Martinique

Map of Martinique

We had considered passing by Martinique since a few people reported not having enjoyed the island. People we met in Dominica spoke highly of it and filled us in on anchorages and places to visit. Based on their recommendation we headed down from Dominica and were glad we did.

We arrived in St. Pierre midday and took a few hours to get situated. There’s an area near shore with a narrow shelf about 25 feet deep and then a very steep drop off.  We lowered our anchor in a few spots before we were happy with how we were situated regarding other boats near by and how the anchor set.  Sometimes it feels like we’re the only boat dropping our anchor a few times before we’re happy.  This is an anchorage where just about everyone has to make a few attempts before being settled.

Beach house in St. Pierre

We pulled on the anchor with the engine then dove in to visually confirm it was well set. While in the water I felt stings my arms and legs so quickly swam back to the boat and jumped in the shower. I was left with several small blisters which itched quite a bit for several days, someone suggested it may have been a jellyfish. I guess it’s just one of those things that goes with the life we’ve chosen.

Martinique has pretty much always been under French rule, that is of course after they chased the last of the Caribs off in the mid 1600’s. It, like many of the islands, has a history of agriculture and slavery. Martinique is currently an overseas department of France, benefiting greatly from the support and investment.

The island is volcanic in origin. St. Pierre lies at the foot of Mt. Pelée who’s 1902 eruption killed nearly 30,000 people. According to Chris Doyle, author of our “Windward Islands” sailors guide, St. Pierre was considered the “Paris of the Caribbean” and had a population of 30,000 people. Apparently, minor activity began in early April 1902 then grew in severity leading up to the devastating eruption on May 8th.  It was a very sad chain of poor decisions and events which prevented a call for evacuation in this heavily populated town.

There are several ruins around town in addition to a museum dedicated to the 1902 eruption.  St. Pierre seems very European and is filled with shops, restaurants and markets.

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Willie, Hugo and Guido

We enjoyed our time in St. Pierre.   We met Fred and Jo of Caribbean Dream and reconnected with our friends aboard Havkatt.  Over the past few weeks we have gotten to know Maartin, Willie, Hugo and Guido, a Dutch family traveling the islands.  Hugo and Guido seemed happy to see us and came over for a visit. They are bright, inquisitive boys and we enjoy spending time with them, Hugo is 11, Guido 9.  They spent the past few years in Carriacou where their mother taught in the Dutch school.  The boys have  learned English just within the past 6 months and are quite capable in their language skills.

There was a Rasta Market in town on the weekend along with the regular produce market. It was a colorful morning with a variety of aromas in the air.

Jewelry Artist

Rasta Market

Saturday Market

Hugo and Willie had planned to hike up Mt. Pelée on Sunday and invited us to join them.  We read everything we could find about the difficulty of the trail and decided to join them.  Maartin had rented a car and drove us up as far as possible on the north west side.  He had a stiff knee and was not able to join the hike.  He and Guido did some other exploration and met us as we arrived  7 hours later on the south east side.

It was a challenging hike! We started walking at an elevation of around 1,500 feet, climbed to the “top”, and then back down to about 2,000′.   We were in the clouds about 3/4 of the day and opted not to go to the highest summit due to the clouds and the wet trail.  Hugo was disappointed we didn’t make all the way but Was far higher than he had ever been before at 4,500′.  He and Jeff spent a great deal of time fine tuning exactly what Jeff would be able to claim regarding the hike.  We did reach the summit as it existed in 1902 at about 4,500′.  Unfortunately, the  dome continued to grow and eventually reached it”s current elevation of 4,583′.  Jeff saw a sign that said we were at the 1902 summit, so that is his story and he is sticking to it.  Hugo felt he should be more precise in his claim.

It was a great day and we were thankful to Willie and Hugo for including us!  Also thankful to Maartin for getting us the the trail head and back!

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We we were a bit stiff Monday morning but said our goodbyes and raised the anchor to move on to Grand Anse D’Arlet just a few miles down the coast.  It’s a small colorful fishing town with many tourists enjoying the white sand beach.  White sand is not always the case on volcanic islands, often the beaches are dark brown sand due to volcanic rock.

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Next anchorage was Ste.  Anne near the southern end of the island.  This area has a large open bay and lots of white sandy beaches.  Nearby is the town of Marin which is further inside the bay with a large marina.  Marin is a good size town with plenty of resources about 2 miles from our anchorage.  We rode over in the dinghy a few times for shopping and exploring.

We had anchored near Barefoot Life who we had met in Dominica.  Lann and Stan were familiar with the area and invited us to join them for a hike.  We took a trail along the coastline, stopped at a beautiful beach for a swim, had a nice lunch at a beach restaurant, then back to the dinghy dock.  It was a great day!  We joined them for dinner ashore a few nights later and enjoyed the food and conversation.  Hope to connect again in Grenada.

HMS Diamond Rock

Shrine for fishermen

Lann and Stan, Barefoot Life

Jeff and Mary, another hike

Pretty beaches in Southern Martinique

Pretty beaches in Southern Martinique

Lunch mid hike, Lann and Stan

Ste. Anne

Town Square

Catholic church, Ste. Anne

Bay at Ste. Anne

Stopped for Lunch

We certainly enjoyed Martinique and we’re glad we stopped!

We are now in St. Lucia getting ready to head for Bequia, part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  It’s been difficult to stay on top of writing with all the exploring and traveling we have done in the past several weeks.  We have a few more stops en route to Grenada by July 1st and will attempt to keep up to date.  It is motivating to see the number of views on the blog along with all the comments.  Thanks for the support!

~ Jeff and Mary ~