Written by Mia:

Time flies in Martinique which feels quite European, only with lots of Mangroves and sea turtles. We started our stay in Martinique with some lovely company. Clive came back to Itchy Foot and all the Wrights cheered! He is the perfect boat guest, helping with sailing tasks, chatting away into the night and exploring the shore and swimming in the sea with Teo. The 30th of December we spent in the shadow of Fort de France and were treated to an amazing fireworks display, we were anchored as close as we could and were picking bits of firework out of our hair and off the decks in the morning.

On New Years eve we dressed for dinner and had a slap-up dinner of steak and chips on anchor in the bay St. Anne.The week flew by and we were all a bit blue when he left. Luckily we quickly met up with our lovely friends on Sta Vast and again we cheered.

To begin with we were anchored in a quiet mangrove bay where we could swim back and forth between the boats. It is so nice to see them and catch up. We have been swimming and SUPping and giggling a lot, so NICE! Also, they motivate us, so we have been continuing to do a bit of school and have decided to do a little less each day so that the motivation and enthusiasm are more plentiful. This is leading to a lot more smiling and that is a very very good thing.

In Martinique, we have found two hubs of activity, one in Fort de France and one in Le Marin and both were worth the visit and good for provisioning and boat shopping so that we can scratch things off the long boat to do list. We have given the decks some attention and need to turn our attention to winches and deck lighting next. Also we have a project of getting a good internet solution, which will make communication and the research for the boat jobs a lot easier.

Other than that we have been enjoying the gorgeous, unspoiled landscapes. For example we anchored in a few bays (Grande Anse, Anse Dufour and Petit Anse that have incredible snorkelling. We have spotted turtles, star fish, lion fish and one very cool squid. Teo takes it all in his stride telling me, ”Mamma, we have plenty of time to watch the wildlife.” They have done a great job of not destroying this paradise island!

We are also really enjoying the benefits of the rally as we reconnect with our fellow crossing boat friends. We had a little reunion in Le Marin with the crews of Sta Vast, Element, Goodtimes, Richard Parker and Starship. And a few days later ran into Freya and Sameera as well. It’s fun to hear what everyone have been up to, some even had butlers at Christmas, you know who you are! We anchored off a beautiful beach at Pointe de Salines that was so picture postcard perfect we had to pinch ourselves. Starship invited everyone for dinner and they served 17 people with a few hours notice. They even had special kid friendly meals and a movie, it was incredible and a very lovely evening. We caught up with Go Beyond as well in Salines and they whipped up a perfect leg of lamb dinner as we motor sailed back to our anchorage. I am beginning to feel we need to up our game! Good news that Martinique is the place to provision…

Next… St. Lucia