Posted by CAP'N PAUL
on 6/14/2009, 7:50 pm
76.102.174.100
The Itinerary
We sailed from Guadeloupe to Iles des Saintes where we spent two nights. Then from there we made the crossing to Portsmouth, Dominica. We spent three days there. Next we sailed 54 miles to St. Pierre, Martinique. Our original itinerary was to only spend one night there but it wound up being two. Then it was a short 13 miles to Fort de France. The original plan was for two nights here but we had to make it one night. (More on that later.) Then the last full day we sailed to Le Marin to drop off the boats.
The plan
We planned for at least two boats with 7 paying clients per boat. We figured $200 per person for provisioning for 10 days. We gave the provisioning supervisor a $200 discount (one per boat). We did our own provisioning opting to procure local fare. Skippers paid nothing. Our airfare was covered too. The cost per person was then $1500 paid in 4 equal payments.
The boats
We chartered Lagoon 410s from Sunsail. The base facilities were quite sparse. A single toilet and a single shower with poor drainage and no ventilation. Cold water only. We had some issues with the customer service interface as well as services and materials provided. I may have been inclined to NOT use Sunsail again but they gave us each a $1200 credit certificate to be used within 3 years.
The Sailing
As you know, we are sailors. We go more for the sailing than the party or the shore-side activities. There were three great sailing legs. The first day to Iles des Saintes, the crossing to Dominica, and the 54 mile sail across the Martinique Channel in 30+ knot winds. The first two were not difficult but the open Atlantic to the east generated some swells that might make some uncomfortable. The Martinique Channel had steep waves and stiff winds. GREAT sailing but challenging for both autopilot and helmsman. I would do it again just for the sailing!
Shoreside activities
There is a marina area within ¼ -½ mile of the Sunsail base in Guadeloupe. There are bars and shops. There is a restaurant bar adjacent to the base. The marinas are outside of city center and there may be more nightlife there. We did not look since that is not what we went for AND we did not arrive until 10 PM after traveling for 16+ hours. There is an excellent supermarket where we did our provisioning.
Iles des Saintes is far more touristy. The village is very cute and the commerce is geared to tourists with shops and scooter rentals. However, when the tourist leave at ~6PM, a lot of places…most places close. There are beaches and venues worth seeing there. Most of the ladies liked this stop the most. It was my least favorite because it is so touristy.
Dominica bills itself as an eco-island. It is very lush and the tours of the rainforests and rivers are spectacular. Portsmouth is a developing town. There has been a lot of construction since our last visit two years ago. The people are poor but hardworking. I respect that. The restaurants are small but the food is local and good. Our group of 17 overwhelmed Big Papa’s one night. There is a lot to do on the south end of the island but the Cruising Guide makes Roseau harbor sound difficult and uncomfortable for cruising yachts. During our stay, a cruise ship diverted to Portsmouth because of the swells in Roseau. Some of our people arranged to be driven down south. They were glad they did. The snorkeling in the Champagne Pool and the Culinary Tours were well received. There are lots of boat boys in Portsmouth. Cobra is the best and most professional. We have enjoyed working with Andrew and Jerome.
St. Pierre, Martinique is a gritty little town made famous by its total destruction by volcano in 1902. They residents are a mix of Euro-French and Afro-Caribs. While we were there, there was a music festival nearby and there is an open market right at the main dock. Some nice restaurants within walking distance. This is the place with the least number of English-speaking natives on this trip. In my photos, the best ones were taken here: the sunsets, the rainbows, the fishermen. I enjoyed the atmosphere. Some people went to the volcano museum and enjoyed it.
Fort de France was our last real stop. I wish we had spent the two nights here. We arrived about 11:30 on a Saturday and by 2:30, everything was shutting down for the weekend. This was a place that had restaurants and bars and people in the streets and the most urban experience of all our stops. One of my favorite photos was of a deserted tiled street late in the afternoon.
The last day’s sail to Le Marin was a damn good one too. Short absolute distance but the winds were righteous!
Summary
I LOVE sailing this area. I love getting away from the very urban and over-visited areas. I love the sailing here particularly the experience of crossing open channel between islands. Navigation can be by line of sight but the longer distances do require some chartwork and plotting. I LOVE the navigation and pilotage. Imagine sailing Tortola to Anegada and beyond each time. I hope to go back and pick up a boat in Martinique and continue down the island chain. Seeing St. Lucia was a tease. However I am told by some that St. Lucia is a disappointment. I might just go direct to St. Vincent and sail that area.
Would your BBS group like this area? Based on how you put together your events, I doubt it. There really is no night life. The activities are largely nature adventures in rainforests, rivers, and tree canopies. There are no western style hotels that we saw. The couple of hotels that we checked online were on the order of $200 to $500 per night. This was largely a sailing trip with not a lot of party in it. My buddy’s crew drank copious amounts of libation and some found after hours music at Big Papa’s. But this was really planned and executed as a sailing adventure. The only real party opportunities were in Fort de France and MAYBE in Pointe á Pitre on Guadeloupe.
Anything else?
Did I cover all your topics? If not, feel free to ask again.
*********************************************
Rob Chichester
Rob.Chichester@ChesapeakeFlotillas.com
www.ChesapeakeFlotillas.com
908.672.3609
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