing to Isle Des Saintes tomorrow. Supposedly there are a huge number of mooring balls because the place blows for anchoring. I have low expectations. Supposedly there were moorings here as well but all the local boats scooped them up. Must be nice to have a free mooring for your charter business.

We are having fun despite what you read sometimes. Ninety nine percent of the time we are smiling and laughing. At least I am. Debra might be at 89%. Something about the smiling jackass she married. I have to admit I have my grumpy moments but it never lasts more than a day. All it takes is a French boat next to us stripping down to total nakedness and jumping in the water to snap me out of my funk. I can't help it it's funny. In St Martin there was this older dude who was soaping his balls while sitting on his scooped transom. Hard not to notice that. You look away and laugh but then you look again because WHO DOES THAT! The other day this boat with two guys and one gal decided to frolic a bit. You try not to notice but then the gal did a little dance on the boat naked before jumping in. Wow. Wish I could be that free. I guess I just worry about the lure.

Interesting tibit: Since we entered the Caribbean Sea we averaged approx 2.5 gals of diesel burned each day. Pretty much tripled what we used in the Bahamas on the way here. We basically sailed the Bahamas. We basically motor sailed the Caribe.

Pushing on to Grenada where we will chill for a month and then we hop to Trini for a haulout and a flight back to the US.

Good talking to ya.
Cheers!
P



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