Blogs

Martinique is the biggest one of the Windward Islands and an overseas territory of France. In turn it belongs to the European Union and that means modern infrastructure, good roads and dinghy docks and the Euro as a currency. Unfortunately, another result is that life in Martinique is on the expensive side. Most cruisers keep their grocery shopping to a minimum, with the one exception of a visit to Leader Price to stock up on affordable French goodies, like cheese, pâté, salami, olives, rosemary crackers and wine. There’s one in Marin (with dinghy parking), the boating mecca of the island, and one in Fort-de-France, the capital.

 Mt. Pelee volcano in St. Pierre                                                                             © Liesbet Collaert

From a sailing perspective, Martinique is relatively big and has a lot to offer. Anchorages abound on three sides of the island and one could spend months here without getting bored or seeing the same place twice! Starting from the north, St. Pierre is a very interesting stop along the west coast. The small town lies at the foot of the picturesque Mt. Pelée volcano. In 1902, St. Pierre had 30 000 inhabitants and was the commercial, cultural and social center of Martinique. When the volcano erupted in May of that year, the devastation was enormous. All that remained were smoking ruins and two survivors. The town is worth a stop to take in the magnificent views of Mt. Pelée (when not in the clouds), learn about its history in the museum or walk around town and inspect many of the ruins. A visit to the theater ruins and the prison where Cyparis was jailed and survived the 1902 eruption is recommended.

Read more

The annual cruiser’s migration in the Eastern Caribbean goes as follows: in the winter sailboats move inside the hurricane belt and explore the Leeward and Windward islands in a very comfortable climate. November 1^st to May 31^st is the high season in Caribbean waters. In the summer months, most sailboat owners travel outside the hurricane belt, north towards the United States or south towards Grenada and Trinidad. Or, they leave their boat somewhere safe and fly home, escaping the sometimes intolerable heat and humidity. Some sailors head further west, not being bothered by the hurricane season, which officially runs from June 1^st to October 31^st. Another Caribbean trend, weather wise, is that the wind blows from the northeast during the winter season and from the southeast during the summer season. What this means is, that whenever you want to follow the island chain down to reach the safer islands south, you have to beat into the wind and … when it is time to sail northeast again, the wind happens to exactly come from that direction as well. Ironic?

 Irie on her way out of Simpson Bay Lagoon in St. Maarten                                            © Liesbet Collaert

For this reason -sailing dead into the wind is impossible- weather windows are very important when you plan a long sailing trip. Not only are you looking for northeast winds or “better” to head southeast, you also desire a velocity of 10-15 knots. This keeps the waves at a reasonable height and brings the apparent wind to 15-20 knots (since you are moving into it at about 5 knots), creating a nice speed and pleasant motion to get somewhere. Of course, these are ideal situations and they are rare. If one can get winds out of the east as late in the season as June, one should be lucky and happy regardless. Sailing very close to the wind still beats motoring directly into it and the waves…

Read more