Up to Martinique

After our three nights in the Keys we had to left up north again to reach Martinique in time. The passage is easy to sail in two days if you consider a one night stop in St. Vincent or St. Lucia. We decided that we go up to St. Lucia and then spent the night in the bay of the two Pitones, as we last time have missed to go for snorkeling there.

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In perfect sailing conditions and in a good mood it was a very nice trip. Martha dominated steering the boat as usual, and Isabell and I chilled through the trip. The light was so nice and also my biggest wish has been fulfilled – Dolphins and rainbows in the sky!

The group swam for approximately 10 min. in front of our vessel and shortly after the disappearance a much bigger single Dolphin showed up. Sadly he was so quick that I couldn’t caught him on camera.

Each time you reach the Deux Pitones its super impressive again. I don’t know exactly what it is, but I guess the reason is, that you see them already from very far away and then, as more close you come, as more huge they become. The form is somehow unusual for mountains as the both have such a sharp tip. It seems impossible to climb them and the trees and roots on them has totally merged into the picture. Also each time when we was here, the sunset was amazing and so this time too.

The next morning Martha and I jumped from board to do a quick snorkeling trip. The water above the mooring was pretty deep, about 100m. It takes some courage to swim over to the snorkeling spot, cause the color of the water differs from the other spots were we have been so far. Its a deep blue and as you can’t see the ground neighter see fish around you on your first look it feels a little like a step into a unknown space. 

I told my mind not to look down and instead just look straight. I spoke a straight word not to think about the deep and swam over. The reef reminded mine on a snorkeling that I did last year on the Maldives. It was like the outer reef where you just can look along the edge of it, down into the deep. As deeper it gets, as bigger the fish is going to be but you only see them raw and not really sharp. So its more about shadows and your imagination. Near to the surface, the fishes are smaller and there was plenty of them. Swarms – and they seemed to have no fear, come close to my camera and I nearly could touch them. The reef was not super spectacular but nice. On the way back we had to untie the rope around the mooring. Same as last time it was wrapped many times around the mooring string. This happened cause of the wind during the night.

Next morning we started to Martinique. I had agreed with the captain to make a final decision about leaving the boat or not if we arrive Le Marin. As the boat will stay there until the middle of February. This was a little pressure on my mind. I figured out the decisions, in general, makes me nervous. I fear to do a wrong one, I guess – even if I have learned that it makes no sense to complain about the past. 

The sail to Martinique was easy and chilled. We headed for Fort a Fance, the main capital of Martinique. The Bay of Fort a France is huge. So huge that speed ferrys crossing from one side to the other like subways. Green and red tons guides us the way to the aanchorage and it was a surprise as the anchorige dosn’t look that ugly as I have expected. We place the boat in front of the wall of an old fortress and it was just some meters to reach the shore. 

As this was Isabelle’s last evening we decided to go ashore for dinner. The area around the dock looked pretty nice. Many old buildings, a lot of people on the streets, music playing everywhere, palm trees and a soft warm wind surrounded us. On top, we found a veggie restaurant where we eat a small plate for plenty of money. Anyway, I liked it here and so my hopes were growing that Le Marin might be worthy to stay. 

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The next day Martha and I explored the city a bit more. It was Sunday and mainly all the shops were closed but it was nice walking around. The area looked like it might be fun staying around. People were super friendly. After we took a look into an old cathedral a man in the street stops us, and ask if we might want to have a look at his art gallery. We agreed and he opens the door only for us. All stuff that was on sale was unique and handmade by local artists. There was wonderful paintings, upcycled jewelry, and handmade clothes. Sadly all the stuff was a bit too expensive for us, but in the end, I bought a pair of earrings. Made of wood in the shape of pineapples and burned patterns on it. 

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As we returned to the boat we become a witness of a sailing race done on traditional sailboats. The hull of the boats was made of wood, the shape of the sail was a square and the crew hand to lean out of the boat on long wooden bars to keep the boat upright in the wind. They were astonishing fast and just by watching it, it was clear that it must be fun to be part of the crew and sailing. 

Then it was time to say goodbye to Isabelle and Michael, who had to head back home. The evening was quite and I spent a lot of time with thinking about my options how to go on. Next morning, so our plan, we would go to Le Marin and than I had to make a final decision.  

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