le marin martinique

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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 was blowing 30knots but not too rough. I think that Le Marin emphasises the wind. The channel into Le Marin goes past the club med, and a beautiful long sandy beach, it looks lovely. The estuary is quite long and sheltered. We anchored the first time and then discovered we had picked up a big mooring chain, then reanchored in a terrific spot, with plenty of space around us.
We went to the cafe for some internet access but it was very slow, and later returned for a drink before dinner. We met a french man calledJeanyves who had just the day before landed from the cape verdes. He was feeling a bit alone Ithink, but unfortunately he did not speak a word of english. We got on allright though and he invited us to his boat the next day for an aperitif.
Next morning we went shopping and out for a cake, there is a little river that you can drive up and tie up your dinghy next to all kinds of big industrial shops. We were looking for various things and as usual discovered a torch light bulb was to be 13 euros!! We got back to the boat and alan said 'What the ....!' The main window in the windscreen was smashed into a thousand peices andlaying on the dash board, shattered like a car windscreen. The window was still latched firmly closed. We could not work out what had happened. Maybe someone hit us, oreven a bird? Who knows. The rest of the day was spent hiring a car, dismantling the window, going to riviere salee, an industrial estate, finding a sheet of perspex, impossible to get toughened glass and the boat is leaking now. Then returning to the boat, discovering that the man in the glass place, who was very reluctant to cut it anyway, had cut it 3/4 inch wrong, so then it had to be sawn and recut. All very tense stuff. Eventually it was in the frame.
We went to Jean yves for a drink, a pretty little boat, he had sailed across single handed. He is from lorient but wa s a maritime policeman in cherbourg before, that was funny. He got out the ricard and the wine, and we had a few drinks. Very interesting how my french came back again. It is exhausting after a while though. alan understood quite a lot.
Back to the boat for dinner and a nice evening. In fact we had a degustation or wine tasting of all the wine boxes we had bought.
Next morning, now rang the workshop staff back in UK for advice,(Barry) and then started drilling the holes. All went well, and as I type alan is putting in the silicone ready for it to be finished, it looks ok, not as good as glass, we will order a new windscreen from hallberg rassy to be delivered later. At least we can go to st lucia safely. It will definitly be better than a peice of ply. Now we will take the car back and this afternoon motor down to st annes, which is a pretty anchorage at the beginning of the estuary, we can swim and dive there and have a relax. The weather is beautiful, warm sunny, 28 degrees, the sea blue, the wind a bit too strong here, hope it settles down before the weekend. Our anchor is firmly stuck in gloopy mud.
Martinique has a very up together air about it, it really feels like a little france, modern, clean, lush and mountainous. The rain falls frequently so we have to dodge the clouds, but that is why it is so pretty. The supermarkets are just like the ones in cherbourg, same chains same products and some of the people very obviously northern french. Like I said to Alan when we were int he queue behind some of them. you can take the girl out of nantes, but you can't take the nantes out of the girl. ha ha.
Everyone here is very helpful and kind. In spite of our limited french they try to understand us and are cheerful and happy, not like france then!

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