3/19-4/9/2026 Huntington Beach, CA
It is always good to come home. The weather was amazing,
warm sunny days and cool nights. The house was in great shape, a day or two of
yard work and we were 100 percent. Our timing was based on getting home in time
for Opening Day at Shoreline Yacht Club. This is a big event at the club with
lots of food, boating friends, music and dancing. It’s an all-day affair
starting with making food in the morning to contribute to the fair through
evening clean up.
Checking in on Rascal, she looked good despite not having been washed in two months. My boat cleaner retired as we were leaving for the Caribbean and I was unable to find a replacement. We hosed her down but hoped to secure a new boat cleaner while we were home.
I launched into a handful of Raffaellesco projects knowing
that I did not have a lot of time:
Sew a proper zipper on my bimini infill
Sew a storage bag for the fly I had made previously
Sew a cover for the new outboard engine, I had just enough
tan Sunbrella left to do the job
Fabricate some shims, one to raise up the new outboard on
the transom, and a pair to support the companionway door
My new flexible solar panels arrived so I tested them and
packaged them for travel
Then there is always a hand full of parts and things to buy,
easier and cheaper here
At the end of the week, we had our BWCC dinner meeting
hosted by our friends Angie and Scott at their home. This was an Italian themed
dinner; they did a great job as hosts. It is great to come home and reconnect
with friends. Suzette had her girlfriends over for dinner and I caught with my
friend John for dinner out.
We made a trip up to wine country for food and wine, Santa
Ynez and Paso Robels for a few days. It was extra fun in the Tesla as charging
the car is free when we travel and use the Tesla charging stations. I say
“extra fun” because gas is so expensive now.
Returning home in time to spend Easter at the yacht club enjoying an extravagant brunch. We did relent and went back to Rascal to give her a good cleaning for lack of finding a boat cleaner. A couple more dinners and lunches with friends before we packed up and headed back to Raffaellesco.
We first flew to Tampa to see friends Bonnie and Don. It was
an uneventful flight and great to see our friends. Last time we saw them we
were putting them in a Taxi in some little town in Italy, they were heading
Rome to board a cruise ship, and we were heading north to avoid the bad
weather.
Two nights in Tampa then off to Guadeloupe to board Raffaellesco.
Another uneventful flight had us on the island by 1400. It was a long taxi ride
to the marina, but the beautiful scenery was worth it. Everything was lush and
green. The banana tree orchards were bursting with bananas and there was every
kind of palm tree imaginable. Along the way we passed a bike race that was
going in the opposite direction, you know those French and bicycles.
The weather was balmy 85 degrees, but the steady breeze made it quite comfortable, and the passing clouds helped as well. The boat was just as we had left it but with new neighbors, a brand new 55’ Cat and a beautiful old Choy Lee with wooden spars. We opened the boat to air it out and set about unpacking. It was Saturday and the stores would be closed on Sunday. We deployed the wagon and headed to the grocery store, first the fruit market for fruits and vegis, then the regular market for a few other things. We had only left Raffaellesco for 3 weeks so there were lots of essentials still on the boat. On top of that we brought dried fruits, nuts, cheese and coffee in our suitcase.
Back on the boat we made spring rolls and a dip for dinner,
very satisfying, light and cool. After a round of pinocle I got a second wind
and set up my new solar panels that we brought from home. I am hoping to
improve our charging capacity with the new panels and an increase in power from
600 to 800 watts. Life is better when the solar panels can keep up with the
load.
A quiet night in the marina though it did downpour several
times through the night, free boat cleaning!
4/12/2026 Marina Riviere Sens, Guadeloupe
Sleeping in until 0830, the morning was damp and partly
cloudy with a very light breeze, time to get to work. Replaced the main furler
line, finished solar panels, removed covers, fly deployment and new LED cockpit
lights. It was a hot day, so we went for a swim at the black sand beach. Back on
the boat it was nap, dinner and a walk along the shore.
4/13/2026 Marina Riviere Sens, Guadeloupe
Fresh breeze in the morning, partly cloudy in the morning.
Up early installing new outboard motor cover, great fit. After coffee we dug
out the bikes and went for a ride to the town of Base Terra. This is a quasi-port
city with a long exposed dock and cranes for offloading small ships. The town
was pretty rough around the edges with the usual derelict buildings that were
all but destroyed by Irma. The ride was grueling as there were significant
hills, narrow roads and lots of traffic, not to mention that it was hot.
Suzette did manage to find a new dress in one of the many shops. The heat was oppressive so she was looking for something cool and breathable to wear. Before heading back we stopped at the grocery store, more to be in air conditioning than to shop. We found a much better way back to the marina. We inquired with a guy on his bike, and he showed us the way, a flat bike trail along the sea wall had us back at the marina quickly. Along the way there was an enticing creek by the bike path so we stopped to wade in and off. Back in the marina we decided to go for a cool swim at the black sand beach. The beach is only a 5-minute walk from the boat, very refreshing.
