Martinique charter tips?

[TheOffice]

We'll be chartering a 38 foot cat next month. Any places that are must-see or waste of time?

[Jeannius]

South of Fort de France there is Trois Islets which used to have a great little marina. It was destroyed by Omar in 2008, hadn't been rebuilt last time I was there in 2012 but I imagine it will have been by now. Carrying on further south, Grande Anse d'Arlet and Petite Anse d'Arlet are nice anchorages. Right at the southern tip Le Marin is lively with a very large marina and sheltered anchorage.


North of FdF, St Pierre is a lovely old town with a volcano behind that is well worth a climb. Anchorage is a bit exposed but well worth a visit.


As it is a few years since I was last there, probably not much point recommending restaurants as they may well have changed by now.


Buy your own copy of Doyle's Guide to the Windward Islands http://www.cruisingguides.com/produc...ndward-islands If you haven't seen them before, Chris Doyle's guides are excellent reads and well worth having your own copy.

[Hud3]

Martinique is nice, but we found that we enjoyed Dominica more. It's entirely different - more "back to Nature" vs. a Caribbean version of French sophistication. It's a nice day's sail up from St Pierre to Portsmouth in the north of Dominica. I highly recommend that you engage Martin Carriere in Portsmouth (call name Providence on VHF 16, Carrierre@hotmail.com, or 767-445-3008) to be your guide. He's a very knowledgeable and helpful Indian River guide. We became quite good friends with him during our several visits to the island.

He offers tours by boat or van, and can give you experiences you simply can't find on your own. There's a lot to do and see on the island--paddling up the pristine Indian River, hiking in the Rain Forest, the Atlantic coast and Carib reservation, waterfall hikes, drift snorkeling in the Cabrits Marine Reserve, delicious local restaurants and more. Here's a link from Doyle...

Why cruise to Dominica

Martin's signature practice is to bring a gift of fresh local fruits and flowers to you on your boat.