More Ste Anne Saturday 27th May
Up bright and early today. We want to get further along the sentier des caps. We have checked and there is a road that cross the peninsula to the baie des Anglais where we can pick up the path and either go north or make our way south back to the baie des Salines. We have hardly started walking out of St Anne when the rain starts…and we are not geared up for rain today. A well placed bus shelter gives us cover. It lasted for a little while but the sun reappeared soon enough and we carried on. We picked up the path by the renovated sugar mill. They must do demonstration of its working as the donkeys are sitting in the shade. We have a quick look around. The lane crossing fields and pasture is pleasant. We are surrounded by gentle hills and white cows are dotting them. At the top of the biggest hill we can see the sea on the horizon. Not so long to go and it is downhill. We join up the sentier des cap at the Anse Trabaud. Again the beach is hidden behind the coastal woodland. The trees and bushes form a tunnel where only a sliver of bright blue sky and sea is visible at the end. Emerging from the relative darkness of the vegetation, we are dazzled by the sight at before us. It is simply breathtaking, a vast expanse of white sand curving toward some green promontory, sea so clear sparkling in various shades of blue. We have seen some beaches in our travel but this is probably one of the prettiest. I counted a grand total of 5 people there… very special place.
Going north, the next bay is the Baie des Anglais. It is the only baie a sailing boat can anchor up safely on the windward side of Martinique according to the Doyle’s guide…if you have the stomach for it that is. Looking at it from above it does look challenging. Plenty of sand banks, islets and given the colour of the water not much depth either. The whole of the bay is bordered by the mangrove, with only a tiny beach on the north side which is packed by a horde of holiday makers obviously coming from the catamaran doing day trips. We reach the little votive chapel overlooking the bay. Time to decide if we carry on north, if we do we will have to use the road again to get back and we noticed that it shuts at 4pm, it will probably take us a good hour to reach the other side of the bay des Anglais, not enough time really. So we retrace our steps and spent a bit of time on the fabulous beach at L’Anse Trabaud. Wish we had the hammock!
Following on the coastal path, the scenery soon change from forest to barren moon like landscape. The ground is black and so dry it has the look of cracked glazed ceramic. Very little vegetation except for the odd cactus. The sea is now hemmed in by cliffs, not so high but high enough to create magnificent spurts of waves on the rocks. The noise of the ocean crashing is deafening and only pierced by the calls of the sea birds. We stay there for a while. We think we saw some of the petrified trees, not too certain but some of the rocks on the ground definitely have the look of ringed tree trunks. This is supposed to be the site of an ancient petrified forest according to the map.
A string of smaller beaches, some sandy, other pebbled, rock and reef barely visible where the waves crash around them, leads us to the top of another hill where we can glimpse the Baie des Salines. Back in known territory, we can hardly wait to jump in the water for a refreshing swim. The regatta is still on today, the rounding up buoys are just in front of the beach. We watch them; always wishing we were racing again. We way back to St Anne seems much shorter today, I guess we have done it before. We arrive in the village in time for the sunset which we take in by the little park by the church. People everywhere, standing outside listening to the service. It is one of the things I have found pleasing and somehow reassuring since we have been in the Caribbean. The churches are open all day and the bells are marking the hours and they ring madly on Sundays or any other day if there is something going on. Wherever you stop in any bay you will be in earshot of a church bell. I am surprised on how comforting I find this, considering that it is not something we are used to back at home anymore. The church square soon fills up at the end of the service and it is nice to see everyone lingering in the dimming golden light of the sunset.
Sunday 28th May
Weather not so good today, rain, rain, rain. Nothing for it. It’s a lay day.
Monday 29th May
We move to le Marin in the morning, only a short hop away and anchor in the bay. We need to get some gas, petrol and an anchor. We are planning to leave Martinique on Wednesday so we can meet up with Gary in Rodney bay on Thursday to sort out the wind generator. We also need to check out of Martinique and get the last bit of fresh food before we go south, although with the wind generator not working, we have switched of the fridge and I am not sure we can really stock up on fresh meat and cheese as we wanted to. Shame really as it will be more difficult to get further south, the range of stuff available is much more limited and very expensive too. Don’t think we will be finding camembert and Roquefort in the Grenadines.
No luck for the anchor, cannot find the correct one. We’ll have to make do without it for now maybe we will find one in Grenada
Tuesday 30th May
We have decided to spend our last night in Martinique in St Anne, much more scenic. It is sad to think that we will be leaving tomorrow. We had a great time in the French Antilles. Still we will be back next season on our way back up to Guadeloupe and I am sure we will stop if only to stock up on cheese!
Only one chore today, fuel up. By the time we get to the fuel pontoon it is lunch time, so we have to wait an hour and a half until they reopen. Only in France!
We then make our way back to St Anne, and get there middle of the afternoon just in time to do our last bit of exploring. We have been looking from afar the sinuous path of the Calvary above the church for the last few days, thinking the view must be spectacular from up there. Time to check it out before we go. Quick row ashore to the village, we like St Anne, despite being small, it has a lively or rather alive feel to it, the shops and houses are not run down, it is all spick and span and people are very nice. Behind the church is the entrance to the Calvary, the meandering path is bordered by lovely gardens, full of exotic plants and trees, some in flowers. The climb is steep and the white wall bordering the cobbled path only accentuates the incline when you look up. At each turn there is a station of the cross, white niches with painted scenes of the Chemin de Croix. Although the subject is not cheerful, the depiction in the paintings is attractive and full of colour. It looks like the site is well maintained and cared for. At the top stand a chapel and the most beautiful views of the bay and the south coast of Martinique. We can even identify Mr X bobbing in the water.
Our last picture on Martinique… The sun is setting as we retrieve the dinghy. The halo is the perfect backdrop for a bit of goofing around with the camera on the pontoon.