Martinique: Baguette, rum and crew change
As we approach the bay of Fort de France, the capital of Martinique, we quickly realise that we have arrived back in the European civilisation we are used to. Even from a distance, we can see power stations, tall buildings and several cruise ships. An unusual sight for us in the Caribbean so far. We moored in the Pointe du Bout marina in the afternoon and cleared in at the marina office (when it was finally occupied). We are now officially back in the EU, as Martinique is now an overseas department of France. We also notice this in the local mobile phone network, where roaming works as usual, just like in Europe.
In the evening, the three of us go out to dinner for the last time, as it is Stefan's last evening. We treat ourselves to various small tapas in a beach restaurant and a good bottle of French wine - finally something other than just fried chicken or fried fish with chips or rice with vegetables. We are in 7th heaven. And yet we're glad we didn't sail to Martinique first, as the adventure factor was much greater and we also appreciate the good food and bread - fresh baguettes are simply a dream - even more!
The next day, Stefan has to pack up first and we take the opportunity to clean the boat - after all, this is our first time in a marina in the Caribbean and we have access to fresh running water at the jetty. At lunchtime we set off on a short tour of the island. We first visit a small local coffee and chocolate shop before heading to the first rum distillery, Trois Rivieres. There, you can explore the small, but already laid out, terrain on foot and find out about the production steps, which are described on boards. There is also a large shop with a tasting area at the bar, where we spend most of our time. After the obligatory rum purchases, we move on to the next distillery. Habitation Clément is, as the name suggests, an entire estate with a rum distillery. There we first explore the huge gardens, then walk through a small sugar cane field and then into the old distillery The sugar cane press was steam-powered at the time, for which the already pressed sugar cane was burnt. The molasses is then fermented and then distilled. The alcohol is then diluted again with water. This is then white rum. Some of it is then stored in wooden barrels for further refinement. This gives the rum its typical brown colour and woody flavour. We continue on to the old manor house, which is still in very good condition and gives us an insight into how the - at least the owners of the estate - used to live. Finally, of course, a rum tasting is a must.
From the distillery, we head straight to the airport, where we have to say goodbye to Stefan with a heavy heart. After 2 months on board, he is heading back to Austria. We really enjoyed our time together and are very grateful that he accompanied us from Lanzarote across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. We were a great team and a top flat share on a boat that was not even 10 metres long. Thank you for everything Prinzi, we already miss you!
But we don't have long to mourn, because the next day my parents Herbert and Christa land at the airport in Fort de France and they will be travelling with us for the next three weeks. The joy of seeing them again after almost half a year is of course very great and has to be celebrated with a dinner together!
From here on, it's my dad Herbert's guest post:
Geographically speaking, Martinique is the heart of the Lesser Antilles; politically, as a department of France, it is part of the EU in the Caribbean. From our berth in the Pointe du Bout marina, we have a view of the capital Fort-de-France across the bay and the almost 1400 metre-high Montagne Pelée volcano, which lies dormant and mostly shrouded in cloud. There are several beaches in the area around the marina, which is characterised by tourism, which allow us to immerse ourselves in the Caribbean flair for the first time.
Our first exploration of the island takes us along some adventurous roads (thanks to the sat nav) in the eastern part of the island to an organic farmer where Peter has booked a brunch. In the middle of ‘nowhere’, we learn a lot about the problems of monocultures and the effects of climate change on the ripening times of the fruit (harvest time is sometimes in February instead of June) during a guided tour of the agricultural gardens. Afterwards, we enjoy the local vegetarian cuisine at brunch under the shade of the trees, where all the food is prepared from home-grown produce. We then continue on to a MUST on the island - a visit to a rum distillery - Habitation Clement. Surrounded by a beautiful park, the tour takes us through the old distillery, which shows the tradition and rum production of days gone by. At the end, rum is tasted and purchased. Rum is omnipresent on the Caribbean islands.
On a tour of the island, which takes us through the mountainous interior of the island, first to the north and then to the west coast to St Pierre, we really experience why the rainforest is called a rainforest. Heavy rain accompanies us through unusual vegetation. The winding road meanders between various giant ferns, palm trees, 20 metre high bamboo poles that hang over the road like a roof, rubber trees and much more, showing us the lush flora. We stop at small waterfalls (Cascade Absalon - Cascade du Saut du Gendarme), where crystal-clear water cascades down into the basin. Worth seeing is the Jardin Balata, where the owner has created a garden around a Creole house with over 3000 tropical plant species from all over the world. You can experience the always lively hummingbirds up close at the honey troughs and admire the various flowers and plants on a tour with a marvellous view over the rainforest to the sea.
The fact that the history of the Caribbean is strongly characterised by volcanism can be seen in the history of St. Pierre. Until 1902, it was the capital of the island, vibrant and characterised by luxury. On the morning of 8 May 1902, it was razed to the ground within minutes by an eruption of Montagne Pelée and 30,000 people lost their lives. There was only one survivor, a prisoner who was found 3 days later in his prison cell. Today you can still see the foundation walls of the theatre and the adjoining prison. The sad part of the story is that the outbreak had long been on the cards and the governor used armed force to prevent the population from fleeing the city due to the upcoming local elections.
After the excursion to the north, we first drive along the coast and then back to the marina via the chronically congested city motorway of Fort-de-France with some delay.
