The main town called, Bourg des Saintes, was darling. It was mostly pedestrians walking around on the main roads which were lined with boutique shops, restaurants, and other vendors. People get around this island via scooter or a golf cart. We ended up walking around the island because it was so small and we wanted the exercise.
We decided to skip Dominica and return there someday, staying on land, because of security concerns. We could have hired security to care for us and our boat while there. However, stopping at Dominica would also mean that we needed to get COVID tests before arrival. If we continued on to another French island, we didn’t need to take a PCR test.
We had a 12-hour sail the next day to get to Les Saintes so we were up at 5a and pulled our anchor up just before 6a. We hadn’t heard of Les Saintes before but many fellow yachters recommended stopping there. We try to avoid sailing overnight and this grouping of islands allowed us to make it there before sunset so that we could anchor in the light. Our sail was uneventful and we arrived with approximately 45 minutes before sunset. We decided to anchor in one of the outer islands called Terre-de-Bas. There are mooring balls located closer to the main island, however, we knew that there was more demand for them than supply. The water was a little rough in these islands and boats swung so tying up to a ball would be very convenient. At 7:30a the next morning we motored over to Terre-de-Haut, the main island in Les Saintes. We were so lucky. The first cove we came to, Anse a Cointre, had four mooring balls. We decided to motor around the corner to see if we could find anyplace closer to town. After a quick inspection, we returned to the first place where we saw the mooring balls. It turned out to be a lovely location. There was snorkeling off of the back of the boat. We could take our dinghy over to the main town or tie it up at a private dock located in the cove where we were.
From Pointe de Bout, we continued sailing north to St. Pierre, the town close to Mt. Pelee , that was devastated when it erupted in 1902. Along the way, we dropped our anchor at L’Anse a l’Ane because they had a gas station in town. We were desperate to get gas for our dinghy’s outboard motor. This anchorage was quite rough because it didn’t provide any protection from the wind. I was glad to get back to the boat, put our dinghy up, and move on.
St. Pierre was a rough-looking, beaten-up town. It was dingy, with many stone buildings either broken down or abandoned. We ware only there for one night, so we wanted to explore it a little bit. We didn’t have time to go up to the top of Mt. Pelee. However, we did walk up to a fortified area with cannons pointing out at the sea. There was also a memorial here. Town itself consisted mostly of two, one-way streets with a few shops along the narrow streets. Because it was our last night on Martinique, we went into the boulangerie and used up our Euros on patisseries. Again, they were delicious!
This entire Fort de France Bay is connected by ferries. One of the reasons that we decided to anchor in Pointe de Bout was that we could catch a ferry to Fort-de-France. Fort-de-France is a large city on Martinique with high rises, malls, and many shops. This is also where the cruise ships dock. (Cruise ships were not permitted in the French countries yet because of COVID.) It had a wide promenade along the ferry dock. Ferries ran to several different coves within the bay to the touristy area where we were staying. Honestly, Forte de France was a little dingy as well. It reminded me of a run-down, bustling Chinatown in the states with garage-like shops that open up onto the street. We visited the large church in the town as well as the patisserie. And, of course we took some goodies back with us to our boat for dessert.
After a short motor around the corner, during a squall, we decided to anchor off of Pointe de Bout. We found a nice spot right off of the swimming hole. This area is a location where many locals and tourists visit for a holiday. The swimming hole itself was very protected and made for a terrific place to swim. This area even had what we would call a street vendor selling crepes right at the swimming hole.
Town had a collection of boutique shops and restaurants along the main road. Of course, we found the local boulanger/patisserie and sampled some of their desserts. They were delicious. We were close enough to Anse Mitan, the next cove over, that we were able to walk to it. It had a dock right on the beach and beachside restaurants. It seemed a little dingier to me so I was glad that we anchored where we did.
There are so many different coves in Martinique and we wanted to explore some more of the island. So, we sailed north to Trois Ilets. Our guidebook indicated that it would be a calm anchorage without swells. This area is tucked way back in the Forte de France Bay, which was huge. We anchored in the bay off of a golf course. The guidebook was correct in that we didn’t get swells there. However, the waves were two feet high or so because the wind had the whole bay to kick them up. The water in this bay was cloudy, so we didn’t want to go in the water.
This town was definitely local and didn’t really cater to yachters. The first day that we arrived was the end of Carnival. So, many of the businesses were closed. Garbage was strewn along the streets and the entire area looked neglected. We did meet a nice man at the dinghy dock who understood my broken French enough to tell us it was OK to tie up our dinghy. I felt a little guarded walking around this area. We walked up the hill towards the church and then went in search of the best patisserie on the island, according to Doyle’s guidebook. We found it and the patisseries were beautiful. We also found where the laundrett was located as well as the gas station and the grocery store.
Along this walk we came to a round-about. There were 15 to 20 foot high statues in the round-about that seemed to depict slavery. We had seen signs to a slave memorial as well. So, I believe this is a strong part of the culture in Trois Ilets.
After completing our laundry and going grocery shopping, we were back on the boat. A small tender with “Douane” marked on the side and several authoritative men dressed in black came up close to the back of our boat. They peered in at us, through the laundry that I had hung to finish drying. They kept going, however, and we definitely kept an eye on them. Later I read that they were customs. I’m guessing that we were so far tucked away in the bay that they get ne’er-do-wells in there. Because we didn’t love the anchorage, we decided to move our boat to Pointe de Bout.
With few exceptions, we haven’t found the meat in the Caribbean to be as tasty as at home. On most of the islands that we have visited we have seen goats roaming freely. Martinique is the first island on which we saw with a healthy herd of cows grazing.
We had great timing on Martinique because our visit coincided with Carnival. In Sainte Anne we heard music playing in town. At Anse D’Arlet, a band was playing on the beach. And, both towns were decorated colorfully. These are pictures of two different posters that lined the street between Anse D’Arlet and Grande Anse D’Arlet.
After spending a couple of days in Sainte Anne on Martinique, we decided to sail north to Anse D’arlet. This is a small seaside town that appears to be family oriented. We arrived during the Carnival festival and a band playing on the beach. (We could hear the music easily from our boat.) Families were there enjoying the water, dancing to the music, and socializing with friends on the promenade. Everything seems to center around the chiming of the bells from the centrally-located church. Of course, we found the local patisserie and tried some of their goods.
One day we walked around the point to Grand Anse D’Arlet. This town was set up more for tourists in that it had a pedestrian-only promenade along the waterfront. This was lined with dive shops, restaurants, and souvenir stalls. And, there was a pier there.
Thursday was a calm weather day which meant it was a good day to travel. While we stayed in the Rodney Bay marina longer than we had originally planned, we had a great time there. Our boat was tied up on the end of “G” dock. This meant we had a great view of the channel, super yacht dock, and the many restaurants in the marina. We met some great new friends and reconnected with people we had met last year.
Monday through Saturday a couple runs a cruiser’s net at 8a. We tried to listen in on our vhf radio every day to see what was happening on the island as well as in the marina.
After roughly three weeks in St. Lucia, it was time to move on to the next island in the chain, Martinique. Every time we enter a new country, we need to clear customs. The restaurant in this picture had a customs computer in a side room and we cleared in there. Fun Fact: Before sailing, we never knew that the French have a different placement of letters on their keyboards. It makes typing a challenge.
