Up a bit earlier and off a bit earlier as the trip to Dominica is almost 5nms more than yesterday so as much as an hour longer. Don’t want to get in much after 5 pm as it gets dark fast and the winds are supposed to pick up Saturday evening.

The past two days are completely reactionary to the wind forecast. It looks like it is going to start getting very windy by Sunday morning and the crossings between islands could be downright dangerous. Not for us thanks.

It’s actually 5:30 am as we’re pulling up out of Deschaies. A shame as we like this place but we’re going to be very glad to rest in Portsmouth while these big winds blow around us. Hopefully. We’ll do some more hiking/exploring in Dominica, maybe sell our OD at PAYS? As we’re pulling out and I’m cleaning up the anchor ropes, there is the dolphin guiding us out of the harbour, right under my feet swimming on the bow wave. He turns to look up at me. Uber cool.

The wind down the west coast of Guadeloupe drops to near nothing pretty quickly and we have a very nice motor the entire 20 nms to the bottom. We have the main up but it is not doing anything, you could water ski out here. We reach the bottom of Guadeloupe by 10 am which is very good, happy with that but not too surprising since we were doing 6 kts with the motor. The wind picks up here very noticabely and pretty soon we’re doing 5+ kts with the motor off, heading towards The Saints, another 10 nms away. When we pass them there will be only 20 nms, maybe 4 hours, left to go.

We pass well out from the Saints, thinking we will have less wind effect from them. This is probably a mistake. Instead of steady seas, they are very confused as wind is coming from both directions around the saints. On top of that, when we do clear them we have a close haul all the way to Dominica. I expected a reach but it never really backs aft until we are nearly in Dominica.

However, we would gladly trade the not-so-optimal sail over the next 5 hours for the experience of dolphins joining us due west of the Saints. They stay with us for at least half an hour, we take turns going to the front and watching them cavort around the nose. Couple of them jump high as they are clearly enjoying themselves. First time we’ve really seen that.

After they leave we’re only doing 3.5 kts with 20 nms to go – this won’t do. We can’t afford to roll into Portsmouth in the dark, especially since the wind is supposed to start increasing this evening. We put out more sail, tweak a bit. It is definitely a close haul, no matter what the instruments say and although there’s nearly 20 kts of wind we’re having trouble maintaining 4 kts. Nothing for it but to put out more sail. We do and soon we are up to 4.5+ kts, we can manage that.

I watch a boat that hugged the Saints go flying by us 2 nms north. Grrr.

It’s pleasant enough though the wind is on the nose and the waves are on the beam. Nice warm afternoon, we should get to Portsmouth by 4:30 pm.

Around 2:30 pm I look behind us and “Whoa Ho!” I shout. “What’s up?” says Christy. The lines towing OD have parted and our trusty old dinghy is nowhere to be seen! We scan the horizon but can’t pick it up. No idea when it left us but it is free now, and looking at the Caribbean sea currents I expect it is on its way to Nicaragua. Probably get there in about 3 weeks, we think it should survive the trip unless it gets totally swamped but I still don’t think it would sink. Sail on trusty OD, hope you find a good home.

At least that is one less thing to deal with and we don’t have to tow it any more.

We see a rain squall heading our way and don’t want to get caught with so much sail out in 35 kt winds so we bring in the main, furl the foresail a bit, leave the motor on so we can maintain 4.5 kts minimum. The squall never does hit us, but then the wind never backs aft so pretty soon all the foresail is doing is flapping and annoying us, probably trying to shred itself. I think the fore stay is too loose, it flaps like crazy. We bring it in and motor the last almost 10 nms. I hate that but not much to do. Should have trusted the nav system which was saying that, although we were pointed right at our target (the Cabrits) we were drifting far, far to the south. By the time we approach Portsmouth we are almost ninety degrees from the Saints. Living and Learning every day out here.

We’re anchored in a decent spot, a little closer to an uninhabited, moored, beat-up cat than I would like but should be OK. I put out lots of chain in anticipation of a windy couple of days. Hot shower feels really good, I can feel the crust of the salt as I’m cleaning. Christy’s burgers for dinner, then off to bed by 9 PM. No need to take the dinghy down yet.