Pleasently surprised in St Barts

Here we are in St Barts, well known as a playground of the rich and famous. Our days in Statia were great, but the nights weren't so good, as the anchorage was rolly as h**k and we were glad to move on. Sad to leave our friends on Losloper, but the sail north to St Barts was as close to perfect as we could get - four hours with a gentle swell, good breeze and bright sunshine. A fish on the hook would have made it sublime but you can't always get everything!

We cleared in at Gustavia, a picture postcard bit of French caribbean and the place to be and be seen if you are on a multimillion pound megayacht. For us, it was a bit open and rocky so we stocked up on cheese, wine and ice and motored another twenty minutes to Anse Colombier, a gorgeous bay with crystal clear water and only a footpath to get here from the shore side. We are in seven metres of water, but can see the bottom like it is a swimming pool, but a pool with sea stars, turtles, rays and other fish. To dive in at eight in the morning, swim with the turtles and drift awhile in the warm water is just bliss. There's enough sandy beach to please Mr Max, together with wave sculpted rock, cactus lined shore and a feeling of pristine isolation just a mile from the bustle of Gustavia.

Today we walked us the beach path to find a boulangerie for a loaf of bread. The path is steep and winds through a very different landscape of low shrub and cactus, with little lizards scuttling away at every step. Issie strides off in front, followed by Max the mountain goat but suddenly there is a scream and she freezes. We arrive to find her staring at a spotty rock that is slowly moving across the path. It's a tortoise! 'I thought it was a giant spider' she says, ever the drama queen but clearly a little shaken by the encounter. We come across five or six of them meandering through the woodland and it seems that they must have once been domesticated but escaped or set free and now living happily in the woods.

The walk turns out to be longer than expected, and the whinging and whining grows as the road stretches on. Thankfully it is worth it, the boulangerie turns out to be a bakery/cafe with fabulous bread, pastries, salads and coffee, so despite our intention of picking up breakfast it's actually eleven thirty by the time we get there and it becomes a delicious lunch.

We really like it here and would love to stay longer but time marches on and tomorrow we will clear out, sail on to an outlying island of St Barts and spend the night there before proceeding to St Martin to stock up and head of to the British Virgin Islands. It's a major trip for us since it will be overnight - leaving just after midnight to make sure we arrive in daylight. It'll be the first time Gesa has done that and so it will mark a milestone in her sailing experience, we just hope the kids will sleep and the weather stays calm. St Martin means wifi, so pictures soon, we promise!

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