14.44.500N   061.10.674W

Sunset Portsmouth Dominica

After more walking and swimming on Monday and Tuesday we headed south again on Wednesday.

Up anchor at 0600 we watched the mountains of Dominica become clear in the increasing daylight.

Past the capital Roseau and then into the passage between Dominica and Martinique. These channels are open to the full Atlantic wind and swell and when combined with the local current the first few miles are always a bit brisk!

Windier than the forecast but still very sunny and at 1500hrs we arrived at St. Pierre in the north- west of Martinique with 54 miles on the log.

The anchorage was busy but we eventually found a good spot just off the pier- here the water drops from 25ft to 90ft in a very short distance so anchoring is interesting! Ashore to catch the Customs computer in the tourist office but it now shuts at 1400hrs!

Although only the next island down from Dominica Martinique is obviously much more sophisticated and that is obvious just walking ashore in the small town.

There are the remains of a substantial theatre that was started in 1786, completed in 1800, rebuilt in 1819 after a hurricane then destroyed by the eruption of Mt Pelee in 1902 when nearly 30,000 people died and only 2 survived in the town- one of whom was in jail.

A rather rolly night at anchor then ashore to clear Customs and purchase provisions from the market then on to Marin at the south of Martinique where we anchored at 1500hrs among what appear to be about 3000 other yachts!.