Days 86-87: Don't walk, Rum!

Trip Start Nov 10, 2010

Trip End Ongoing

Loading Map

Map your own trip!

Map Options

Show trip route

Hide lines

Flag of Martinique Saint-Pierre, Martinique, Martinique
Saturday, February 19, 2011

We woke up the following morning to the Frenchman delivering our croissants and baguettes at 0630. We ate them, (except for Becca, she left hers out in the rain and was nearly thrown overboard for it) weighed anchor, and were on our way. These islands are all hundreds of feet deep right to the shoreline so we were able to cruise on by at a stones throw from shore. It made our bikini watching much easier which led to a boost in crew morale. Well that and also our second whale sighting helped. As we were crossing the channel between Guadeloupe and Dominica we were all noticing the storm clouds building up over Dominica that we were headed straight for. Becca also spotted a waterspout and decided to wait until it began to disperse to point it out to the rest of us, thanks a lot Becca.

We passed Dominica at night and pulled into Saint-Pierre, Martinique the following morning

Whale!

. Our second French island in as many days, I'm beggining to become a fan of the French. Once again the food was excellent. Saint-Pierre in the 19th Century was the major port of the Lesser Antillies supporting a population of over 30,000 people. Then one fateful day in 1902 the nearby Mount Pelee erupted wiping out the entire population except for 1 person. A drunk locked in a jailcell was trapped for a week and although suffering severe burns, survived. We checked out the volcano museum which was pretty cool. Martinique is also known for its rummeries. Pete and I hiked to the base of Mount Pelee where the Depaz distillery was hidden amongst the fields of sugarcane. We took a tour of the place which ended with free rum samples which gave us some energy for the hike back to town. The most interesting thing about the place was not the rum but the other tourists there. A French high school class was on a field trip there with over a dozen 15 year olds throwing back samples and loading up on their liquor cabinet. I guess its part of their culture.

Le Carbet hotels Slideshow