Pointe Pitre and the Carenage

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Located at the bottom of the Leeward Islands just above the Windward Islands, Guadeloupe is an accessible cruising destination in the Caribbean. Guadeloupe has up-to-date yachting facilities and several ports of entry. Travelers can also explore a number of the small outlying islands while cruising the area.
see; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is a lively center of Creole culture, boasting a spirited blend of French and African influences. As well known for its sugar and rum as for its dive sites and resorts, the archipelago offers an interesting mix of modern cities, rural hamlets, rain forests and secluded beaches.
See: http://www.antilles-info-tourisme.com/guadeloupe/p2-in-gb.htm
We made it Bas du Fort, called them on VHF radio, we needed diesel and gasoline badly. Maribel struggle with the French, finally getting a lady that spoke fairly well. We went in, fueled up, and found out it was med style mooring. We were told a fellow was on the way to help us dock. Here is part of conversation Pete had with this individual. Hi, where do we go? follow me. How much rope do I need to attach to the mooring ball? response: ok with big smile....No, how much line do I need to attach to mooring ball? response, no problem, I help you...
Fellow then takes off, goes to dock, and is moving another boat to apparently make room for us. Now this is med style, and we have never med style before. We have a boat with a full keel which backs up any which way it wants. Maribel, at the helm, is getting nervous, perspiring heavily, Pete is shaking his head in a No motion, Maribel goes back to VHF trying to speak to Arien again. But is lunch time, geesh and then siesta time? Nobody answers....Pete walks back to cockpit, Maribel puts engine in forward gear, we both agree this is not the time to practice med style mooring and plus the winds have just kicked in the high 20's.
Out we go the channel, make a right into the river Saliere, and look for a mooring. Pete on the bow, keeps shaking his head in NO. We went to about 10 mooring balls, Pete said no to all. He didn't like them, they were full of algae and looked like they had been there forever.
We finally decided on an anchoring spot. Just North of Bas du Fort is the Carenage (where the haul out facilities and work stations are) just before entrance to Pointe Pitre. We got within 100 feet of shore in 21 feet of depth, and set the CQR. Pete put out about 150 feet of rode.
Not long after, we seen some locals come to a tiny opening right in front of us. There seems to be a path coming from somewhere....It is around 1600 hours and we have had a hard day, so enjoying a sundowner. The locals proceed to bare their clothes, and go into the water, (murky) and apparently bathe themselves. This is a procedure they did for almost the 2 weeks we were there.

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