Grande Anse Des Salines At the southeastern tip of Martinique, stretching over more than a kilometer, is a perfect Caribbean beach with turquoise water, white sand and coconut palms; it's the ideal tropical setting and is great for bathing. While at Salines we joined with the other beach goers as we swam in the surf, people watched and just plain relaxed in the perfect beach setting. Happily we note it is a protected national park area. Sun, pristine white sand, surf, azure sea, coconut palms swaying in the gentle breeze, yes, Salines has it all. Justifiably it is considered Martinique's best beach.

Hiking to Martinique's south shore We set off from St. Anne's to travel by foot over the headland to Martinique's south coast beach area. Located there is the island's spectacular Les Salines beach along with a host of smaller white-sand stretches. We walked through areas of sand as well as thick mud. We passed through wooded areas, farm land, a resort (Caritan beach hotel), scenic lookouts, a shrine and long stretches of beach (some private and secluded, some crowded and busy). We caught glimpses of the locals at leisure as they played boccie, sun-bathed, swam, played cards, barbecued, ate and drank at the beach-side restaurants and did just what we were doing - people watched. We returned to St. Anne's at sunset, completely exhausted from our day's hike but so much richer for the experience.

The Traditional Yole Boat We had the good fortune to see a traditional yole boat sail through our anchorage at St. Anne's. Unique to Martinique, these light canoe like vessels with their colourful sails are an incredible sight as they tack along the coast. Traditionally used by Martinique's fishermen, the modern yole is a 10.5 meter wooden boat, without a keel, centerboard or steering. On board you will find approximately 15 crew members sitting on the gunwale or hiking out on long wooden poles called "bwa drosses" to leverage their weight to keep these agile vessels sailing through the seas. It is quite a sight to see. We're always amazed at how unique each island's boats are whether it be fishing or sail.

Cemetery - St. Anne - Martinique Sitting atop a cliff, at the edge of the roadway, overlooking the anchorage at St. Anne's we found a very interesting cemetery. It was resplendent in artificial flowers.

Stations of the Cross - Calvary Hill and Notre Dame de la Salette The Stations of the Cross, also called The Way of the Cross, is a devotion to the passion of Christ consisting of prayers and meditations on l4 occurrences that were experienced by Christ on His way to the crucifixion. We climbed the hill (Calvary Hill) behind the church in St. Anne's, past the 14 stations to reach the shrine at the top. To the best of our knowledge the statues housed in the shrine are of Notre Dame de la Salette (placed originally in l871; replaced 1987) and 2 young shepherds - Maximin and Melanie.

The Church at St. Anne's - Martinique As you tie up your dinghy at the town dock the predominate structure in town, the church, impressively stands right before you. History of the church At the end of the XVIIth century, a chapel was built on the very spot where the present-day church stands. The chapel was not a parish church, for during this period, there was no official town formed. The parish of Sainte Anne was created in l73l. In l805, the chapel was rebuilt and replastered twice. In l837, Sainte Anne, now an autonomous town, was duly established as a parish. The church was modified in l860. In l866, it proved to be too small. It was decided to proceed with extending and embellishing it. Construction work began on the side chapels. The Baroque-inspired style is both very structured, through its symmetry, and suggests the archaic. The church is one of the oldest in Martinique. In l99l, the municipality undertook major renovations on the bell tower. Today, the church appears on the list of historical monuments.

St. Anne's Market - Martinique While anchored off St. Anne we enjoyed several visits to their bright and colourful outdoor market. Alongside the machetes (do we really need one Barry?) are numerous items made from Martinique's traditional madras fabric; everything from table linens to handbags and dresses. We were awed by the abundance of spices for sale. There appears to be even more bounty than Grenada - vanilla beans (also essence and powered), cocoa, saffron, coriander, cinnamon, cumin, pepper, coconut, curry and paprika to name just a few. Also for sale were local fruits, vegetables, jams, jewelery and rum concoctions.

St. Anne - Martinique - The French West Indies - Flower of the Caribbean In contrast to our time in Trinidad we have felt completely welcomed in Martinique. Our first anchorage is off of delightful St. Anne, Martinique's southernmost village where the town seems almost blissfully unaware of the Club Med and hopping beaches nearby. We are delighted and charmed by the totally French culture that surrounds us. It just seems so civilized here, not to mention immaculately clean and breath-takingly picturesque. Our lack of language skills seem of no concern to the friendly, kind and helpful locals. Fine wines, fine cheeses, fine pastries all combined with tropical delights, ah....francais.....francais. Martinique truly is the flower of the Caribbean.

Passages North - Farewell to Trinidad On January 16th, 2009, 6 1/2 months after Sea Star sailed into Trinidad's waters, we set off on a course north, through the Boca (dragon's mouth) to bid Trinidad farewell. After a safe and uneventful passage our first stop to rest came 90 miles north as we lay anchor under the "Q" (quarantine) flag off Grenada's Grand Anse beach. Anchor to anchor - Chaguaramas, Trinidad to St. George's, Grenada - 90 nautical miles - l7 hours After a welcomed swim and snooze we set off sailing north in the lee of Grenada. Before our next stop, which was to be in St. Lucia, we would sail past Carriacou, Union Island, Canouan Island (The Grenadines), Bequia and St. Vincent. We endured a hard struggle against a 10-12' east swell and east winds that frequently strayed to the north. Our respite was in the shelter of Rodney Bay, St. Lucia. We tucked in on the south shore to a private, narrow cove between two mountains, complete with its own palm-lined sand beach - a true tropical paradise anchorage. Anchor to anchor - St. George's, Grenada to Rodney Bay, St. Lucia - l49 nautical miles - 3l 1/2 hours After a well earned rest we made the short hop from St. Lucia to Martinique. In spite of the 10-12' east swell that continued to roll in on our starboard bow we dropped anchor off the town of St. Anne (cul-de-sac du Marin) behind our good friends Robin and Sandra (Ngoma), January 20th, 2009. Anchor to anchor - Rodney Bay, St. Lucia to St. Anne's, Martinique - 24 miles - 5 hours Passages complete - time to enjoy Martinique's French culture and charm

Welcome Home We left Sea Star in the water on 2 mooring balls (fore & aft) at TTSA, Trinidad for 6 weeks while we flew back to Canada to enjoy the holidays with our family and friends. Our welcome home came with the wonderful news that our daughter Robin, and her husband Matt, are expecting their first child (our first grandchild) in June - very welcomed news. We welcomed our daughter Susan, and her boyfriend Chris, as they flew in for the holidays from their home in Victoria. We enjoyed their company so very much and are grateful they finally managed to negotiate the flight delays, due to weather, to make it through. It's not often southern B.C. is closed due to snow but unfortunately this year was the exception. While home we welcomed the opportunity to attend Christmas gatherings and visit with folks that we've missed spending time with while we've been away cruising. It was wonderful to "catch-up" with our dear friends. We are truly grateful for the time we had together with loved ones and felt blessed to have them near. We wish everyone a healthy, happy new year. This spring we plan to haul Sea Star and leave her "on the hard" as we return to Canada to welcome our first grandchild.