Pitstops in Dominica, Guadeloupe and Montserrat

From what we have seen so far we had the impression that the islands did not differ much from each other so we decided to make bigger steps and make a selection of the islands we wanted to visit. The next island we wanted to see was the Dutch island Sint Eustacius (Statia). Since we didn’t want to sail overnight we made a few pitstops on the way in the islands of Dominica, Guadeloupe and Montserrat where we anchored in a bay.

We had three good sailing days with an average wind speed of 20 knots. A bay is supposed to offer protection but the bays where we anchored acted like a wind vent and so the wind increased to 35 knots and it seemed like there was a storm. Once we left the bay everything went back to normal.

In the island of Montserrat  where a volcano eruption took place in 1995 we saw the volcano with smoke coming out of it and we could also smell the sulfur which smelled like rotting eggs. In the bay where we anchored we were surrounded by pelicans that were hunting for fish.

Active volcano in Montserrat

With the exception of Barbados the islands that we have seen so far were not like the typical Caribbean pictures you see in the movies with the turquoise waters, white sandy beaches and palm trees. The islands are mountainous and the beaches are mostly grey volcanic sand. There are always rain clouds hanging above the islands and so rain showers are quite frequent. That’s why everything is so fertile and green.

Statia (Sint Eustacius)

The Dutch island Statia is second to the smallest inhabited island in the Caribbean but after Rotterdam it has the second largest Dutch commercial port. There were about ten huge container and tanker ships anchored in the bay. The fuel tankers come here and from this tiny island their cargo is transported worldwide.

The town is very quaint. Most houses are colorful and well maintained. The people greeted us (and each other) on the streets even though we were strangers and so we felt very welcome. The crime rate is close to nothing so you also feel very safe. One thing particular about this island is that you see goats gazing freely around almost everywhere you go. There are plenty of ruins from the Dutch V.O.C. period and there is a restored fort. Since you could see the whole town in less than an hour we hiked to the volcano in the afternoon.

The Lonely Planet travel guide wrote that Statia is one of the top eight towns to visit in the Caribbean and we have to say we agree with this because, although it was small, it was well worth the visit.

St. Barthes

The French island St. Barthes was just 26 n.m. away from Statia but the difference was enormous. One day we were surrounded by goats and the next day we were surrounded by mega yachts. Our boat is 41 feet long but we were tiny compared to these yachts which were at least 200 feet long. The capital Gustava is popular because the bay outside the marina where we anchored was so full we had to move three times because we were too close to the other boats. So, at the end we finally found an anchor spot farthest from the marina but between 300 foot mega yachts that had to anchor outside because they were too big to anchor in the marina. St. Barthes is like the Monte Carlo of the Caribbean and it really lives up to its name as the jet set island with large villas, mega yachts and expensive stores such as Cartier, Hermes and Louis Vuitton. The people you see on the streets are well groomed and well dressed and unlike the other islands, the majority of the people and the personnel in the stores and restaurants are white.