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Well the day had finally come and it was of course "Friday the 13th" of February 2004. Actually, we hadn't even noticed that this was traditionally a very bad day to do anything!
We had been watching the weather very carefully as for the past two weeks the weather had been unusually unsettled with winds in excess of 30kts from the East and North East. As we were heading north, we were looking for as good a forecast as possible. According to Weatheronline.co.uk Friday the 13th was to offer 15-20 kts from the East which was as good as we could have hoped for. So, at 10.00 we pulled up the anchor and then spent the next half an hour cleaning off the thick Rodney Bay mud that was clinging to it. Leif and Eve on Malinda, were also joining us for the 23 mile passage to St.Anne Martinique and as the two of us passed Pigeon Island we were hit by 25 kt winds and even with the engine on our speed through the water was barely 2-3kts. We were also engulfed by heavy rain and it was difficult to remember that we were actually in the Caribbean! The good thing about the Caribbean is that these periods of horrible weather are generally short lived and eventually we were sailing along in 20kt winds with clear skies and sunshine. The rest of the passage was fairly uneventful until we got to within about 5-6 miles of Martinique when another large squall came through giving winds up to 35kts. JASP didn't really mind that much and de-powering the main was all that was needed to keep us on our desired heading of 025 degrees magnetic.
The Caribs called Martinique "Maldinina" (Island of flowers). It is actually the largest of the Windward Island and apart from a few short spells under the British, has been French since it was colonized.
We arrived in the anchorage in St.Anne at about
16.00 and put the anchor down a few meters from Malinda. I snorkelled down to
check the anchor and found that it was perfectly bedded into sand. The water in
the anchorage was crystal clear and it was great for the first time in two
months to be able to see the bottom again.
The following day we decided to head into Marin, a short dinghy ride up the Cul de Sac du Marin, in order to clear in with customs and to check out the local supermarket for French cheese. Well, the wind and current were against us and we probably underestimated the strength of both, as by the time we arrived at the marina, we were all completely soaked from head to foot. Amanda was dressed in her nice summer dress but even she could see the funny side as we stepped onto the pontoon all looking like drowned rats.
Clearing in was a breeze and as we entered the customs office we bumped into a German guy we had met in Las Palmas. He was very familiar with Martinique and showed us where all the best places were in town for shopping, internet etc.
Loaded up with French bread and cheese we headed back to the anchorage. I decided that the time had come to start cleaning the bottom of the boat, which hadn't been touched since leaving Las Palmas.
As I snorkelled around the boat I could see many barnacles and slime clinging to the bottom.
So I set about banging off the barnacles with a screwdriver and sponging off the slime as best I could. I would try to get as much done as possible by snorkelling and then would tackle the rest using my scuba gear the next day.
The following day we awoke to something that we had not had for a couple of weeks.... a clear blue sky! It was a perfect Caribbean day, even if it was a little breezy.
It also turned out that it was also the day of the local regatta for a very unusual type of local boat called a Yowl. As you will see below they are spectacularly colourful and a real handful for the 10-15 crew members on board. They had two starts, one in the morning and one after lunch. The afternoon start was far more spectacular as strong winds on the downwind start played havoc with a number of the boats and at least 5 capsized, a few right in front of us.
It took three strong men to steer them with a large oar hanging out the back. The rest of the crew concerned themselves with sails and trimming the boat, which involved hanging out the side on long wooden poles trying to judge the gusts correctly. Considering the crude rigs they went surprisingly well to windward.
We spent the rest of the day just relaxing on the boat. I took Sam across to a small shallow area where he snorkelled although not for long as he was worried about sharks!
More pictures can be viewed by following the photo gallery link and clicking on "Martinique".
The following day, the 15th February 2004, we decided to take the day off and head for a well known beach called Grande Anse de Salines at the southern end of Martinique and just around the corner from St.Anne.
We decided that we would take a taxi and arrived at one of those classic Caribbean beaches. Typically, I was still having problems with my hernia scar and was banned from swimming but Amanda and the kids all had a wonderful time swimming in the beautiful water.
Both I and Joe then did something really silly. We both had tattoos done. Only the temporary ones fortunately. Joe had a snake and I went for the Robbie Williams barbed wire on the arm look. It must be the mid life crisis beginning!
Next day, we took the boat up the Cul De Sac Du Marin to the marina there, where we fuelled up and were then ready to leave to continue further north.
On the 19th of February 2004 at 09.45am, we upped anchor and left St.Anne heading for the picturesque little bay of Petite Anse D'Arlet which was only about 12 miles further north. Winds were light so once again the engine was on.
On the way we passed close by to a famous local landmark known as Diamond Rock. This was once apparently registered by the British as a ship, yes a ship! and was actually "crewed" by a group of Englishmen. They were on the Island for some 18 months and were equipped with Cannons and supplies were simply their to take pot shots at the French as they unsuspectingly sailed into Martinique. Not such a crazy idea after all!
Just North of Diamond Rock we saw the remains of a yacht which had gone aground on the rocks. It turned out that it was the same yacht which we had heard a "Mayday" for during our crossing from St.Lucia.
How it came to be there we do not know but it is always an eerie sight to see a boat partially underwater. You have to wonder whose dream it is that ended in such a way. Very sad.
Anyway, on we went and with our friends on Malinda we finally arrived in Anse D'Arlet in time for lunch.
After lunch, Sam, Joe and I all went off in the dinghy for a spot of snorkelling on a patch of coral reef. We saw many fish including a small eel. Joe was particularly brave as this was his first time snorkelling as he had always been previously convinced there were man eating fish in the water! There aren't of course.... are there???
That evening we all went to a local restaurant and enjoyed some good local cooking.
Another 6 miles up the west coast was our next destination of Anse Mitan, a short ferry ride south of the largest town in the Windwards, Fort De France. The town is dominated by Mt. Pelee, a volcano which last erupted in 1902, when an estimated 30.000 people were burned to death with just two survivors.
On Saturday the 21st February, along with Leif and Eva, we took the ferry to Fort De France to see some of the Martinique Carnival. We were all disappointed to find out that we were a day early, so instead we spent the day looking around the town.
At times it was difficult to remember that we were actually in
the Caribbean. For lunch we had a real treat and for the first time in 3 months
went to "McDonalds".
The town is a mixture of modern offices and flats, along side some run down old properties dating from the 18th century.
We had a great day out and eventually caught the ferry back to the anchorage at Anse Mitan to prepare for the following days passage to Dominica about 50 miles further north.
"JASP - 2nd left, with Mt.Pelee behind"