February 23
Most anchorages on the West side of Caribbean Islands have boats within 20 metres of each other – it can be crowded. Sometimes, a boat ahead of another will float on top of its neighbour’s anchor. It's not a problem until the anchor's owner wants to leave and the "floater" is absent. When the wind is strong enough, all boats face in the same direction. So, distances between boats don’t vary much. However, when the wind is almost non-existent such as in the early morning, each boat will face in a different direction. If boats are too close to each other, early mornings might find boats “kissing” if owners don’t pay attention or are still in bed, a bit unnerving. This was the situation at Fort-de-France during Carnival.
The bay of Fort-de-France has many coves: Fort-de-France, Le Lamentin, Trois Ilets, Mitan, Riviere-Salee, Anse a l’Ane. They are all connected by small ferries for pedestrians only. After the happy chaos of Fort-de-France Carnival and the busy anchorage of its city, the calm and quiet waters near Riviere Salee were a welcome break to our senses and nerves.
At Riviere Salee, a very large anchorage, there was only one boat. We were able to drop our anchor at least 300 metres from it. We could finally feel alone, no one could see us in our cockpit. Finally, clothes were optional. LOL! We spent 4 days reading, cooking, swimming, playing mind games and other games ... We visited a mangrove that led us to a tiny marina from which we walked to Ducos for provisioning.
We have our little routines now: coffee for me first thing in the morning, reading until we have a late breakfast, then whatever activity we decide upon, happy hour and dinner in the cockpit. Come to think of it, we very rarely eat in the boat, always in the cockpit where a gentle breeze passes through. The lower sun can be brutal mid- to late afternoon. We pin a beach towel on the side to protect us. At the stern, we hung a small mesh “hammock” in which ripening fruits and vegetables swing, such as papaya, avocados, bananas, pineapples, christophines. We usually start the engine before bedtime to recharge the batteries when the sun and wind are not enough. We are now in the dry season of the Caribbeans: barely any rain (or short spurts of it), very little wind, lower temperatures (25-26 degrees Celsius instead of 28-30).
After spending another 3 days at Trois Ilets, we are now at Anse Mitan. It is touristic (many restaurants, small hotels, beach wear boutiques), a beautiful beach, surrounded by many hills. There’s a cute plaza where restaurants, bistros, cafes and boutiques are. We had dinner at a restaurant in the middle of the plaza where tables and palm trees surrounded a fountain – very romantic. Anse Mitan has been very busy because local kids have been on vacation for the past two weeks. A few powerboats passing by with kids on floating seats having the time of the lives. We know we can hear them! All will be quiet again on Monday when kids are back to school. Oh, and apparently ferries are going on strike. This means bottleneck traffic in the area.
Now that we’ve relaxed for a week, we’re ready for some fun again. Two couples will be joining us in the next few days: On Sunday Jocelyn and Natalie on Mordicus, and on Tuesday Benoit and Dominique on Andromeda. We introduced the two couples from the Lac Megantic region in Quebec when we were all in Bequia a few weeks ago. From Bequia, Mordicus sailed South to Carriacou for repairs then on to Grenada. We and Andromeda sailed North to Ste. Lucia then Martinique. Andromeda spent the last couple of weeks with friends in Sainte-Anne Bay while we partied in Fort-de-France. It’ll be fun to spend time with these four good friends this week.
Also, we are renting a car from Tuesday (the 27th) to Friday. We’re going to hike near Trinite, on the Atlantic side of Martinique. We’ll stay in an AirBnb for one night near Trinite. On our return trip, we want to stop at Coeur Bouliki, 1500 acres of forest through which a shallow river and falls welcome bathers among its rocks – a perfect place for a picnic. Even though we’ll return on the 28th to charge Komeekha’s batteries, we’ll head out again by car with Jocelyn and Natalie for a hike near Le Diamant (to be confirmed). The six of us will probably go for another hike nearby on Friday. I’ll have a lot to tell you upon our return. The ferries strike will slow us down; but hey, we're retired, no rush getting anywhere. Life is good.
