Do we love the French?
Oriole
Sun 25 Feb 2007 16:59
St Anne, Martinique 14:25.00N
60:53.25W
There is no doubt that France is a great country and the French West Indies has got all the trappings of France but with a Caribbean flavour. The problem is the French, who can be rude and overbearing, and the yachtsmen are of the modern variety - thoughtless and without any tradition or breeding - and they do not like the English. Where has the camaraderie of the sea gone? They drive their boats rather like they drive their cars. But the food is great, the girls are very attractive so one can put up with most other things.
There is no doubt that France is a great country and the French West Indies has got all the trappings of France but with a Caribbean flavour. The problem is the French, who can be rude and overbearing, and the yachtsmen are of the modern variety - thoughtless and without any tradition or breeding - and they do not like the English. Where has the camaraderie of the sea gone? They drive their boats rather like they drive their cars. But the food is great, the girls are very attractive so one can put up with most other things.
One English lady trying to keep clear
of the marauding frogs.
Martinique has some lovely anchorages and since we
sailed up here from St Lucia on Sunday last we have been idly anchored in St
Anne, with Carnival in full swing ashore recovering from eight weeks of
non-paying charter guests. But we have really enjoyed having them. We have been
walking, swimming, eating a long lunch with friends in a beachside restaurant
and watching the rather chaotic local Carnival - the latter not really up to the
very highly organised Trinidad standards. For the moment we have missed the
opportunity to venture up the lovely exposed east coast as the wind is doing its
best to blow the washing off the line, but we will see what happens later in the
week. Meanwhile we will see what we can do the foster international
relations.