To Martinique

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sun 14 Jun 2009 22:25
En route to Fort de France in Martinique
 
 
We were up and anchor up at 07:30 on Sunday the 14th of June for the forty five mile journey to Fort de France. We had to clear well away from Dominica and into open water before the wind settled. Engine off by nine and then we averaged seven knots until we reached the coast of Martinique and had to put the engine back on. We have now left the Leeward Islands for the Windward Islands.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Perfect sunny day, with wind speed of force five to six, cracking. This photo was taken as Beez was happily doing seven point four knots laying over to starboard.
 
 
 
 
         
 
 
 
The coast went from high mountains to deep valleys with villages, until we neared the capital when the towns got larger.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fort de France
 
 
 
            
 
 
 
We rounded the cruise ship dock, close to the centre of the city and watched ominous looking clouds start to form.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We snuggled in to anchor just below Fort Louis, which reminds us very much of Guernsey, no sooner was the hook down at four o'clock than the rain started, and boy did it rain. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The very cruise ship dock I had photographed just twenty minutes before and the Cathedral fading in the rain.
 
 
 
 
    
 
 
 
The very long dinghy dock that when we arrived, had loads of children using it as a diving platform, suddenly vacant. The sea was ironed flat by the deluge. The block of flats in the main city photo, lost all their colour.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Then it got so heavy that the boat next to us all but disappeared, at least it shut their collie up for the night. Thing barked at the wind. When we arrived the residents had been in town, as soon as they got back we realised this was the very boat that we had been in front of in The Saintes. We have written its name down so it WONT happen again.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Finally all seemed to settle at about 23:00 and the town got about it's usual thing.
 
 
 
ALL IN ALL A CRACKING GOOD SAIL, GROMMIT. THEN OUR FIRST EXPERIENCE OF A TROPICAL RAIN STORM, GIVES A NEW MEANING TO THE WORD WATERFALL.