Well, we are still here in Martinique, splitting our time between the busy harbor of Le Marin and the more quiet nearby St Ann. Both have their charm but the water is clearer and the town much more charming in St Ann so here we are in St Ann again.
Le Marin, I am told, boasts the largest harbor and marina in the Windward Islands. I believe it. The harbor is a sea of masts with dockage for something like 1,000 boats (Med Moor) and 100 moorings. 
It’s been both sunny and rainy for the last week or so with a seemingly constant parade of showers every few hours interspersed by intense beating tropical sun. Rain or not, the sun outweighs the rain many times over. At night we are often awakened by a pounding rain that requires us to jump up and close the hatches.
Rain or shine, the silver lining is that each daytime shower is followed by a rainbow, or two. This one greeted us this morning shortly after sunrise.
Many cruisers love St Ann and it seems, hang out here for months at a time as evidenced by the algae growing on their anchor snubber lines, a sure sign that they haven’t moved for quite some time.
I have posted photos of some remarkable boats over the years so perhaps it’s time to post photos of some more humble ways to get around on the water.
How about this? Care to speculate on what this is all about? More to the point, which end is the bow? Try the “blunt” end to the left. See the pilot’s head sticking out of the top?
Laqua Scope? How about a “glass bottom boat”. Viewed from the bow?, you can sort of see the large glass portholes in the center hull. This contraption gave tours of the harbor, teeming with sea turtles, to all comers. It was out and about all day long ziging and zaging past dozens of snorkelers, including me. Want to go for a spin? Check out this on Trip Adviser.
If you followed my posts last winter you saw a photo of one of these “donut boats” from France. They come complete with a grill, outboard motor and umbrella. Admit it, you need one of these. Besides, they hold ten. Personally, I can’t imagine admitting to ten friends that I have one. I wonder where the 10 PFDs go.
This boat proves, once and for all, that anyone can start a business as long as they are creative about it. How about the appropriately named “pizza boat” a mobile pizza oven on a catamaran? Brenda’s wondering if it’s safe to move about with a huge 500 degree oven and loads of compressed flammable gas.
Of course, like many cruising grounds, it’s important to pick your time to cruise in the right season. It seems like just about every harbor has at lease one of these “parked” on the beach. In this case, it’s right up against someone’s home on. Nice view.
Of course, if you are in a big hurry to get there, the Prince de Cancale, is for you. There are ton of really racy looking cats and tris in French waters to choose from. She’s had a very active racing career most recently sporting the colors below. With all the sponsor graphics, I had a hard time figuring out what the name of the boat was. I guess she’s done well as she has a lot of sponsors. This link shows her in all her various colors over the years. She looks like a screamer with a very successful career since her launching in 2010. She’s currently on a mooring in Le Marin awaiting her next race.
Of course, to simply mess about in boats, or water, all you really need is your dad. 
Don’t want to risk your feet in the water? He can pull you along with your older sister pulling guard duty. 
One way or the other, there are a LOT of boats around these parts and as these photos show, they come in all sizes, colors and some aren’t even able to hold the water out.
OK, there you have it. A post of little importance. But hey, it’s about boats.
Oh yeah, one more thing. I have been having problems with my site, in particular, with the “new post alert” function. It’s being fixed, for a fee, or might be already, so if you had signed up to get alerts, do it again soon as the “tech” is going to delete you and the 8,000 phony “followers” that have signed up over the last few months so we can set things right.
If you are a “real” reader, I so hope that you will re-subscribe and continue along with me.
Lion fish, an accidental invasive import from SE Asia have decimated the reefs in all areas of the Caribbean and are becoming a popular food fish. This shot isn’t very clear but it’s a pile of Lion fish. I have speared a few in the Bahamas and they are indeed very tasty. You have to be very careful of their colorful spines as they are venomous and very painful if you are pricked by one. 
The market has a very festive atmosphere with vendors selling most anything from T shirts to spices. There was a fun Caribbean band playing that livened up things nicely. 
It’s amazing to see the wide variety of spices and liquors that are available here. Hey, perhaps that’s why these islands are known as the “spice islands”. 
It must take hours to set all this up for sale.
The center of the town is dominated by the Catholic Church. Oops, crooked photo. Fire that photo editor!!! It’s lovely, the church, not the photo, if you” get the picture”. 
From the outside, it’s stone. Inside, an impressive use of timber. 
I mentioned that there are something like 350 boats anchored off of the beach here and where cruisers congregate they get together for meals and “sundowners”. The same day we arrived we were invited to a beach barbecue by a friend who’s been coming here for years. They get together at noon each Friday for a cookout. The folks here seem to know each other well and are from all over. Nice group.
