Mira sailed to “France”!

svmirablog

Well …. actually, Martinique – which is one of the 18 overseas regions of France. It is considered part of the European Union, and its official currency is the euro. Martinique was the next island on our route north through the Caribbean. We sailed from Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, to Anse Mitan, Martinique. It was a 6 hour sail (33 nm), with winds and waves a little strong, but still enjoyable. It was such a pleasure to enjoy the very best of food and wine combined with the beautiful island nation of Martinique.

Our first anchorage on the west coast of Martinique was just off Anse Mitan – Point du Bout. It looks deserted and isolated, but …
…. we had a perfect view of an early morning fisherman and Fort de France, the largest city in the Windward Islands, just off our port side.
Magnificent sunset from Mira in Anse Mitan
We took the ferry across the channel from Anse Mitan to explore Fort de France, Martinique’s capital.
Fort de France is a large, bustling city with lots of shopping and chandleries for sailors.
We are always drawn to local markets, where we can pick up fresh produce, spices, or gifts. And, there is always a restaurant close by to sample local food.
The French love their beaches, but the space on the sand always seems limited.
Pointe du Bout near our anchorage in Anse Mitan is a quaint French village and a shopper’s dream with lots of trendy little boutiques.
One of our delights on any French island is a breakfast of coffee, fresh croissants and pain au raisins secs.
One of our favorite island attractions, Habitation Clement, is a creole plantation with beautiful gardens and an old rum distillery.

Maison Clement is famous for its old rums that make it one of the major producers in Martinique. Thousands of litres of rum age in their storehouses.
Glenn is passionate about finding each Carribean island’s individual rum distilleries. No rum distillery tour would be complete without the tasting ….
…. and the purchasing! (our rum cellar is growing!)
One more delicious French meal – this time, grilled lobster and fresh fish.
Eager to continue our way north, we sailed a couple of hours from Anse Mitan up the east coast of Martinique into Sainte-Pierre. St. Pierre lies at the foot of the Mt. Pelee volcano, which was shrouded in clouds for most of our three nights at anchor in the bay.
The town of St. Pierre was know as the Paris of the Caribbean until the volcano, Mt. Pelee, erupted violently in 1902 and wiped out the town and population of 30,000.
Today many ruins remain and are fascinating to explore.
There was only one survivor of the Mt Pelee volcano explosion, and he was found burned but alive in his solitary confinement cell. The only time it paid to be in jail.

Saint Pierre town and anchorage

 

 

 

8 thoughts on “Mira sailed to “France”!”

  • Hey it’s Ron (your cousin) and we are so happy for you guys to be able to enjoy this adventure! Safe Travels,,, oh and by the way, if you ever come home my daughter just moved to downtown Atlanta and Becky sys she’s a block from your condo.

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  • Wow! So exciting. I love learning about all of these fascinating places! So thrilled for you two! Continue having the time of your lives😘😘😘. Tell Glenn to take some pics of you too! How’s the cooking/grilling on the boat going?

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    • As Glenn said we’re a little behind on our blog – Martinique was our 9th island, and we are leaving tomorrow at 1:00 am on a 12 hour passage from St. Martin to Tortola in the BVI. Tortola will be our 17th island! Grilling on the boat is really fun – keeps the hot out of the inside! We do love to eat out (some things never change!), but try to cook “home” at least every other night. We are starting to get into more of a routine now – it’s super fun!

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