MARCH 2012
MARTINIQUE
Fort du France - Approaching the wide open bay on which Fort du France is situated we are entertained by a couple of large whales blowing and splashing on the surface. Our first sighting of whale’s for some years. Fort du France is a major city by Caribbean standards with a vibrant big town feel. The 18th century fort on the waterfront is the outstanding feature with the surrounding city spreading back to the hills. A huge modern glass encapsulated high rise tower was under construction and is clearly a statement structure to challenge the old. For the cruiser the luxury of anchoring right in the center of town with a new 300m long dinghy dock to tie up alongside and go shopping. Talk about opening the waterfront up and being user friendly to sea going folk……we can think of many cities that call themselves cruiser and boater friendly that could learn from Fort Du France…… read Auckland and Sydney.
St Pierre - To visit requires anchoring in deep water among numerous wrecks sunk during the volcanic eruption that devastated St Pierre in the 1890’s. St Pierre was the old capital of Martinque and was all but covered with molten ash and lava by the eruption. The vibrant port town was located here because of its proximity to the lush fertile sugar plantation lands nearby. The town has been rebuilt albeit not to its former glory and the surrounding lands are as productive as ever. We are here primarily to visit the famous Rhumb Factory in a valley beyond. We decide to walk and it takes 90 minutes of up hill slog in early afternoon heat but well worth the effort and the free samples after taking the factory tour.
DOMINICA
Prince Rupert Bay - An overnight stop only and did not go ashore as skipper was laid low with a mysterious stomach upset that lasted 12 hours. Shades of kidney stone pain had him concerned but thankfully all passed with the night. B was also concerned because a pain killer injection might have been required and the patient would be more than a handful.
GUADELOUPE
Iles de Saintes - Petite Anse - Another French Island that time seems to be passing by leaving the positives and eliminating the negatives. Big on French influenced eateries and just a great feel to the place. Surrounded by beaut anchorages and clear water. We could easily have stayed longer.
Le Gosier – A daysail north to the main island of Guadaloupe and what a daysail it is with a close encounter with a whale that had us lost for words as it swims across the bow of Musketelle so close you could have jumped on its back ! Its whale mating season and they are all obviously a bit screwy and acting without normal thought processes. We are in warm surprisingly shallow waters (under 15 metres) and these things are scaring the hell out of us.
Reaching the main island of Guadaloupe we anchor off La Gosier a suburb of the main town of Pointe Petrie in a shallow channel between the mainland and a small island.
Pointe Petrie - Next morning head in to the main port area and anchor to go ashore to shop for marine gear and a replacement Microwave Oven as our cheapie installation from Spain has given up the ghost after just 3 months.
Crew Disappears - Shopping in Guadaloupe involves a taxi ride to a major mall 8km distant. We spend a few hours there and its dark as we hunt for a taxi to return. The return by the same route was much faster as less traffic but that’s when the fun began. As we arrived back at the marina P jumps out to get the shopping loaded in the dink leaving B to pay the fare. After a few minutes had passed the dink is loaded and ready but where is B ? So P goes back the 50 meters round a corner to find her but she is nowhere to be seen and neither is the cab. The place is deserted and he is more than a little concerned checking here and there and looking for a security person when after 5 minutes B appears out of the dark. Turns out B had questioned the inflated fare compared with the outbound trip that afternoon and the fact the meter was running all the time this discussion was going on. She reluctantly agrees on a fare but is not given the correct change at which point she reacts saying she will not hop out until he gives the correct change. Next thing the driver takes off with B in the cab finally stopping at the entrance to the marina giving her the change. P was not at all amused at the increase in blood pressure for the sake of 5 Euro !!.
Getting A Pasting - We depart Guadaloupe for Antigua at 0530 to ensure a reasonable all day sail to arrive by dusk. But we make the mistake of not interpreting the tidal affect for the first 20 miles west to east along the Guadaloupe coast and get hammered bashing into tide against increasing wind straight off the Atlantic Ocean. It was one of those situations where we just kept going when we probably should have run off but that would have meant getting into Antigua much later. After 6 hours we raised sails and rounded the most easterly point of Guadaloupe and had a great reach north to Antigua.
ANTIGUA
The island of Antigua has a handful of good harbours for sailors with English and Falmouth on the sheltered south coast the best. The British Navy coveted the famous English Harbour fortifying it and never losing it. Being a renowned hurricane hole it was worth all the effort that went into the extensive fortifications. English Harbour just oozes history of the 18th century era and to walk among the naval buildings and carrenage and on the tracks on the surrounding hills you cannot help be impressed. The way the buildings have been faithfully restored and are now used for a variety of marine services including a sailmaker, marine electronics, bakery and restaurants gives it ongoing life. The nearby larger and open Falmouth Harbour was also ultimately just as valuable moreso today providing berths for superyachts.
BARBUDA
Antigua and Barbuda are the same country with Antigua the big and populous island and Barbuda the smaller flat island with a population in the hundreds. We are here to sample the clear waters off the vast long sandy east coast and visit the Frigate bird colony on the huge lagoon. The main town of Coddrington is nothing more than a grid of 6 streets with small single level flat roof hurricane proof houses that can all be walked around in 20 minutes after you have cleared Customs and Immigration. However there was one new very large modern two level building all but completed on the shore of the lagoon that looked completely out of place. Closer inspection of the big project sign announced it was the new home to the Barbudan Fisheries Resource Protection Agency funded by Japan in gratitude of Barbudan support at the International Whaling Commission !!
SAINT BARTHELEMY We are at yet another French island this the ultra trendy and exclusive St Barts for the annual St Barts Bucket Race. A race for a bucket of champagne race by an invited fleet of yachts, the only proviso being they are over 100ft long. This year there are 50 yachts competing and most are around 150ft with a handful 200ft long. Its not just about the competeing yachts but the literally hundreds of other yachts (read super yachts and even cruise ships) both sail and power that turn up to watch and support the social events. The real interest for us was the 4 J Class yachts racing and the yachts that had a Kiwi connection. Of the 50 competing yachts 10 had been built in NZ and 4 others were Kiwi designed by Farr Holland and Elliot. Add in the number of Kiwi sailors crewing you might well have been walking around the Viaduct Basin.
On arrival St Barts in a brief patch of inclement weather we anchored off Anse De Grand Galet (beach) which by luck would have it was also the Bucket Races Start Finish line. So all we had to do was erect the deckchairs on the aft deck and take binoculars in hand to watch the action upfront.
On the final day a catamaran anchored next to us flying the NZ flag and the skipper invited us aboard for an even closer view of the finish of the final race as he motored right on the finish line.
