Iles des Saintes

       From Dominica we set sail for Iles des Saintes, a group of eight picturesque French islands only 30nm away. We entered on the same tack as the French during the Bataille des Saintes in 1782. We tacked back and forth to our anchorage under a bright sun and strong wind. On the sail from Dominica, we were lucky enough to see a pod of juvenile Sperm whales swimming incredibly close to the ship.  The students were overjoyed and turned this into an opportunity to learn more about Sperm whales and report on them during our evening almanac.

       Yesterday we explored the largest island in the group, Terre de Haut, where we climbed up to a Napoleonic fort for a history class. By the end of the day we were snorkeling in turquoise waters around a rock formation called Pain de Sucre and students were studying the invertebrate of the Caribbean. The drastic difference between Dominica and Iles des Saintes was apparent as we walked the narrow streets of Terre de Haut, practiced our French, exchanged our Eastern Caribbean dollars for Euros, and sampled the local baguettes. We are definitely learning about the cultural and biological variety of the Caribbean!