Time for a fruit bowl and shade. Suzette napped while I
continued to work on my list, new double blocks on the davits, a fairlead for
the snubber, cleanup my work room, clean up the bikes and stow them, etc.
In the evening we took a hard look at the weather and
concluded tomorrow may be the day to depart.
4/14/2026 Marina Riviere Sens, Guadeloupe
It was a sunny and calm morning, but it looked like our
weather window for leaving was closing. We decided to get on our way, which
meant a flurry of activity. The boat was ready to go; we just needed to stow
some things. We were able to get our check-out documents stamped in the marina
office and by 1100 we were pulling out of our slip. A quick stop at the fuel
dock to fill our tanks and we were on our way.
We did feel a bit badly rushing off as we wanted to talk
more with our neighbor about the Caribbean. Her and her husband had been
cruising in the Caribbean for the last 4 years. They recently took time off to
have a baby and were now back on the boat with a 3-month-old baby girl. They
loved Guadeloupe and bought property here and they will be building a house a
settling down for a while. So many questions…
We motored 20 miles up the coast in light wind and calm seas
to Grand Anse near the northwest corner of Guadeloupe. The water was calm and
clear as we anchored in 18’ of water in sand. There were several other boats
anchored but plenty of room in the huge bay. The beach was a beautiful setting,
golden sand, palm trees and lots of people on the beach enjoying the sunshine.
We fired up the generator and through in a load of laundry, we had left some dirty laundry when we departed the boat a month ago. It was time for a swim in the refreshing water. It was a beautiful sand bottom with no sign of fish, but a well buried anchor was easily spotted. We were happy to be at anchor with the breeze coming into our hatches. The forecast was for light wind and calm seas but at about 0100 the breeze picked up to gusts of 30. I checked the anchor and our position, no boats around us and the wind was offshore, no worries, back to bed. The wind blew all night, but the water was calm.
4/15/2026 Grand Anse, Guadeloupe
The wind moderated in the early morning, and the sky was
clear for an 0630 departure. We motored northwest to Montserrat while we
enjoyed our coffee. The wind was 15 knots a little south of east, perfect for a
broad reach. We unfurled the sails and had a beautiful run to Montserrat. The
Island is an active volcano that erupted back in 1997 wiping out the main city,
Plymouth, and rendering the island uninhabitable. In 2007 some intrepid souls
began to repopulate the island. Today it is a shadow of its former self.
Approaching the island, you can see the lava flows and the volcano is belching
steam. You must have special permission to even set foot on the southern two
thirds of the island. The chart shows a warning to navigators, “Potential
Volcanic Activity”.
We rounded the north end and anchored in Rendezvous Bay with two other boats. The water was clear and we found 20’ of depth off the secluded beach. Unlike Grand Anse this beach is only accessible by boat, it was deserted. Since we only had a short distance to go to the customs dock we put the electric motor on the dinghy and headed in to check in. The process was super easy, they use the Sailclear system so I can do most of the paperwork online ahead of time. They simply check our passports, print our papers and we sign. There was a small fee, approximately $30.
We walked through the tiny village made up of mostly tiny
restaurants and a dive shop. We decided to walk inland to the market, I needed
gin and this is a British island. It was about a 20-minute walk up and down
hills in the blazing sun, they better have Hendrich’s. The grocery store was
much bigger than I anticipated, and it was air conditioned. Needless to say, we
lingered for a while and they did have Hendiech’s! I thought it was a bargain,
the tag said $28,0. It turned out that this was 280 EC not dollars. With the
exchange rate I paid a little less than $100 US, so confusing.
Having refreshed in their AC and consumed a Gatorade we were
back on the road again. The trip back seemed to go much quicker, and we arrived
at the dinghy in no time. Back on the boat it was time for a swim and some trip
planning. We needed to get to Marigot to pick up our new anchor chain. We could
make our next hop 40 miles to St Kitts but the check in procedure is so
cumbersome that we decided to skip it for now and go 60 miles to Estatia where
we may or may not check in, but it is at least a simple procedure akin to Sint
Maarten. We would have stayed another night in Montserrat, but the winds were
picking up and the weather looked better further north. The last hop would take
us 40 miles to Marigot, St Marten.
By 1900 we had enjoyed our dinner, stir fry, and I was wiped
out from too much heat and sun. I was ready for some sleep. It did not last long;
at 2200 I was up closing hatches as the sky opened up. It rained hard for about
15 minutes but not much wind. Back to bed. The next rain squall came about
0330, but I had already been awakened by a couple boat waves banging under my
stern. The rain lasted about 10 minutes. Between the two downpours we probably
got a half inch of rain.
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