SPRING IN ST. ANNE, SOUTH MARTINIQUE

The sky is soft blue, painted with white clouds, the picture changing every minute in the light spring wind. In the town pavements are already heating up, the shady sides of the streets are crowded with walkers.

It is not to hot on the anchorage, once it becomes, we jump in the water and cool off. This is the best time for sailors. The daylight is long, the wind steady from the east. Ripe mangos are making their way to the breakfast table in the cockpit.

'NADA' crew

St. Anne Bay

St. Anne church

A modest shrine

One of the streets

The town coast line

New fruit: abrigot (apricot),  the taste is between a mango and an apricot

St. Anne in bloom

FROM ST. LUCIA TO MARTINIQUE

The short distance of 20 NM from Rodney Bay to Le Marin on the south end of Martinique has always been a small challenge. Sailing there early in the season in the ENE wind we ended up at the Diamond Rock, 8 NM west of Le Marin entrance and had to tack to our destination. This time leisurely E wind took us straight to Le Marin. The channel is well marked by buoys and by the boat, stuck on the sand banc, a reminder to sailors, that like to take shortcuts through shallow waters. As we were approaching the first set of buoys, to the right of us, a spray came out of the water surface and then the whole massive body of a whale came straight out in the air, splashing back into the water. Wonderful, but too close. Too close! Our sailboat can not compete with the king of all seas. I stirred away. The whale curved his body through the surface, puffed ones, twice and he was gone.

Diamond Rock

   

THE JOKE WAS ON MY FISHING

I was sitting on the back step by the ladder, soaking my feet. Ouch! Something bit my big toe. I looked down and saw a fish snacking on me. It was a sheepshead, about fifteen inches long. When later I dived under the boat, I noticed, that two of them made the bottom of our boat their home. They live on barnacles, they have three rows of teeth on the top and two on the bottom jaw. They should have brought all their friends to our boat and stick to the barnacles for their food.

BACK ON ST. LUCIA

Rodney Bay became another home for us. Sailing into the anchorage, we try to spot familiar boats, sailors we became friends with the past six years of our Caribbean sailing.
The greetings begin, sunset drinks, Mexican train dominoes, exaggerated sailing and fishing stories. We came here to spend a week and we stayed two.
The bay is thinning out, though, spring is here. North is warming up and sailors are getting their boats ready for a rest on dry land. There are some, that are full time sailors, most of them retired people, that sold their houses and reduced their comfort into a small floating space. The healthy life on the water agrees with them. When the hurricane season starts, they leave the East Caribbean islands and sail south to Grenada, Tobago, Trinidad, or to the West Caribbean.

FAREWELL

The last three days of our youths' visit, writer Bill Eidson and his wife Donna, Eva's sister-in-law, joined us. When kids left Barbados and flew back home, we sailed with Donna and Bill over night to St. Lucia. It was smooth beautiful sailing, the boat gliding on the Atlantic swells, stars bright, new moon shadowing the sea.

FROM TOBAGO TO BARBADOS

In the E wind we would make it in one tack. But since the beginning of the season the ENE wind was persistent. After sailing the distance of 134 NM two days and two nights instead of half of that, we anchored in the Carlisle Bay just south of Bridgetown, the Capitol.

Half a million cruise ships tourists visit Barbados, so here is no shortage of jewelry stores by the cruise ship dock and on the main street of Bridgetown.
Tourism and banking are the main income of Barbados, but touring the island we realized they are not the only, sugar cane fields are endlessly stratching over the lowlands.
Barbados is the only Eastern Caribbean not volcanic island. It surfaced during tectonic plate movement and was built up with limestone layers. It's main attraction is Harrison cave.

Maya, Nina and our guide Andy

Another attraction is in St. Peter, Wildlife Preserve, the enclosure we shared with turtles, peacocks and other birds, deer and even a crocodile. The fence does not prevent African green monkeys from greeting you on the parking lot.

Maya: "Oh! A turtle just walked by me!"

Besides animals there were many interesting plants, among them spectacular blooming succulents

We also went on a short jungle trip. Most of the island was covered with forest before the arrival of settlers, who cleared the land to grow sugar cane. As we walked the paved path, monkeys curiously followed us, jumping from tree to tree

Roots for additional support in a muddy ground

Air roots

For the sea lovers east side of the island offers spectacular views.

Mushroom rock

On the west side Carlisle Bay is the only protected anchorage. We took a bus to Port St. Charles, man made lagoon with berths for residents of the surrounding town houses and condominions, and a few for the visitors.

When Eva's family visited, we sailed north to Spaightstown, but rocking in the north swell forced us to return the next day.

Barbados is not a sailors' island. Tourists, that stay in hotels are enjoying long sand white beaches, that line the entire west coast.

It is only a short distance to dinghy from the Carlisle Bay into the Capitol of Barbados, Bridgetown, navigating through the busy canal, the home port to many commercial boats.

Once you are under the bridge, you are in the lively atmosphere of the city. Bridgetown is colourful with large banks and shopping malls, open markets, fancy housing, and slums, where we were told not to go.

Men playing cards on the street

On the west side Carlisle Bay is the only protected anchorage. We spent most of kids vacation time there. The only dinghy dock is owned by the Boatyard Restaurant. For $10 US voucher per person we tight the dinghy there for the day, enjoyed white sandy beach and had a lunch. Beside good food the restaurant offered activities, fun for the kids.