After a few days in the marina, it's finally time to set sail with Vaquita. We sail a few nautical miles south and anchor in the bay of Grande Anse d'Arlet. In the beautiful bay, we keep seeing sea turtles coming up for air between the boats. Christa discovers her love of snorkelling, where we experience the colourful variety of fish underwater and repeatedly spot a green sea turtle, which we can sometimes swim with. The brown pelicans, which reach a wingspan of up to 2 metres, are also a natural spectacle of a special kind. They sail over the water and plunge tirelessly into the sea in kamikaze style to hunt for fish. No less impressive are the giant frigate birds, which tend to chase their prey in the air.
On land, the Morne Champagne hiking trail takes us to the neighbouring bay of Les Anses-d'Arlet. The fishing village is characterised by a charming little church, Creole houses, a promenade, a sandy beach and a pontoon jutting out into the turquoise blue sea - simply beautiful.
We spend the next two days anchored in this bay. After short rain showers, there are always beautiful double rainbows to admire.
Let's head north to St Pierre and say goodbye to the white sandy beaches of the Caribbean. Sailing properly at last, and on my 60th birthday to boot. We head north in the 2nd reef at 15 knots. Near Fort-de-France we learn what a squall is. Black, dark clouds, the onset of rain and a wind that suddenly rises to over 35 knots make me steer the boat into the wind. After a few minutes, the spook is over again and we sail into the bay off St Pierre, where we drop anchor shortly before sunset. In contrast to the south, this part of the island is characterised by black volcanic sand beaches. Bjerke is already anchored here with his Namai (aka Stahlsund), who, together with his co-sailor Levent, started the Atlantic crossing from Cape Verde at the same time as Ines, Peter and Stefan. In the evening we celebrate a reunion with Bjerke and my birthday. The next day we visit St Pierre, go shopping at the market and get water to prepare for the night trip to Dominica.
At 9.30 pm we say goodbye to Martinique, Ines changes boats for the night and supports Bjerke on the Namai. On our first night trip, we feel the waves of the Atlantic between the islands for the first time. The next morning, Martinique is behind us and we drop anchor on Dominica in Prince Rupert Bay off Portsmouth.
Useful tips:
You can clear in and out in Martinique at many different places (marina offices, cafés, restaurants, etc.). We mostly looked around on Noforeignland (app). You can fill in everything online in advance via the following link and then just have to print out the papers on site and have them stamped. This usually costs EUR 5, but the documents are invalid if they are not stamped. The clearance papers are particularly important for travelling on to another island. Link to french clearance: Sign in · demarches-simplifiees.fr
We were in the Pointe du Bout marina, a small, fine marina opposite Fort de France with lots of tourist restaurants. The prices are moderate at around EUR 20 per night. We rented a car for 60 EUR a day from one of the local hire companies and drove around the island. This works very well, but you can get stuck in traffic jams for quite a long time in the wrong place at the wrong time on Martinique, so you should bear this in mind when planning your trip. There is also a regular ferry from the marina to Fort de France (it's quicker than travelling by car).
On our second visit, we first went to the marina in Le Marin and then anchored. There are a lot of boats moored there. As you know, you can get excellent boat work done there and there are chandleries where you can get everything you need. There are also car hire companies where you can get a car to explore the island. With Europcar it cost us 60 EUR a day.
There are numerous rum distilleries, 3 of which we visited (Clement, Trois Reviere and JM) and were able to taste very generously everywhere free of charge. The distilleries were all very nicely decorated and the Clement distillery has created a whole area that is definitely worth a visit. For 13 EUR you can spend a good 2+ hours there and at the end you get a tasting of everything you would like to try. Our favourite rhum: J.M. Terroir Volcanique :)
We booked the brunch online with Les saveurs de Waël for EUR 50 per person. A very interesting experience, but the tour is only in French and the journey is adventurous. You should allow plenty of time for it, but you will be served excellent local dishes from the garden.
Provisions are excellent in Martinique, but not everywhere. In many bays there are only small mini-markets with variable opening hours and offers. In the large Carrefours, Leaderprice and Auchans you can find a huge selection of products at mostly affordable prices. In Le Marin it's easy to do without a car (there's a jetty right next to the Leaderprice), but in other places it can be tricky. If you would like to eat in one of the other bays without a car, Paradise Foods (app) is a good option. It allows you to order online in a number of bays (currently Martinique, Guadeloupe, Bequia, St Vincent, Sind Maarten) directly to the jetty or even directly to the boat. The prices are okay, not Leaderprice level, more like Carrefour.
Bays:
Anse Meunier (SE): As many boats as there are in the bay of Le Marin, there are just as few 3 bays further out to the south-east, where we were completely alone at times with our friend Tim from the Moana and were able to make a campfire on the beach. No problem with a north-easterly swell, tolerable with a light easterly swell and probably very rolly with anything to the south. The bay is very shallow and we anchored in 2.5 metres of sand. There is no infrastructure there apart from a footpath.
Anse d'Arlet (SW): Nice bay with a small village with nice restaurants and good snorkelling. Holding is good, you just have to watch out for the fish traps.
Grand Anse d'Arlet (SW): Very poor holding on a fairly dead reef in the northern part. 5 cm of sand over a hard bottom. We slipped the anchor there. The southern part should be better. Small touristy beach promenade with restaurants and dive shops. We were once with Centre de plongée en Martinique - O Fil de l'Eau diving. A well-organised, uncomplicated dive at a moderate price. 2 dives approx. 100 EUR.
Saint Pierre (NW): We anchored there and saved ourselves the buoy. That worked really well. Saint Pierre is a nice little place with a sad but exciting history. There is also a small supermarket and it is a good place to jump off to Dominica.