5.-11.9.2009 MARTINIQUE KUUMEESSA Lanmou pa konnet pantalon pyésé. ”L’amour est aveugle” oli joku ranskantanut vessan seinään. An chanel, kalrit ka sanb ti fi. A fôs mabak karésé ich li i ichouyé’y. Lè ou pa ni manman, ou ka tété kalrit. (= Mies ei ole mies, jos tekee jotakin???) Zinyanm ka suiv gôl. (= ”Sellainen poika kuin isä” kuului ranskannos.) Kreolin kielessä on vain häivähdys ranskaa. Se on ilmeisesti paljon konkreettiskuvallisempi kieli kuin ranska. ”Rakkaus on sokea” kuulostaa kreoliksi ikään kuin rakkaus ei tuntisi housuja. [View Full Entry]

---

---

2.-5.9.2009 ELÄINTARINOITA ANTIGUALTA, GUADELOUPELTA JA MARTINIQUELTA Tiskipöytääni pitkin vilisti kaksikymmentä, viisikymmentä pientä mustaa eläintä. Auringon noustua ne katosivat. Sain lopulta tietää, että niiden nimi on cafard, suomeksi ilmiantaja, torakka. Vuokraisäntäni, Monsieur Gilbert, yritti lohduttaa. Tämä lajike ei lähde juoksentelemaan muualle asuntoon, vaan tykkää pelkästään tiskipöydistä. Niille ei muka voi mitään, koska niitä on kaikkialla. Tulevat ilmeisesti viemäristä. Inhottaa ajatus, että käyttämieni astioiden, haarukoiden ja veitsien yli kävelee joka yö viisikymmentä [View Full Entry]

---

---

Vendredi, le 3 juillet, au lever, nos jambes nous rappellent notre belle journée d’hier… Un bateau n’est pas une place où on peut développer une endurance musculaire ou cardiovasculaire; on dispose tout au plus de 80pi le long desquels on déambule en se tenant aux haubans. Pas la place pour jogger! L’exigüité des lieux ainsi que leur instabilité, cependant, développent la flexibilité, l’équilibre et l’agilité. Bref, quoiqu’il en soit, j’ai mal dans les hanches et les mollets, bon!! Absaroque étant le mieux placé pour le signal Internet, il de [View Full Entry]

---

---

Des BVI à la Martinique! Nous sommes le samedi 20 juin, nos amis sont tous près de la marina de Leverick. Nous décidons de nous rapprocher aussi question de faire de l’internet. Pour le nettoyage de la coque; je réussis à en faire un bout avec une corde qui passe d’un bord à l’autre du bateau mais pour aller sous la coque, il faut des poids que nous n’avons pas. Jim et Terry nous offrent de finir le travail dimanche matin avant le départ, fixé à 14h30; ils sont équipés pour plonger. Finalement, tout est prêt; nous aurons une navigation de [View Full Entry]

---

---

We left the southern end of Martinique and sailed up the coast, stopping at some of the anchorages along the way for a night or two. What always amazes me is how very European this island is; it reminds us of being in France. And in fact it is France, because this island has never been independent. So every town along the coast looks and feels like a quaint French village, complete with an Anglican church at the center of the town square. From the anchorage you can hear the church bells ringing from the steeple on the hour and every [View Full Entry]

---

---

Once again the Rum Runners are in Martinique. And what do the Rum Runners do in the one of the most abundant areas of sugar cane and rum? We do rum tours! This time we set out from Marin to visit the rest of the rum factories we missed on our last visit here on our tour of the Caribbean. Martinique is a very manicured island, not disturbed by the slowdown in sugarcane production. Most of the other islands in the Caribbean have either reduced or stopped growing their own sugarcane for rum, and use molasses imported from South America instead. [View Full Entry]

---

---

We noticed an immediate change upon arriving in Martinique, rather than being like any other Caribbean island we’ve been to so far, it’s much like arriving in France. The plug sockets are European, their currency is the Euro, the place is full of boulangeries and everyone speaks French; these things may be good or bad depending on your view of France. We made the most of the cheap cheese, wine and baguettes, I got particularly addicted to the baguettes when we were there and missed them tremendously after leaving. On our second day in Martinique we were thrown into a number [View Full Entry]

---

---

Windscreens get mended, cars get taken back and baguettes get bought for lunch. The windscreen is all repaired and hopefully will do us until we get a new one. It was tense to do the work but Alan was good as ever and now we think it will do the job. We are off to St lucia tomorrow, we came down here to st annes yesterday and anchored off the sandy beach just in time for a swim. Later we went ashore to the little village of st annes, a small centre with a square, a church, a few restaurants, couple [View Full Entry]

---

---

Le Marin We have always liked Le Marin, it is a real boaty place with probably 200 plus yachts anchored off and a large marina. The Marina is well equipped with chandlers and useful shops, boutiques and nearby a big supermarket that you can drive up to with the dinghy. The wine is reasonable here, and the cheeses and pates,are just like the real 'France'. We sailed up from st pierre, and it was a boisterous sail. The reefing block flew off again, another job for Alan, but the boat was fine. We motored into the estuary below Le Marin, it [View Full Entry]

---

---

Les Saintes These pretty little islands are about eight miles from guadaloupe and as we sailed there a big storm blacked out the sea and the island, we even had to put the radar on. but soon the islands appeared and the little town on the island of haut terre was very sweet, with a few streets cafes, restaurants, and a ferry full of tourists arriving each morning to fill the island. when they have all gone it seems very quiet and tranquil, almost as if the island is relaxing again and taking a deep breath. We had been here before [View Full Entry]

---

---