Layover at Martinique

Our S/V Charlotte D is a limited edition Alden Dolphin 47 built in East Boothbay, Maine, in 1974 (hull 11 of 13) by the Hodgdon Brothers.  They are still building yachts since 1816 (www.hodgdonyachts.com).  Specialties of the Charlotte D are gourmet meals, private staterooms, custom cruising schedules, and long layovers in beautiful places in the Eastern Caribbean for continuous renovations carried out by the owners.

We arrived at Martinique on December 14, 2015 for a two month stay. During this time we anchored in five different bays; Saint Anne, Cul de Sac Marin, Petit Anse de Arlet, Fort de France and Anse a l'Ane. Each bay has it's own special attractions.

“Heaven is under our feet”, Henry David Thoreau.

Saint Anne has a most delightful beach. Although very popular, especially on weekends, we enjoyed each visit to this beach.

Saint Anne is the origin of several hikes passing through forest and accessing additional beaches. 

One can also climb the hill behind the village for a lovely view of the harbour.

Grand Anse de les Salines is particularly beautiful. 

These hikes facilitated Peter's recovery from the Tropical Fever he contracted before the New Year. For our published article of that experience check out page 33 of the February issue of The Caribbean Compass online at www.caribbeancompass.com.

There were multiple opportunities for "meditation".

Of course, there are numerous eateries on the beaches, as well as in the village of Saint Anne.

Our favourite beach eatery is “Basilic Beach”.

There is a local fish market which is “hit-or-miss”, depending on the luck of the fishers. Catherine found large local fresh squid, cleaned on the spot!

We try to be back aboard the Charlotte D daily for sundowner rum "tots" or G&T.

Due to the popularity of Saint Anne with cruising sailors, we enjoyed numerous social gatherings, in the form of beach pot lucks, on-board Happy Hours and dinners, and restaurant gatherings.

Yes, Carnival comes to Saint Anne! Click on the video below for a sample of the music and colour of this annual event.

Le Cul de Sac Marin is ideal for provisioning at Super Market, local produce market (including magnificent selection of fresh spices), and well-stocked chandleries. 

Each of these are accessible by dinghy from the anchorage. In fact, from the Leader Price Super Market one pushes the grocery cart directly to the dinghy dock. We often filled the cart with French Delicacies (wine, cheese, pate) and Martinique rum.

There are some first rate eateries in le Marin. We particularly recommend “Zanzibar” and “Numero Vingt” for their unusual menus, exceptional service and Belgian ales on draft.

LeVanille Sublimee consists of creme glacee vanille, vanille pacane, noisettes torrefiees caramelisses, and chantilly. Delicious! Especially with French coffee and old rum!

Catherine was attracted to some of the street art.

Petit Anse de Arlet is a scenic bay on the west coast of Martinique, south of the Bay of Fort de France. Anchor holding is good, water is clear, and numerous new moorings have been installed, which are available free-of-charge if you can find one unoccupied. We chose this bay for Christmas eve and day because it is one of the quietest places during holidays. Catherine makes time for banjo and fiddling wherever we anchor.

Fort de France is a large city with a waterfront anchorage (Baie des Flamands) shared by cruise ships and sailboats. There is a new bulkhead ideal for securing dinghies along the Malecon (pedestrian walkway) adjacent to the Savanna (city park). The anchorage is bordered on the east by the historic Fort Saint Louis (1638), which is worth a tour.

At this anchorage we met Catherine's high school classmate Lynn and her brother Bo who arrived on a cruise ship. Together we enjoyed champagne and much talk aboard the “Charlotte D”.

Anse a l'Ane seems to be visited by few cruising sailboats. It is well-protected with good anchor holding. Perhaps the periodic wakes from the ferry traffic to and from the main dock discourage cruisers. The beach is scenic and has numerous restaurants. The “Nid” beach bar has solid WiFi. We passed New Years Weekend here in peace and quiet!

Click on the video below for a sample of the live music at one of le Anse a l'Ane restaurants.

Of course, the Martinique layover was not all beach, eat and socialize. We completed numerous boat projects. These included varnishing and other woodworking projects.

And there is always routine maintenance such as buffing lexan windows that cloud in the tropical sun.

We always enjoy Martinique and plan to return in future sailing seasons.

Tout est la!

Peter and Catherine aboard S/V “Charlotte D”
now at the island of Bequia, St Vincent and The Grenadines.