Well, that’s about it for now. Lots to think about for the rest of the season and next year’s cruising plans, such as they are. For sure, St Ann will continue to be on cruiser’s plans as it does have a lot to offer. Nice spot.
This is the view as you enter the garden. Beautifully arranged and very inviting. 
In the distance mountains give scale to the garden nestled in between valleys. 
With views of the ocean just outside the harbor where we were anchored. 
The way that the “artist” as he’s described in the audio tour, used plants to create visual patterns, like this row of palms, is stunning. 
From another angle it looks very different. The close cropped grass and moss looked like green velvet.
How about a view from the treetops? 
Prefer terra-firma? Even up close, everything was perfect. 
Everywhere I looked called out as a wonderful photo like this bamboo lining a path. 
I loved the visual patterns. 
Some so tiny you’d miss them if you didn’t look closely.
Wonderful patterns in the foliage. 
Clusters of colorful bromeliads growing on a trunk of a tree fern.
Fiddle heads, destined to tower over your head, emerging as thick as your wrist. 
Ferns so large you expect to see T Rex in the distance. 
Wonderful mix of textures and colors.
Glorious subtle patterns of green. 
Serene water lilies facing the morning sun. 
Everywhere plants competing for space, constantly adjusted to perfection by the gardeners. 
Flowers so perfect they don’t look real. This one stands shoulder height and is the size of a melon.
Hard to imagine that this is real. 
And, the familiar. 
Some much more dainty but equally beautiful.
All and all, a wonderful place and unlike any other garden we have visited. Very “painterly” where the plants are the artist’s medium to create his ever changing palate.
So, back to our outing. Fortunately, Ted agreed to drive so I could focus on the passing view as well as the many rums that we tried along the way. In the interest of complete disclosure, I did inhale and sip but didn’t completely finish any one of the many samples that were offered.
I may be a “compact” guy but this stand of bamboo is really impressive and big by any standard. I wonder how they deal with old dead canes. Brenda and I had bamboo in our yard for many years and I had to use a hammer chipper to grind up the dead canes and mine were only about 1″ in diameter. You could build a bridge with this stuff. 
Unlike some of the lower lying islands that we have visited, Martinique has high mountains that reach into the clouds wringingout moisture so there is plenty of rainfall to grow sugarcane. Along the way we drove through many beautiful lush forest and overlooks with beautiful views of the countryside. 
Everywhere we went there were views of cultivated fields like this banana farm.
“Stop the car! I see and orchid 0n the side of the road”! 
A beautiful solitary flower on the top of plants that grew to 4′ in height. 
As we drove up and down the mountains, the roads wound one way and another through countless switchbacks. Not a lot of straight roads here. 
The same was the case of old railroad tracks that predated roads as the key way to get the sugarcane to the distillery for processing as quickly as possible.
Tracks like these supported steam powered trains and later, diesel like this one on display at one of the distilleries. 
Unlike rums made from molasses, a byproduct of sugar production, rums on Martinique are made directly from the fresh juice squeezed from sugarcane. It seems that there are a number of varieties of sugarcane, hybrids better suited to different types of rum. Sugarcane is a perennial plant and is harvested once a year. While slave labor was the mainstay of cane and rum production for hundreds of years, none of the distilleries that we visited focused particularly on the human toll of this industry. 
Fortunately, following the abolition of slavery, the industrial revolution and today’s heavy machinery have found ways to mechanize the industry that for so long relied on forced labor. I have no idea what this machine does but it sure looks like it means business.
The basic physics of the equipment used for distilling rum hasn’t changed much but today’s plants use much larger and more sophisticated versions of this antique copper distillation tower, cut away to reveal it’s inner workings. It operates on the same principles as today’s massive “crackers” for refining gasoline and, of course, making rum. 
Much of the equipment used in the traditional crafting of rum looks more like art than industrial equipment. 
Some of the equipment looks terribly dangerous. I can only imagine how it was to work around these huge gears as they spun under the power of powerful steam engines. 
Rum production has always been big business and has always been associated with prominent families, who’s products still carry their name as they have for generations. 
However, the factories were once much smaller and buildings located on the grounds also served as home to the owner and his family. Generations of the Clement family lived here until the mid 80s.
They lived very well and hosted dignitaries such as George Bush Sr, in their home. I’ll bet they served the president some really great rums. 
This home now serves as a tasting room and museum.
