Guadeloupe was a quick pitstop for us on our first sail-by in December, as we were on a mission to reach Antigua for New Year's to meet some friends! We stopped for a quick swim and snorkel to get refreshed and made our way to Antigua!

Our second swing back was more significant – dropping off our friend Julia after our Atlantic crossing, a bittersweet moment for sure. Coming from Antigua, we dropped anchor in Saint Francois for a refreshing swim and some rest before heading to our booked marina in Bas du Fort. Boat repairs were definitely calling and Guadeloupe was the perfect place for them!

Then came the big goodbye to our incredible last crew mate from the crossing, Julz! Almost two months of unbelievable adventures and memories that truly changed us all. Saying farewell in the marina parking lot brought on the waterworks. The next day kicked off a week of boat work, awesome kid play dates, waterfall trips, zoo visits, and restocking on food! We had a fantastic time in Bas du Fort – the docks were buzzing with other sailing families, and the kids were in their element with constant play dates, something trickier to pull off at anchor sometimes! We also tackled some major boat projects: installing an isolation transformer, fixing a serious halyard chafing issue, and adding a much-needed dishwasher through-hull.

Leaving the marina was tough; the kids had some hard goodbyes with their new friends. We set sail for Ile des Saintes, just as the sun was setting, and what a beautiful spot. That evening felt special – only our second night completely "alone" on Tranquila since we bought her six months prior! We'd always had family or friends aboard, either helping out during passages or visiting (or both!), which was so necessary battling the North Sea, Bay of Biscay, tiny European locks, and Atlantic storms. Still, having some quiet time felt pretty great.

That day's sail, however, was a bumpy and windy one. We had to grab a mooring ball, something we hadn't done much of until then, and we were a bit nervous. Our bowsprit setup can be a bit tricky with mooring balls, and this was one of those times! After the wind spun us around all night, we heard a loud bang at 3 am! The mooring lines had ripped our bowsprit right off – all eight rivets gone! We managed to grab it and get it out of the way. Not ideal, especially since we'd just fixed our spinnaker halyard the day before and were ready to fly it again – but, that would have to wait and it was yet again another reminder of what is sailing life!

The next morning, two very tired parents set off for St. Barth for our first overnight solo sail. It was a tough one. The sea state wasn't great, and we were pretty exhausted from the night before, but we arrived just as the sun peeked over the horizon, anchoring in a dramatically rainy but gorgeous Columbier Bay! We set the anchor down and immediately went to bed, later waking up to a very sunny St Barth!