St Lucia to Martinique
Petronella
Sat 16 Mar 2013 03:02
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14:28.155N 60:52.01W
Come Tuesday 12 March we were ready to move on so
once again we had to check out of one country (St Lucia) so that after a 20+
mile sail we can check into another (Martinique). We are not hugely fond
of the EEC but over the years we have appreciated how easy it is to sail between
the various countries through the Med and as far as the Canary Islands with very
little officialdom and able to use euros all the way, except in
Gibraltar!
By mid day we were well on our way across the St
Lucia Channel. The Trade Wind had done its normal trick for us and
freshened up and hauled around to the North just to give us a bit of a
challenge. Anyway Petronella likes a challenge even if we are a bit
dubious, so with reefed main and yankee and full staysail and hard on the
wind she was charging along giving us a great sail. Suddenly it got
even better as a large pod of dolphins came chasing after us and escorted
us towards Martinique. There must have been over 40 of them and they
were very playful, doing big show-off leaps out of the water and the normal
playing under the bow. Absolutely fantastic!
 Dolphins approaching with
St Lucia in
background Dolphin
playtime!
 Showing-off
again! Where
did he come from?
By mid afternoon we were anchored in St Anne's Bay
along with many others. It is a lovely spot and reminded us of a West
Country shoreline except that the sun was shining and the breeze was
warm. After a quiet night we motored on into the not very pleasantly but
aptly named Cul-de-Sac Du Marin and after a great deal of confusion were
lucky to get a berth in the busy Marina.
On Thursday we did some exploring around the Marina
area and sussed out the nearest supermarkets. Martinique has a
very different feel to the other Caribbean islands we have visited so
far as it is not an independent country but a French Overseas Department
i.e. part of France. French is the official language, the euro is the
currency and all things French are in abundance eg Carrefour, Mr Bricolage,
French 'toilette' cubicles, Rue Victor Hugo, wine and we even saw a classic
French cycling race!! It is just like being in France but we
really enjoyed the Franco Caribbean mix. Also the marina and
anchorage is full of French and French-Canadian yachts, so our red duster
stood out quite distinctly.
 Anyone
need the
loo! One
of the many Rue Victor Hugos
We hired a car on Friday and saw some of the
island. We stopped at St Pierre on the west coast which used to
be the capital until it was wiped out by a volcanic eruption in 1902 when
the entire population of 30,000 bar one was killed. Mont Pelee looks
very green and benign today but it must have been horrific 111 years
ago.
  Ruins of the theatre at St
Pierrre Mont
Pelee (and Martin!)
On a brighter note we then swung inland and
drove across the very beautiful mountainous interior to the spectacular
West coast and visited the Saint James Plantation where they grow sugar
cane and make a very fine rum. Tina and I discovered Rhum St James in
1975 when we first bought it duty free in Monsieur Guerin's
Emporium by the lock in Cherbourg after an adventurous Channel crossing in Irene
our little 26ft boat. We have enjoyed it ever since and it was great fun
to visit the place where it is made . They also served us with an excellent
3-course lunch (16 euros) and the opportunity to sample their different sorts of
rum (foc). Needless to say this
rounded off a very enjoyable day out and Petronella now has a replenished
rum stock!!! Certainly must be time to move on before we get too
comfortable here.
  Church at Le Morne-Rouge en
route to St
James St
James Plantation House
 Nothing quite like the real
thing!!!
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