However, modern production techniques or not, rum is still aged in oak barrels and the length of time it is aged and the type of barrel used, gives the rum it’s distinctive flavor and color. Rum also ages much faster in the warm humid climate of the Caribbean and they say that one year of aging here is equivalent to 4-5 years in a more temperate climate. That’s one reason, beyond being close the raw material source, that rum has always been associated with the Caribbean. 
There is big money in rum and the families behind the brands became very wealthy. The “tasting rooms” and surrounding estates are very elaborate and often include substantial art collections. This “King Arthur deal” is 10′ tall.
Each estate had buildings, new and old that were more impressive than the last. Makes you want to buy rum. Right?
Good thing as there is always a nicely appointed tasting room ready to serve and serve us they did. 
Well, I could go on all day about this but I hope you get the picture. I purchased rums from each distillery and plan on bringing it home aboard Pandora. Want to know first hand how it tastes? Come and visit us and you’ll find out for yourself.
Of course, as the bottom drops off quickly as you get further from shore, the anchorage is tight, and yes, we are as close to the other boats as this photo appears. However, tight anchoring works here as the wind is so consistent with the easterly prevailing winds. The catamaran just in front of us is Raven, with our friends Barbara and Ted aboard. They are from Austin TX and have been living aboard for the last two years. 
We arrived here a few days ago after an overnight stop in Dominica, a very rural island that was trashed during last seasons hurricanes. We only stayed there and didn’t even clear in, to break up the trip to Martinique. It was sad to see the devastation that they have endured. Leaves had been stripped from the rain forest. When we were here last winter it was a dark green and very lush. We were told that this is much improved compared to a few months ago when the hillside was completely barren. 
This closeup really gives a feel for how barren the trees are.
While a good deal of cleanup has been done, there is still a lot to be done to get things back in shape ashore. There are signs of damaged boats and buildings everywhere. 
What’s remarkable is that just 30 miles south, as you approach Martinique, the forest is lush and untouched. And, speaking of lush, we rented a car with Ted and Barbara yesterday to tour some of the rum distilleries and countryside as we drove around much of the island. It was really beautiful. Details to come on that in my next post. 
Anyway, we have also explored the city near the waterfront and it’s a unique mixture of old and modern. There are many lovely streets in the historic district. 
With colorful shops selling most anything from marine supplies to island themed fabric. 
And, stirred into the mix are some really modern buildings. Somehow it all works. 
There are a few real standout buildings including the
Inside is impressive with a soaring ceiling. 
And an impressive collection of old books and manuscripts. Remarkably, this is open to the street so the books are not being stored in a climate controlled environment. Wonder how they will do over time exposed to the humidity. 
Nearby the 
There’s lots more to tell but too much for a single post so you’ll have to stay tuned. Fort de France is a remarkable spot and I expect that we will stay here for a while before heading further south.
It would be tough to sneak up on a garrison with such a commanding view. 
And, with such a large harbor, comes the need to control it and at least once a large battle with dozens of ships fought for control in what is known as the
The museum has a number of very nice large scale models including this one of the 90 gun flagship, The Formidable, launched in England in 1777 after a ten year build. Interestingly, it wasn’t dismantled until the early 1800s. That’s a long career for a wooden fighting ship. 
The model is nearly 5′ long. Impressive.
Interestingly, there was also a model of the Santa Maria, Columbus’s ship. Oops, the description of why it was in the museum was in French. 
And, speaking of nice views, which I was earlier in the post. Nice spot to have our picture taken.
The fort is in amazing shape after all these years. It’s remarkable to see how flawless the walls are. Not a wave or ripple. Perfect construction. 
These large iguanas were in the nearby trees everywhere. They are very territorial and this big guy was standing his ground in spite of our invasion of his space.
Another bit of local fauna, a kestrel, I think. 
And, of course, goats. Always lots of goats. In this case, baby goats, goatettes, or goatees. Hmm…
Down in the main town there was a great little parade. Drums and all sorts of percussion. All the marchers were probably nearly deaf after the event was over. 
Brenda and I loved this little household garden. 
I also enjoyed watching these guys “launch” a boat, freshly painted. They walked briskly along, stopping every 100′ or so for a break. “Stop, stop Francois, time for a cigarette break. We are French after all.” Looks heavy. 
Along the way (we rented a golf cart for the day) we stopped at a “beach bar” for lunch. How about tuna ceviche and wine at a lowly beach bar? Only in a French Island! Bon appetite! Indeed.
So, there you have it. Another post of random thoughts from the Caribbean.
A few moments later as a 10 second swell was between us. What boat? Where dey go?
