We had an exhilarating passage from St. Lucia to Martinique. The wind cooperated and was south of east blowing 20-25 knots and the seas presented long 6-8 foot swells. We had one reef in the main and one in the jib. Daggers Down sailed like a champ through the swells with very little bashing or spray over the sides. The Brown Boobies, dashing seabirds, stayed with us most of the way diving for fish, but at least they did “mess” up the boat so much on this passage.
Our friends on SV Coin Toss stayed up with us most of the way and we both anchored right in front of one of my favorite beach towns in Martinique, Les Anse d’Arlet, not to be confused by the neighbor bay, Grand Anse d’Arlet which is also a cute beach town.
When you enter the bay of Les Anse d’Arlet you are greeted by the prominent church, fishing boats and beautiful hillsides. However, watch out for the fish pots because they are everywhere!
The next morning, we set out to explore the town. Our first stop was at the boulangerie, of course, as we were now back in France where chocolate croissants are a must as well as luscious baguettes. We found the bakery about two blocks from the dinghy dock.
There was no seating, so we ate our pâtissiers walking down the street. The town has cute shops/houses up and down every street. Some have murals on the walls.
We found a little grocery, and while the shelves were sparse, I did mark a few more things off my list like eggs, onions and wine.
It looked like the children were having their Physical Education class on the water.
Daggers Down was sitting pretty, right where we left her!
Our next stop was at the farmers’ market where I found some nice produce and, if I’d been inclined, could have gotten all sorts of souvenirs, but that was not on the list for today!
We also saw our friends from SV Coin Toss out walking their dogs. They were never able to schedule a vet visit on St. Lucia. Thus, the dogs had been sequestered on the boat for a few days and were happy to have some land time!
The church on the main road, is very quaint and the inside is beautiful. I am always awestruck by the beautiful chandeliers and stained glass for such a small church.
As we made our way back to Blade Runner, our dinghy, we noticed the snorkel spot was not too crowded. So we thought we might come back and check it out. The rock that marks the spot is unimpressive, but once you get below the water, the aquatic life is fascinating.
Back on Daggers Down, we put away the groceries and got ready to snorkel. We stopped by SV Coin Toss and picked up Elizabeth. I regretted that David couldn’t go with us, but he had to work.
We tied up at the dock and slid off the dinghy into the water. Immediately we began to see starfish everywhere. I do not remember ever seeing starfish here, but they were nestled in the sand and grass, and even had climbed up the sides of some rock. I just love starfish.
The snorkeling was exciting as I remember with fish of all colors and sizes teaming everywhere.
We even spotted a couple of eels slithering through the coral and rock.
There were beautiful fans and vibrant coral with sea anemones hiding among them.
Suffice it to say, we had a wonderful time swimming at this little spot right off the beach of Les Anse d’Arlet. It was delightful!
Tomorrow we will make another hop up Martinique to Anse Matin which is an adorable beach town across the expansive bay from Fort de France. Hopefully it won’t be too crowded, and we can find a nice anchor spot.
Night, night family and friends!
Ben and I hope your December is going well. Stay warm and enjoy time with your loved ones!
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