Iles des Saintes
Dawn broke when were in the channel between Dominica and the islands of Les Saintes, where on the 12th of April, 1782 the two mighty squadrons of French and British ships engaged in a battle known to history as The Battle of the Saintes. The British won and thus changed the course of Caribbean history. As we met each other out on deck, holiday greetings were merrily exchanged and the sun was well up as we anchored in the quaint harbour of Terre de Haut, the largest of the islands of the Saintes. Red roofed and white washed houses rose around the little town of Bourg and the church bells announced Christmas Day. Off to explore on shore we went our different ways: some taking a hike up to the old Fort Napoleon overlooking the harbour, others to snorkel at the beach and along the rocks of Pain de Sucre, a dramatic cone of columnular lava; while others wandered through the town admiring the languid flavour of the French tropics and dipping into the small boutiques which were opening their doors as the morning progressed. By 1.30pm we were off again and the sails were set as we eased out from among the islands of this little archipelago and passed the larger French island of Guadeloupe, catching the Trade Winds to take us out into the Caribbean Sea. Lennox gave a PowerPoint presentation on the ports, forts and navies that influenced the history of this region, and as the moon came up in the east we sailed westward over this historic sea.