We anchored in the tiny harbor, such as it is, in Montserrat and spent the night pitching back and forth in the swell. After a day of pounding into the wind and anchoring in a rolly harbor, and all on her birthday, Brenda wasn’t too happy. 
A close up of Pandora anchored. If it was a video, you’d see the long swell rolling through the anchorage and her mast swaying back and forth 20 degrees side to side. 
However, swell or not, we were able to go ashore and visit a weaving studio which made her very happy. Brenda had heard about the studio a while back and this was a destination worth fighting for and there we were. We hired a taxi and had a terrific visit. 
Two happy weavers and one happy birthday girl. 
After buying one of just about everything in the studio, we invited the owner and her mother out to Pandora for a glass of wine. That was fun too, in spite of more rolling around, with our guests, while clutching our wine glasses. Not a good location for glasses with stems.
You could see the deep ravines that were carved out when a huge lake that had filled with rainwater for several years following the eruption, finally broke through and thundered to the sea. I can only imagine what that day must have been like. Perhaps not as bad as a major volcanic eruption but not fun, even a little bit. 
It was two long days to Guadeloupe but we made it and that was two rough days more than Brenda needed, especially as one of the days was her birthday. Thank goodness for the weaving studio we visited. I was fearful that she’d jump ship and head for the airport. Fortunately not.
We were happy to relax in Deshais for the evening. It’s a beautiful fishing village and we were particularly pleased to be back on a French island. Bring on the food. We binged on baguettes and cheese. Yum. Ok, we also bought some produce too, local of course. 
Unlike Antigua and other islands influenced by the UK, the French islands have very easy customs procedures. Instead of going from window to window or office to office, in Deshais all you had to do was to go to this T shirt shop, fill out a form on a PC, French keyboard of course, and pay four Euros. Simple. And you can check in and out at the same time if you know when you are going to depart. 
It was very picturesque. Lots of boats, along with Pandora, out in the harbor.
Outside where we had lunch they had a charming bird feeder that was very popular with the locals. 
So, now we are here now in Les Saintes, also part of Guadeloupe, where we will stay for a while, perhaps through next week before heading south to Martinique, French again. There are wonderful places to dine and the food is great.
As I write this post I am sitting in a cafe overlooking the main town square. A lovely view.
From downstairs, you can look out and see Pandora on her mooring nearby. that’s her, with the dark hull. Not the best shot but you get the point, I hope. Very close. 
We just love the local architecture, shabby chic. 
So, here we are for a while and tonight we head to a friend’s boat for cocktails. It’s amazing that everywhere we go there are always boats that we know. Could be worse, we could be in sub-zero temps.
This is Nevis, where we stopped today along the way to our planned destination of Montserrat. The winds are less than they have been for the last week but as we got underway today it turned out that it was still pretty windy, with gusts into the low 20s.
Last night our group went out for drinks at a nice bar. The sunset did not disappoint.
Yesterday afternoon this lovely little sloop anchored nearby. It’s home port is Rockport Maine. That’s a long way from home for a boat that looks like it’s under 30′ long. Beautiful. I would have enjoyed talking to the owner to learn more about the boat. I’ll bet he built it himself. 
Of course, with all that “mountains kissing the clouds thing” comes rain and rainbows. We saw plenty during our visit and again this morning as light showers washed over us. I guess after posting so many rainbow photos I have to find one that was a bit different. Looks like someone spray painted it on a cloud. 
Off of our bow here in Nevis is the Four Seasons Hotel, supposedly a first class spot. As Brenda’s birthday is tomorrow and we will likely be underway for Montserrat, perhaps we will go out for a drink there this afternoon.
It sure looks like a great spot and lush with a perfectly green golf course. Not many of the dryer islands can support a golf course. This island is pretty lush. 
Well, the day is young so I’d better head out and see what’s involved in getting ashore. Unfortunately, it’s Sunday and most everything is closed in these parts on the Sabbath so we probably won’t have much to choose from.
As an added bonus, as it’s so far from the normal tourist locations, we have the place mostly to ourselves. No cruise ship tour bus mobs here.
This place is about a mile of so walk from the marina and along the way we spied a troupe of monkeys. 
Last evening we went out for drinks with our friends at yet another lovely spot that’s part of this development. It’s right on the water with a view of the western horizon, perfect at sunset. Can you say “happy hour”? Happy, indeed. Just love the “turbine lamps”. Our son Rob would be all over these and want them for his own patio. The flame swirls in a lovely arc. Pretty ethereal. 
We have been spending time ashore each day and the four couples we are here with spent time touring the island together a few days ago. We hired a driver for the day and drove around the entire island, stopping along the way.
