Today we’re going to explore Ilet a Cabrit, the uninhabited island a short dinghy ride across the bay. Seems to be a fairly popular anchorage, with about 20 boats hanging out there.

Christy makes a lunch and we head over under a hot sun. There used to be a large military installation here started by the French in 1777 and continued by the English around 1809. It served as a penitentiary around the 1850s. This would be a horrible place to be incarcerated – blistering hot. Looks like there were other installations here and there is an old picture at the beach which appears to be from the 1950s showing extensive military (I guess) buildings. Somewhere there are abandoned hotel ruins.

Now though it is very tumble down. There is an old pier we tie up to but it is so bad it is hard to walk on. The remnants of a two-lane concrete road go up the hill to the first saddle so pretty easy walking. At the saddle there are extensive ruins, probably barracks and storehouses all very overgrown. After that to the north there is a well-worn and obvious path to the first battle station, then a not-so-easy path to the northernmost tip. We’re bushwhacking for the most part, there appears to be a path but it comes and goes.

We make it to the end to find a lovely lookout where the former battle station was. Bushwhacking back towards the other end of the island, Christy grabs a branch for balance which collapses in her hand and she takes a pretty bad fall, scraping her leg and forearm pretty badly.

But we retrace our steps and continue on uphill to Fort Josephine, site of the original 1777 fortification and the former penitentiary. There are a few information signs around the island and one here says they attempted to make the main building a disco at one point. It’s pretty interesting, the smell of citrus from mango (I think) trees is very strong and pleasant. Would truly suck to be in prison here though.

Christy’s pretty banged up, it’s very hot and she doesn’t want to continue on to the last leg of the island, so she goes down to the beach for a swim/snorkel while I carry on.

The path goes downwards to the east and before long I come to the ruins of the hotel I read about in Doyles. There are 8 units, looks like probably the 1980s or even later that have been abandoned and are now inhabited mostly by goats (thankfully, no bats). Don’t know who would have thought to build here. No water, no beach, nothing to do.

Further on is the last cannon placement spot. Nice views of the ocean to the east and Guadeloupe to the north.

I return the way I came, back to the beach where Christy is just finishing her swim. There are perhaps 3 or 4 groups of families BBQing their Sunday away on the beach. Very nice.

We dinghy back to Milu to swim/shower/shave and cool off. We’ve arranged to have dinner with Dave and Jackie in town at 7 pm and they invited us to drop by their boat at 6 pm.

So we do. Have a nice time with some snacks before we dinghy in separately to the town for dinner. We have a nice meal at Cafe de la Marine, then depart back to our boats.

No sign of the fish again.