On May 6, we left Anse Canot, Marie Galante, and motored downwind and westward back to Ìlet des Saintes.  Arctic Tern, as usual, had departed before us and was already settled into the mooring field at Terre d`en Haut when we arrived.  The mooring buoys there, as in other French islands, feature a heavy metal ring mounted atop a metal stem protruding from the top of the float, and no painter.  So a vessel with a high bow, such as our beloved Kadey-Krogen trawler, has some difficulty getting attached.  Hunter, well aware of our problem, was already standing by in his dinghy in order to help feed our painters through the ring and back up to the Admiral on the foredeck.

We like Terre d`en Haut a lot, but had not spent much time there in recent years.  So when I suggested that we walk to lunch to a restaurant I remembered fondly for its menu, but not so accurately for its location, I led Arctic Tern and Bodacious on a wild goose chase before conceding defeat and “settling” for Douceur de I`Isle, near Baie de Pompierre, where we each had a satisfying meal.  On another day, after Arctic Tern had departed for Portsmouth, Dominica, TT2 and Bodacious tried again, and had success on the road to Grande Anse, just opposite the cemetery.  Alas, I still can not call up the name of the restaurant.  But it is good.

And speaking of restaurants, when Ann and Steve (Receta) arrived, we joined them for dinner at La Saladerie, where we had a marvelous meal.  The restaurant is also an art gallery; the owner Edouard has filled the walls with his creations that have earned him fame in France and sales worldwide.

We also did some diving in the Saintes.  Arctic Tern, Bodacious and TT2 first dove below Pain de Sucre, and the next day the southwest corner of Ìlet à Cabrit.  Jack joined us for a third day of diving at Pain de Sucre, and Barb and I dove there yet one more time the next day.  On those last two times, I took my housed Nikon down with me.

After Arctic Tern had left, and before Receta had arrived, Bodacious and TT2 pulled the dinghy up on the south beach of Ìlet à Cabrit and followed the trails up to the ruins of the fort on the island.

On May 12, Receta and TT2 left the Saintes and moved the 23 nm to Prince Rupert Bay at Portsmouth, Dominica.  As we left the mooring field, we passed by the magnificent square rigger Sørlandet, whose home port is Kristiansand, Norway, home of many of our Norwegian friends.

Neither vessel got so much as a nibble on our fishing lines as we traveled south to Dominica.  But to learn about our activities in Portsmouth, one must tune in to the next exciting episode of “Chuck and Barb go cruising.”