We visited the ruins of a water powered “factory” facility that once processed raw sugarcane and produced rum. It was in a beautiful area complete with some of the old cast iron equipment and the remains of an aqueduct that brought water to the cane crusher from the mountains. 
Everything was wet from the near constant rain that comes and goes briefly each day. The guide told us that this area of the island gets over 150″ of rain a year verses 50″ or less in other areas of the island. For comparison, the definition, in Wikipedia of a rain forest is one that gets between 98 and 177 inches of rain per year so this clearly qualifies. It’s remarkably lush with moss and ferns everywhere.
After seeing such dry areas it was amazing to see green grass and ferns everywhere. 
After spending so much time on islands where the primary source of water was through reverse osmosis, it’s a treat to see rivers and streams everywhere. Here on the other end of the island it’s quite arid and I expect that the primary source of water is RO. Amazing since the island just isn’t that big.
As you’d expect, where there is rain forest there is zip-lining. 
I would have loved to take a turn at that however, with 8 of us sharing a van and trying to see the island in a single day, there wasn’t much time to dawdle.
It was interesting to see, all within a few hours, everything from lush forest, open pasture and arid hillsides dominated by cactus on such a small island. A beautiful church perched near the sea. Looked pretty exposed but beautiful. 
Along the way, nestled in the rain forest, was a lovey sort of botanical garden/batik factory. I had to work hard to get photos that weren’t overrun with cruise ship tours. However, it was set in a beautiful surrounding. 
The fabric that they dyed was hung outside to dry in the breeze. 
They had an area where they demonstrated the technique. Brenda and I had both done this technique in college I think and the smell of the wax, a mixture of paraffin and beeswax immediatly brought back memories.
The complex patterns of color are built up by sequentially waxing various areas of fabric and then dying in progressively darker colors. In the end, the wax is taken out of the fabric and it’s sewn into various items for sale.
Everywhere you turned the view was charming if a bit crowded with tourists. 
Even the entrance to the facility was charming and well thought out. 
There are ruins of an old bell tower, once used to signal the slaves when their time in the cane fields began or ended. This may be the only one left as all the others were torn down after the abolition of slavery as symbols of oppression. Legend has it that the owner of this particular plantation was a fairly reasonable “owner”, compared to the others, so his bell tower was preserved. 
St Kitts is a volcanic island, as most are in this area, although this one is not currently active. A popular spot to visit is on the most northerly end of the island called “black rock” by the locals. Again, swarmed with tour buses, the view of the volcanic rock was impressive and gives meaning to the term “lee shore”. Not a great spot to run aground. Good luck with that. 
Of course where their are tourists, there are “entrepreneurs” and in this case, a guy with a monkey. Before she could say “I hope that monkey doesn’t poop on me”, he climbed all over Brenda for a photo moment and a bit of fruit. She, Brenda that is, was a very good sport. 
St Kitts is a remarkable island tempered by the fact that anchoring is only possible in fairly exposed areas. However, when conditions are right, it’s a great place to visit. With everything from arid hillsides with cactus, to lush rain forests, St Kitts is truly an island of many faces.
As it was Sunday, most of the businesses were closed which made the streets look fairly abandoned. However, the businesses catering to the cruise ships were open with T shirt shops and duty free jewelry shops dominated the area. 
Any interest in a day-glow monkey? I say that as there are green monkeys that run wild on the island so every shop has stuffed monkey toys for sale. To be clear, not real stuffed monkeys.
It wasn’t all tacky as there were some lovely old colonial buildings in the historic area. 
As we headed back to where we had anchored, we stopped to take in the view. Pandora is anchored behind that little mountain on the point. Notice that there are a few massive yachts in the marina to the left of the point. I was told that the largest, over 300′ long, is owned by a guy that has three other yachts. Not sure if it’s the largest or the smallest but this one alone has a crew of 40. It’s hard to believe that any one individual can accumulate enough wealth to afford one yacht of this scale, let alone four.
Not us, that’s for sure. However, we can afford a glass of wine or a beer at the marina’s bar. This is the view from our spot in the bar, back toward the overlook where the above shot was taken. 
And made even more scenic with our drinks in the picture. 
We were comfortably seated in the “chaise lounge” benches, sort of, out of the wind. 
The bar was packed by the time sunset arrived. It was quite dramatic. No green flash though. 
All and all, a nice spot but tempered by the fact that it’s been quite windy and a bit rolly. Unfortunately, many islands down here don’t have good protection from the swells but unlike the Bahamas, where the winds clock regularly as cold fronts push south from the US, here the winds are very consistently out of the east. The only question is how hard they will blow.