Lunch time in Martinique on Grand Anse, St. Anne.
Grocery shopping in the French islands is always a treat. Notice the baguette!
A great lunch spot in St. Pierre, Martinique. Luckily the volcano wasn't erupting.
Beach day at St. Anne, Martinique for the girls (Maria, Dawn (Cat Tales), Lorna (Peace & Plenty) and Michele (Tarentella)
Just another happy hour with our sailing friends.
Maria, Lorna (Peace & Plenty), Dawn (Cat Tales) and Captain Steve onboard Tarentella
Boa that Captain Steve leaped over!!!!
S/Y Aspen – February 17, 2016 – Log #139
Aspen Position: 15 degrees 34’ N 061 degrees 27’ W
Portsmouth, Dominica
Two Islands, one very French and the other: The Nature Island of Dominica; one of our favorite islands in the Caribbean.
There is great food, French wine and cheeses and beautiful beaches throughout the flower island of Martinique. Every morning I bring a hot baguette to Maria after my run through the bucolic countryside, as she waits patiently for my return and the start of breakfast. What a way to begin another day in the tropics.
The hiking trails on Martinique are well marked with beachside restaurants to greet us after a long walk amongst the sparkling white sand beaches.
Sailing north to the next island brings a completely different experience. English speaking Dominica welcomes with open arms, hoping we will stay a while and enjoy nature on its’ own terms amidst smiling local faces.
The Waioukubuli National Trail traverses the length of the island, over 100 miles, and is the longest trail system in the Caribbean. Most of the trail is rated moderate to difficult, as we completed Segment #12 this year with our Canadian sailing friends, Dawn and Laurie (Cat Tales), Cindy and Don (Sitatunga) and Gilbert and Diana (Serenada).
During our 5 hour hike of only 6 miles we came across a Boa Constrictor, vast fields of callilou, root crops, bananas, plantains, oranges, and quite a few other tropical delicacies.
Boa Constrictor??? Oh yes, it was a big one at about 5 feet in length. Luckily Captain Steve was leading the group and stepped over a large log. As his foot hit the ground, what happened to look at his tasty shoe? Boa!
It has been quite a while since Captain Steve used his basketball jumping skills but they came into good use once again.
Mr. Boa slowly slipped away, taking no interest in our group of hikers, luckily. Whew.
The steep ups and downs of the trail made for good laughs, once we found an establishment at the end that served refreshments.
That is just another example how we spend our time in the tropics aboard Aspen.
Sail on, sail on Aspen…
Thank you for the great update, we are sailing along and learning. Next year we hope to be there.
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