Saint of the Sail

by Colleen Brooker

 On our down island sailing voyage to Trinidad last summer, the worst conditions were between Montserrat and Guadeloupe. The winds were sustaining a hardcore 31 knots; the seas were standing up above ten feet and starting to crest, and then came the lightning. It was a grueling and exhausting day, and I was stuck below keeping our two children safe and occupied. Once we got in the lee of Guadeloupe though, we made our way into the little harbor of Anse a la Barque late at night. The next morning, my husband Roger told me of a two-foot tear in our main sail. He repaired it as best he could but said it was temporary.
Consulting the Cruising Guide of the Leeward Islands, we read of an excellent sail maker named Philippe Petit. He was on nearby Terre de Haut in Ille de Saints (The Saints is a group of tiny islands off the southern tip of Guadeloupe). We decided to make a spontaneous stop there, hoping to have the sail repaired as quickly as possible. We still had so many miles to go before we reached Trinidad. We sailed across, and made our way into the anchorage near the main village of Bourg de Saintes. We noticed all the small red-roofed houses and heard the church bells ringing. I loved this island at first sight, even before setting foot on shore.
Once ashore, we set out to find Philippe--challenging since none of us spoke French. We eventually passed a group of men wearing sporty matching blue rash guards; these were obviously competitive racers. One of them seemed familiar to me. It was Philippe the sail maker! I recognized him from a tiny photo in the cruising guide. I promptly (proudly) informed Roger. “Are you sure?” Roger asked me. With my adamant “Yes,” Roger went right up without hesitation, and asked “Excuse me, are you Philippe?”
“Yes of course. Do you need my services?” was the man’s response. WOW, it really was him and he spoke perfect English too!
Philippe told us to bring the sail to the dock by nine the next morning. And sure enough, he was there waiting for us at nine. Philippe declared the damaged sail “no problem,” and we were to meet him again at noon to collect the sail. He took the cumbersome sail bag, put it on the back of his scooter and was off. I was amazed. Things don’t always go so smoothly in the Caribbean!
We spent our time exploring Terre de Haut on foot. It’s a great island for walking. There was a little square where folks were gathered and children were running about, laughing. We hiked up the hill to Fort Napoleon, an impressive fortress built in 1867 (forts are a big attraction when you are travelling with little boys) and the view up there was incredible, for it sits on the highest point of the island. The museum has lots of interesting exhibits including one about the colorful “Saintoise” fishing boats. These islands were predominantly fishing communities and never had large scale agriculture.
We of course enjoyed the walk in and of itself. There were lots of fruit trees and herbs growing in the small yards and I recognized one of the shops in the village: it was the little building on the cover of Caribbean Style, a book I’ve often perused. We found a good bakery (not hard to come by, here) and bought some freshly baked bread, then we picked up some very reasonable French wine, and some amazing cheese at another little shop. Bread, cheese and wine for lunch -- so French!
Almost too soon, Philippe was back at noon, as promised, with the sail fully repaired. We were so grateful. Our takeaway from this experience was that mishaps and setbacks can also reveal hidden gifts. And thanks to the tear in our main we discovered yet another favorite island.

Colleen lives in Coral Bay on the s/v Storyteller with her family. She is a garden consultant and former owner of Gabriel’s
Gardens. No down island trip this year but...maybe 2012.