After two weeks of exploring the island of St Lucia, we set our sights further north and set sail to Le Marin in Martinique. The 25-nautical mile journey was met with 20-30 knots of wind and 2-3-meter waves, but despite the seasickness, it proved to be an easier sail than our previous experiences in the Caribbean Sea.
As we approached Le Marin, we were in awe of the large bay, filled with boats at anchor or tied up at moorings. It was unlike anything we had seen before and also challenging, navigating between reefs, dinghies, windsurfers amongst other obstacles.
We were unable to find a space in the marina so we anchored near the marina for a few days until we could secure a spot in the boatyard and were able to tend to our diesel leak and various repairs to the boat.
Excited to fix the diesel leak that had been plaguing us since Las Palmas, we decided to take advantage of Martinique’s well-equipped boat supplies and repair workshops. Martin had already made an appointment to fix the leak, but with the added problems of a broken generator and black water tank, we were grateful for the extra time to get our boat running again. The mechanics had to remove the fuel pump and send it to a specialist, but unfortunately, it was too rusted and had to be replaced with a second-hand pump. We are unable to move the boat while the repairs are being made.
It’s a surreal feeling to be back in the EU and surrounded by the sights and sounds of France – delightful bakeries, baguettes, and French pastries, as well as familiar French supermarket chains. We indulged in the luxury of cheese and meat, which we hadn’t been able to enjoy in a while. Martinique is unique, with a beautiful blend of Caribbean atmosphere and French culture, excellent infrastructure with high-quality roads and air-conditioned buses.
We were also fortunate enough to receive a visit from family – Martin‘s sister Laura and her husband Henrik – who stayed with us for 5 days. Due to the missing fuel pump, we were not able to take them out sailing, so we rented a car to explore the Island by land.
During their stay, we hiked to Mount Pelée and, though the rain kept us from reaching the peak, we had some breathtaking views on the way up. The trail was quite a challenge on the way back, with mud and slippery vegetation, but we made it back safe and sound.
We also visited Savanne de Pertrification, a unique geological formation and UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to petrified wood formations. Unfortunately most of the petrified wood has been removed by visitors, leaving the area with mostly open landscape, but it’s still a beautiful landscape and worth a hike.
We had a nice walk on the mainly well maintained trail through the unique geological structure of the landscape. At one point, the trail led us to a body of water with a wooden bridge in the middle. The stones that had formed trail had been flooded by the stream. Despite the easy hike, we still got to have some adventure! Not everyone in our group was open to crossing the water, as we saw some others step into holes in the water up to waist height.
We also had a chance to visit Fort de France, which is the capital of Martinique. The city center is full of small shopping streets with a large variety of goods in contrast to cities we’ve visited on the smaller Islands south of Martinique. Just like being in another European city center.
It was wonderful to have visitors from home, and we hope to have them come back and visit us again on our journey. Next time, hopefully we can take them out sailing.
After bidding farewell to our guests, we are gearing up for the next leg of our voyage. Stocking up on provisions and outfitting our vessel with flexible solar panels, an inverter etc. In about a week or two, we‘ll be setting sails for north, with a brief stopover in Dominica before heading on to Guadeloupe.
