Putting the stove onto the gimbal ... 27th Feb 2018

Putting the stove onto the gimbal

27^th Feb 2018

We had breakfast (porridge for Mike and bread and jam for me).  Our plan was to go to shore for a walk to the next bay.  Before we set off we looked up recipes for guavas.  Mike had bought a bag of guavas in Rodney Bay.  I thought they were okay, tasting something like a tart strawberry.  However, they have big seeds that are hard to ignore. Mike just couldn’t handle the seeds but found a recipe for guava syrup.  When he set to work on this, it was necessary to pull out the pot grippers and put the stove on the gimbal!  That’s a ‘rock and roll’ anchorage...

We went to shore and walked through the town to the start of the path to Grand Anse d’Arlet.  Soon we were on a rocky path going steeply up-hill.  All was well until we hit a junction in the path and had to select one.  Ours went steeply down hill and then seemed to peter out altogether.  We scrambled across a rock outcropping and found another path which eventually led to a more substantial path and finally to the town on the next bay.

Mike continues …

Grand Anse d’Arlet looks lovely, but we figured we’d explore more when we bring the boat round the headland and anchor here. For now we settled for a cold drink at a café on the beach, where we avoided the worst of a heavy downpour, and then hiked back along the road to Petit Anse D’Arlet.

After lunch and a lazy hour (we both fell asleep!) we went snorkeling directly from the boat. It was amazing! First we saw a large green turtle munching away on the grassy seabed then we saw a flying Gunard, a weird looking fish with wing like fins. We swam over to some rocks that are close to the jetty, not expecting much because there are always hoards of people swimming around them and the rest of the beach is just sandy. But it turned out to be great. There was a huge shoal of tiny fish just off the dinghy dock; literally tens of thousands of fish making wonderful patterns in the sunlight. Then around the rocks themselves were all sorts of other fish, some in large schools. The visibility was excellent and this was perhaps the best snorkeling we have done since arriving in the Caribbean … and this wasn’t one of the recommended locations nearby!

Cocktails at sunset … this one really hit the spot. Guava Daiquiri: freshly made guava syrup, lime juice and a little extra brown sugar, rum (lots of it) and ice … totally excellent. Dinner: pasta with fresh mushroom, porcini and Parma ham … We certainly like what we have seen of Martinique thus far, so we’ll take it easy and cruise slowly through this area.

Gloria outside one of the brightly colored buildings of Petit Anse D'Arlet

Dinghy bottom

The gorgeous beach at Grand Anse D'Arlet

A little shower didn't stop this intrepid swimmer

I love night time photography - but it's really hard on a moving platform on the boat. This shot was taken at ISO1000 and is about the limit for low light shot form the boat ... if you want it sharp

... but sharp is over-rated - I've decided to embrace the movement - Anse D'Arlet early evening

A wave of light ... all sorts of things happen in low light and long exposures

A catamaran anchored to the west of us as the sun goes down. Does it matter that it's not sharp - I quite like the abstract nature of this shot