Martinique Carnival and Relaxing with Good Friends

Trois-Ilets is a little protected, calm anchorage near Fort-de-France.  This  hurricane hole was a welcome reprieve after the rolling anchorages we had experienced.  It also ended up being a great decision on our part, as 2 of the anchorages we had decided to vacate earlier than planned, due to deteriorating conditions, (Portsmouth and St Pierre) became so untenable that 2 boats came free from the moorings in each anchorage as waves rolled them onto shore.   Other skippers had to stay up all night to save themselves from 8 ft waves.  

Trois-Ilets also provided us the opportunity to get the boat ship shape in advance of the arrival of our friends, Al & Pierina, who would be joining us in Fort-de-France, Martinique, a few days later for a week stay on the boat. Al and Roger have been best buddies and sail boat racing rivals for over 30 years. 

We reserved a slip at a marina just outside of Fort-de France, arriving there the day before our guests so we could provision and get the boat organized.  Unlike Canadian style marinas where you tie up side on the the dock, this is Mediterranean mooring, where the boats are side by side with fenders in between, and you exit off the stern of the boat.  When we arrived, an attendant came to show us our slip and there was literally no space between the boats at all.  However, he used his high powered motor boat to separate the yachts and we were then expected to miraculously back into this space that still did not look wide enough for our boat, all while we wrestled with an 18 MPH cross wind.  Thankfully, Roger had the guts to go for it, and with proper boat handling and the assistance of the bow thrusters, we made it in without a scratch.  Once we got in, we went to hook up to the shore power which would help us charge our batteries and provide some air conditioning to freshen up the boat before our guests arrived.  Unfortunately, we didn't know that because it is a French island, there is a special adapter and step-down transformer that are required to convert the 220 V to power the 110 V on our boat.  Since the nearest chandlery was more than a 10 minute drive away, we tried to get a taxi, but there was too much traffic due to the upcoming Carnival celebrations.  One of the workers at the marina was calling to find a taxi, without success, so she suggested that her friend would take us if we could wait an hour or so.  We readily agreed, and an hour later Roger and I hopped into a very small car with the man I had met earlier, and another friend of his in the middle seat in the back who only spoke French (most of the rest of the back seat was full of their stuff).  I sat in the front and Roger jammed himself in the back.  Somehow, despite the language barrier, the 2 became fast friends and were laughing by the time we reached the chandlery.  They agreed to stay and return us to the marina when we were finished.  We didn't find the electrical equipment we needed, but we got an extra fender and line and a funny story to tell of these lovely people who went out of their way to take us to the chandlery. Another boat from our Salty Dawg club arrived and had the same electrical problem. They set out to another larger chandlery to find the required equipment for both of us but also came up empty-handed. This meant that we would not have the AC we had promised our guests.

Al & P arrived safely with a few extra provisions for us.  In particular, they brought us a Nespresso machine with 110 V plug and coffee pods to feed Roger's insatiable espresso habit. 😄  Thank you so much!  

The next day we headed to Fort-de-France for Carnival, sharing a taxi with the fellow Salty Dawg sailors.  While walking around FdF, I was very moved by this wall art by a local artist.  It kind of says it all. 

Carnival takes place in the 4 days before lent, finishing on Ash Wednesday.  This is a 4 day long celebration of local music and pageantry.  On Sunday, people dress in bright colours and costumes.  On Shrove Monday, the theme is burlesque wedding, so most people will cross dress with men dressed as brides and women dressed as groomsmen.  ON Shrove Tuesday, in the afternoon, people dress in either red or black costumes or as a red devil.  On Ash Wednesday, the dress code is either white or black to represent mourning.

Somehow we were able to get a table for lunch on the parade route, so had front row seats for the parade. 

Here is just a taste of the costumes we saw during the parade on Sunday.  As you can see, they are truly beautiful people.

This last picture is one of the typical characters of carnival, representing the Pottery workers of Trois-Ilets, one of the oldest and still active companies in Martinique.  

The next day we went to Anse Matin to swim, relax and hang on our anchor.  

We moved on the next day to a beautiful village called Grand Anse d-Arlet, which is surrounded by mountains.  As we arrived, we were welcomed by some very large turtles who came up to greet us. On shore, Roger and P enjoyed some lobster, while Tama and Al had some local chicken Colombo.  

Over the next couple of days we swam, laughed and enjoyed some amazing meals and sunsets.  

Finally, we headed to Ste. Anne at the southern end of Martinique.  It was a 3 hour upwind sail.  On the way there we passed Diamond Rock which had been commissioned by the British as HMS Diamond Rock, a "stone frigate" used during the Napoleonic wars.  Guns on the rock dominated the channel between it and the mainland, preventing the French from entering Fort-de-France. 

While Al & P had stayed at the Club Med before in Ste. Anne, Roger and I have never been to Martinique.  So, we were absolutely amazed at the size of the massive mooring field which remains calm in the easterly tradewinds.  

We also had the opportunity to see a traditional local boat called a Yole.  This tippy vessel, which resembles a dug-out canoe, was once the boat of choice for local fishermen.  The Yole is built of solid wood and is often less than 10 meters long.  The team will mainly use paddles, wind and current to move around, as the Yole has no keel or rudder.   Crew members perch off the side of the boat on long poles that are moved from side to side to try and keep it upright. 

All in all a great vacation, with some great friends. 

We are headed next to Le Marin, Martinique, which is one of the Caribbean's largest yacht centres where many people stop for repairs.  With any luck, we will find a place to fabricate and install davits for the dinghy.  We will also take Pirate for her health examination before we head to our next destination:  St Vincent and the Grenadines.