Beware of the junk yard dog...


Cabrit's Anchorage

We are anchored in Iles Des Saintes, Guadeloupe (IDS)..........islands of the saints, right ? Must be peaceful, even idyllic. Wrong. We are experiencing rain, wind, roll, and gusts of well over 40 knots (tropical storm level). Boats all around us are actually dragging their anchor, creating hazardous tangles all over.

Being the experienced wastrels that we are as far as IDS goes, we know the ONE and ONLY place you can anchor here where is isn't so rolly.........although it's windy, which we don't mind because we have a big anchor and lots of chain. It's called Cabrit, a small island outside of the main anchorage. The problem is that other boats in IDS look around, see that we aren't rolling that much, and immediately head over to join us. Sounds great, right? Meet new people, have a few drinks........could be fun?

At least he didn't anchor in front of us
No, No, No. You see, here in Cabrit, the boats swing unpredictably in big circles.......not synchronized
at all, so you need to give your neighbor a lot of room. Way more room, in fact, than most experienced sailors are used to. While I love the French, they tend to consider an anchorage to be like a parking lot at Home Depot, and try to wedge their boat into the smallest space between two other boats. The result? Wham. Boats collide at 4:00 AM in 35 knot wind and it's a big problem. Even though insurance regs are clear that the boat anchored first is never at fault, I don't want to test that. We've already been hit 3 times in our sailing lives and it's not pleasant. Anchor chains get tangled, and serious damage can ensue. About 50% of sailors in IDS are rental boat people who have only a vague notion of what they are doing. Enter the junk yard dog.

11pm and getting closer
When we see a boat approaching, Tom's New Jersey comes out like some kind of scary Mr. Hyde to his normally chill Dr. Jekyll. A sample of things Tom has said to dissuade and educate potential neighbors.

a) I am not your friend......so get out of here
b) I wouldn't let my mother anchor that close to me
c) Das geht nicht, arschloch (german, for "that won't work, assho--")
d) When we hit tonight I will come to find you (cellphone camera taking pics of his boat)

It's funny because Kirstin sits in the cockpit reading or doing a boat project, and if she sees a violator of our space she knows how to push the buttons properly. "Honey, you better take a look at this.....big problem". Suddenly, I lose my mind and take up my battle station on the bow of the boat.

Junk yard dog
A new and effective psychological tactic has emerged this week. Don't target the man......target his wife. I become Mr. Nice Guy, but put doubt into her mind that her husband knows what he's doing. "Ma'am, good afternoon and welcome to Cabrit. I just wanted to let you know that a boat anchored in your exact spot hit my yacht yesterday and we settled for $3,500 (a complete fabrication). I'm hoping we can avoid unpleasantries this evening. Good day." Result- the man wants to stay anchored out of pride.......it was his decision to anchor in front of us. The woman is smarter, more cautious, and sees the American flag on our boat. In sailing, American flag = probably armed (we're not). After a brief caucus where the man is reminded how unpleasant an unhappy and worried wife is on a small fiberglass tube, they pick up the anchor and go somewhere else. Another win for the junk yard dog.

This might sound like hyperbole, but during the writing of this post I actually was called into action two more times. War is hell.