After leaving Barbados in the middle of the afternoon on January 11th [2023] we arrived, seventeen and a half hours later, to a sunny morning in St. Anne, Martinique. On approach we were a bit concerned that we wouldn’t be able to find a space to anchor as we were faced with a sea of masts.
However, when we got closer, we realised that although there must have been between 100 – 200 boats there, the anchorage is so large that there was plenty of room for more. Even better, the holding across the whole bay is on good sand in approx. 4-7m.
St Anne is a fairly quiet seaside town with a central church….
….. and a few bars scattered along the town beach.
The best beaches, however, are found to the south, in the area of the “Forêt Domaniale Littorale”…
….. and one day, Mike and I decided to take a walk along the road south from St. Anne and, on turning first onto a track and then coming across the forest park, we found families and friends gathered there to enjoy the clear water…
…. and picnic in the woods.
A much better option than the main road is the forest trail along the coast where we found very welcome shade on our walk back, taking in some interesting wildlife on the way.
Whilst mainly serving the holiday trade with souvenir and tourist shops, St Anne also has a small supermarket, a nice bakery and a couple of self-service laundrettes.
There are several small restaurants, but the things we like best were the “street food”.
Accras morue….
… traditionally served with “‘ti punch” which is [usually] a shot of Rhum Agricole mixed with sugar or honey. It sure takes your breath away. For a more mellow experience pay the extra for vieux rhum.
Bokits…
…. are basically sandwiches in bread made without fat. That sounds healthy we thought – until getting them and realising the bread was then fried before the sandwich was assembled!
The anchorage of St. Anne lies in the SW corner of “Cul-de-sac du Marin”, another huge anchorage which is bordered by mangroves on both sides, and headed by Marin marina. Although a good 30-45 minutes by dinghy, we braced ourselves and bumped our way there several times for the large supermarkets and the chandleries. On one arrival at the “Leaderprice” dinghy dock – after a particularly lumpy ride – I said that I felt like a James Bond martini…. Definitely shaken, not stirred!
Wanting to see more of the small town of Marin than just the commercial centres, we made our way up there on a Saturday afternoon, forgetting completely that lots of places [in France] close for a couple of hours over lunch and that, on Saturdays, they don’t open again. So, what could we do except go for a drink on the beach. Whilst there we saw a crew assembling a traditional boat [Yole].
The French use the word Yole which comes from the Danish “jolle” or the Dutch “jol” and what we tend to know more as a “Skiff” – a light and elongated craft.
We thought they were just out for a bit of fun but then the barman told us that they were preparing for one of the Martinique Yole Races, which happen periodically during the year from different ports, and that the following day a race meeting was being held in Le Marin, starting and finishing on that beach.
Having been told the racing started at 10.30am we left the St. Anne anchorage around 10.00 hoping to catch the start. Well, we did, from an excellent vantage point whilst still in the dinghy. This made the photography a bit hit and miss, but I seem to have captured the essence.
We then made our way to the beach bar and spent the rest of the day enjoying the two races.
The Martinique Yole can sail with one or two sails, the first race was for the latter followed by the single sail race.
To balance it, crew members must stand outside the hull using long, loose poles. It requires great agility, a lot of physical commitment and perfect coordination
.
Its not just sailing it which requires commitment and teamwork. Getting the boat rigged and ready is also quite an effort….
….. and the support and co-ordination of the “land crew” at the start of the race was also a wonder to behold.
A great day. The “home team” [i.e. the guys we had seen the day before] came second in the two sail race….
and won the single sail race.
It felt like we shared in their victory.
We ended up staying in St. Anne for two weeks, mainly due to weather but also because the water pump issue I wrote about in the Atlantic crossing post reared its head again. This time we were in a much better position to fix it i.e. buy a new pump!
With regard to the weather, it now being the middle of January we were expecting what we remembered as “Caribbean weather” to have become established. Good sailing winds from the NE and mainly dry days with the odd shower in the evening. But, we were still getting high winds and much more rain.
