Martinique January 4-13

As we approached Martinique, we were greeted by 2 large dolphins that swam alongside our hull. They rolled over on their sides to eyeball us.  I got so excited I think I scared them away!


Martinique is the prettiest and cleanest island we have been to thus far. We are both in love with this island. Our first port was Saint Pierre  known as the Paris of the Caribbean in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The wealth of the island was in the plantations. Ships would take on rum, sugar, coffee, and cocoa, and enough was sold to make several of the plantation owners multi-millionaires. However, in 1902 a volcano above the town burst open, releasing a giant fireball of superheated gas that flowed down over the city, releasing more energy than an atomic bomb. All that remained were smoking ruins. 30,000 people were incinerated within 2 minutes. Only 2 people survived, a cobbler and a man in a stone prison cell who later became an attraction with Barnum and Bailey Circus.


We have been to Fort de France which is the capital of Martinique. It is a well developed city with much commerce and global businesses. But, the people take their family and rest time very seriously. There is not a single restaurant, bar, or shop open Saturday afternoon through Sunday.


We are currently in Sainte Anne - a sleepy, quiet cove with a few beach restaurants and shops, mountains in the background. We will go into the town today, have a ridiculously high cholesterol and caloric french lunch then try some scuba diving nearby. Hopefully, we will be able to swim after such a meal!


Tomorrow we leave for Le Marin which is our last stop in Martinique then to St. Vincent and St. Lucia. We'll need to stock up with as much with water, fuel, food, and drink as we can to last us for a few more weeks. The islands south of here can be very expensive. Martinique has wonderful french wine for about $4-5 a bottle and the french cheese and fresh fruit is out of this world. You can bet we will get a couple of cases of that wine to go!


Photos: a "house" looking like a boat a Rastafarian built on the beach; crew hard at work NOT earning her dog bones; St. Pierre with volcano in background; the capital city fort des france; Sainte Anne.