We were very happy to be departing after breakfast to get away from all the ash, it has managed to get into every nook and cranny. We were soon out into open waters as we are at the top of the island. The wind was a perfect 15-18 knots, we had the Gennaker (big sail) up in no time and had a wonderful comfy sail. We finally spotted the iconic Diamond Head of Martinique, getting into the lee of the island the wind drop but we still managed to sail most of the way to St Pierre before the wind died.
In this calm water we suddenly spotted a huge pod of dolphins, sadly I don’t have a picture to show what a big group it was. We have only seen dolphins twice and both times around Martinique. These dolphins came to play with the boat, they were cruising in front of the bows and having a wonderful time for a good fifteen minutes. I’m so chuffed I managed to contain my excitement and get one fantastic slo mo video! Usually I make a complete hash of it, getting my on/off buttons confused!
Anse d’Arlet our favourite spot last year
Love the emerald mountain in the background
Back in St Pierre
Rowan had asked the coastguard if we could overnight if we did not go on land and they basically said no, you have to stick to quarantine rules. Rowan was convinced we could sneak in and nobody would notice, I must say I was a little nervous, all the boats around are French and we stick out a bit. Last year when we came there were about 3 boats. This evening there were at least 20, so not too conspicuous!
Mt Pele the volcano is also rumbling, hope it behaves.
Our neighbour, with the old town behind that was destroyed by the eruption in 1902
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