A forecast for a better few days came towards the end of the month and between 25 January and 1st Feb we sailed north up the west coast of Martinique stopping first at Les Anses D’Arlet.
To get there we had to pass “Diamond Rock” which I named as being in the background of one of the earlier photos in this post taken from Anse Meunier.
The rockis a 175-metre-high (574 ft) basalt island formed as a volcanic plug, is currently uninhabited and lies about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from Pointe Diamant.
The island apparently gets its name from the reflections that its sides cast at certain hours of the day, which evoke images of a precious stone. Not that we noticed any of this!
It is notable for events during the Napoleonic Wars. Occupying a strategic position between St. Lucia and Martinique, possession of the rock meant having “control” of the waters between the two islands
Aided by calm weather, the British “captured” the rock in 1803 and were able to run lines ashore and hoist two 18-pounder cannons to the summit, some 23-pounders lower down in the caves, hastily build fortifications and supply the position with food and water for a garrison of two lieutenants and 120 men. Looking at the shape, and how it sits in the water, makes that a considerable achievement.
With work complete by 7 February, Commadore Sir Samuel Hood decided to formalise the administration of the island, and wrote to the British Admiralty, announcing that he had commissioned the rock as a sloop-of-war, under the name “HMS Diamond Rock”
For two years, the “ship” was able to harass French boats trying to enter Fort-de-France. During this time French troops on Martinique made several unsuccessful attempts to retake the rock but in May 1805 it was finally recaptured by them.
Anses D’Arlet is a pretty town – with a waterfront church that probably everyone visiting there takes at least one photograph of……
There is also a lovely reef here for snorkelling and, unlike our disappointing time in Barbados, this time we got clear water and a good range of sea life.
Just north of there is Grande Anse which we first visited by foot on a lunchtime walk……
…. and again, a day later by boat when, having attempted to make for Fort de France from Les Anses D’Arlet, we hit strong wind and waves on the point and turned back into here.
An early start the following day allowed us to make Fort de France before the stronger winds kicked in and we spent three pleasant nights in the anchorage under the fort.
As well as taking the bus [returning by taxi with lots of provisions] to a huge mall outside the capital we spent some time wandering around looking at the old buildings….
… visiting the small chandler – where check in/out is also available, and enjoying a cool beer at one of the small stalls around central grassy “La Savanne”.
Our final anchorage along this coast was St.Pierre. We had intended to stay there for more than one night as we remember it as a really nice place, but once again the weather dictated our movements and, on 2nd February, we sailed 56.5nm north to Prince Rupert Bay, Portsmouth, Dominica.
On the way initially we saw dramatic weather….
…. but when it cleared we also managed to capture shots of a couple more birds…
People reading this who have been following my blog for some considerable time, might remember that Dominica is one of our favourite islands in the Eastern Caribbean chain. This is because it is the most unspoilt island, commercially, and has spectacular natural beauty.
At the north end of the 2 mile long, well protected bay, lies the Cabrits National Park which overlooks the anchorage.
Mike and I had a lovely long morning there…
…. wandering the garrison trails round the nicely restored Fort Shirley….
….. taking pleasure in the natural world…
….. as well as coming across a more unusual find.
Well, most of it was lovely, though rain did eventually stop play
Talking of which….!
During our eleven day stay, we also took a bus south to Roseau, the current capital and main town….
…. walked north to the small hamlet of Toucari for a swim in the almost unvisited crystal-clear waters….
…generally chilled out on the beach and the boat…..
… and, of course attended one of the famous PAYS [Portsmouth Area Yacht Services] BBQ’s.
In some ways I don’t think I have captured the wonderful atmosphere of Dominica in words or photos. Maybe its just one of those places that you have to visit your self to fully appreciate.
I hope to return soon with tales of the next part of our trip north. Meanwhile…..
