After a few more days in Fort the France to be sure the recovery from one of the teens went as we wished for, we headed a few hours further north to St.Pierre. The original landing place of the first French settlers and later the capital of Martinique until it was destroyed by the volcanic eruption of 1902. What is left, is a really cute authentic sea village. Some old ruins can still be seen. Many old wrecks lay off the coastline as a result of the eruption. A part of our group ventured part ways up the volcano with Florian as their trusty scout leader discovering more of the lush green rainforest of the island and coming across some stunning views. This part of the island lies on the big volcano’s lee side and therefore it is humid and even rainier. But particularly the day they hiked up was very very wet and when they came back it looked like they had been swimming… But the content smile on all of their faces told me it had been a very beautiful and good hike.

I stayed onboard with Sander doing some last checkups and preparations for our upcoming crossing. But before really heading the 2200nm to the Azores I wanted to spend one more day at anchor in Ile Des Saintes. It’s on the way and a beautiful overnight stop. From St. Pierre, it’s about 80nm and because we want to arrive in daylight we decide to leave at 2 am. Sander, Florian, and I are outside together with the on-duty watch group. It’s dead calm and a slight drizzle lands on our faces as we hoist the anchor and quietly leave the sleepy town and anchorage behind us.

We fight a bit with the sails and wind until we get out from under the island and the normal Caribbean wind lets us fly to Dominica. By the time we arrive there the sun has risen and we enjoy the sight of the green and beautiful island that now glides by and dolphins playing in the crystal clear blue water around us. It’s mid-afternoon by the time we arrive in Ile Des Saintes. Perfect! We jump in the water, swim, snorkel, and then dinner is started and served. Sunday is for giving Guppy another good clean inside and out. We are all ready for the crossing and looking forward to what the North Atlantic will bring us. 

Laura