Thursday, December 13, 2012

Ste. Anne & Le Marin

Sunset over Ste. Anne anchorage

Located on the southern coast of Martinique are two anchorages popular with cruisers, Cul-de Sac du Marin and Mouillage de Ste. Anne.  The quiet little town of Ste. Anne and anchorage lies south of the busier yacht service harbor of Le Marin.  Both were passed by on our trip south due to time constraints.

Funeral at Sainte-Anne’s Church

We opted for the quiet of Ste. Anne because we were able to dinghy into Le Marin for provisioning and spare boat parts when necessary.  Besides, Ste. Anne has a very inviting dinghy dock right off the town square.


The little town of Ste. Anne is quite picturesque and offers some shopping and several eateries.

Accras Alley

Ordering food can be a challenge, however.  Pollie really enjoyed a salad at one restaurant, so she ordered it again at the next.  Both were good, but totally different.  This little shop closes down the street at night and sits out tables to serve cheap drinks and accras (deep fried corn meal and fish balls).

Sn@ck Boubou

The only downside is Internet access.  WiFi is very limited to nonexistent in the anchorage forcing us to lug our computers to Internet Cafes.  But as a fellow cruiser pointed out, this forces us off of the boat and out meeting people, oui. 


One thing we have found to be very frustrating is the shop hours.  Seldom are the hours posted, and most take a two hour lunch.  While looking for plumbing parts, we were told that one place closed from 1200 to 1330, while another closed from 1300 to 1500.  Many of the restaurants close on different days during the week, and many only serve during certain hours.  Other than bakery fare, breakfast is out of the question.


Other than the occasional specialty boat, cruise ships are not seen on this end of the island, so French and only French is spoken.


  All in all, we enjoy the French islands even if we encounter an occasional language problem.  We find them cleaner, safer, and more prosperous than their former English colony neighbors.

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