Back on the Caribbean Sea

We set sail tomorrow. We have a working watermaker, and all other systems are "go". Wind is expected to be anywhere between 15 and 20 knots; and we already have a double reef in our main. Our proposed track takes us to the west side of Martinique, so we are hopeful that we can reach near Diamond Rock without having to tack or pinch too hard.

We will bypass Le Marin, Anse St. Anne, and Anse D'Arlet; planning instead to go in to Fort-de-France. If the weather is good, we'll have lunch and a snorkel at a little, even tiny, bay called Anse Noire. The black volcanic sand of the beach sinks down into great snorkelling, according to the guide. After lunch, we'll go across the greater bay and check in. The next day, we hope to go all the way up to St. Pierre.

People who know this area, or have read past blogs, will know that St. Pierre was the former Paris of the Caribbean until in 1902, Mount Pelee caught the full 30 000 people in church, and wiped them off the earth with a great explosion and flow of volcanic gas. We hope to take in some restaurants, some museums, a volcanic observatory, an old plantation, a rum factory, and 2-4 hikes - one of them the great old volcano herself.

Please stay tuned.