Martinique

 In 1804 The Brits put 20 sailors and 4 cannons on this rock. Raised to status of HMS Diamond Rock, it was only taken when the French wrecked a boat laden with rum on the island. The Brits obviously got drunk and then surrendered

This is a picturesque small bay surrounded by mountains, mangroves and plenty of palm trees. The bay is very crowded with yachts and finding a space for us wasn't easy. We were bombarded by boat boys trying to sell us mooring buoys at £12. We found a nice spot and dropped the hook, no charge! After that all the boat boys were trying to sell us: bananas, avocadoes, bread and ganja.  There are only 3 restaurants inside of the bay, 2 very expensive hotels and a small marina.   After looking at the prices for New Year's Eve dinner we decided to celebrate 2007 on the boat. All  about £40 per head not including tax 10% and only 1 drink. From our anchorage we had the best view of the fireworks. Each restaurant organized their own fire work display, one after another. So in total the whole spectacle lasted about 20 minutes.

Now we were ready to head back to   Martinique, planning to stop on the way in Rodney Bay. But it wasn't our day to leave. Our batteries were completely flat  and we couldn't even start the engine. Probably the batteries got damaged during the short circuit that happened during the Atlantic crossing. There was not much left to do but wait until our wind generator charged them up. While waiting we got chatting with one of the boat boys, called Samuel. He was an avid Rastafarian and he taught us a bit about his religion and faith.  

Batteries charged and finally we could leave to Rodney Bay and the following day to Fort-de-France. According to the pilot book this is the most pleasant sail in the whole area. As we left Rodney Bay we were met with rough seas and force 6 winds, taking waves on the side. At one point we thought in going back to the safety of the bay. Once we were well clear off land, the seas calmed down and the wind became a pleasant force 4. It was a great sail up to Diamond Rock and then to Solomon Point. Then from nowhere we got hit  with 38 knot gusts and rain. We were exhilarated when we finally arrived at Anse Mitan.

Today we went over to Fort-de-France for a bit of shopping, not for us but for the boat.  This will be the only big town for a while and we needed charts and bits for the boat. There is a ferry from Point de Bout to the town, which is a short ride with dingy. The town is quite decadent in places, the buildings are colonial but in need of a lick of paint. There is not many historical monuments as Fort-de-France had a few catastrophes during its time.  At the local  market we ate some accras and colombo chicken, some of the island specialties.  Exhausted we headed back to  our mooring. In the evening we had a look around Anse Mitan. Even full of nice restaurants the area was deserted, we wandered the reason as it is high season. At the local bar we met a nice Rasta man called Claude, a true "one world one love" man. With our very little French and his very little English we had a few drinks and he told us about life in Martinique. The Martiniqueans class themselves as Europeans and they reject the fact that most of them are descendents of Africans.  Their language Creole , which is a mix of African and French, was until 20 years ago forbidden to speak and not taught at school.

Following day we anchored in Trois-Islets, another bay opposite Fort-de-France