Fort de France was the first big city we visited since leaving Miami. One night was enough …. the city was too big, too French and too dirty. When we pulled into the harbor and prepared to anchor we saw Nautilus with Michelle and Randy, who we had met in Portsmouth, Dominica. After checking in, we stopped for a tour of their beautiful aluminum sailboat. They had the same itinerary for Saturday morning that we did: meet at 9 for a French breakfast (lots of delicious gooey pastry), see the market and stop at the big grocery (hyper-marche). By noon we had moved both boats across the bay to Anse Mitan. They came over for dinner which gave us time to exchange stories. Brian and Randy have lots in common. Michelle is an extremely talented woman who has had a very interesting career path. And, she is a more than competent sailor. We all laughed at the two times I ran our boat into piles of rock (they were under water) and did a ‘U’ turn in front of an oncoming tow boat loaded with barges. No one would ever describe me as competent. Hopefully, I’ve learned from those errors. Michelle and I enjoy each other in spite of our different talents.
The historic fort in Fort de France.
The small picturesque village of Anse Mitan was a breath of fresh air on Sunday. It was so much friendlier. In trying to communicate, I find myself uncontrollably throwing out Spanish phrases when my hand gestures and English have failed to make the point. If you find yourself in this situation, please make a mental note — mispronounced Spanish phrases are of no help! At least, here the residents worked with us and
we were successful ordering lunch, gelato and finalizing several purchases. We really did have a fun day! There were lots of families at the beach and on the streets. They returned smiles and greetings. I have always tried to help foreign visitors in the States, but now I promise to be even more patient when they are struggling with their English.
Anse Mitan: shops at street level apartments above.
Monday we traveled an hour to Anse D’Arlet, which is really two towns: Grande and Petite. We anchored at Grande Anse D'Arlet in a well protected bay. There was only one mooring ball left. We did notice that we were conspicuously larger than the neighboring boats, but didn't give it a second thought. When we stopped in town to fill out the exit papers,
we were told the mooring balls were only for boats up to eight meters. We are about 15 meters. OK, we will move after our easy hike to Petite. This is mistake number two. I'm seeing a pattern. When the guide book says 'an easy hike', I think that means five miles or less. An easy hike in my mind is a couple of blocks. Big Difference! So, it is high noon when we start on our 'short hike' to Petite Anse D'Arlet. An hour later we are looking for a place to eat, but because this is a French island, mid-afternoon everything is closed for a couple of hours. I thought that there was another cute town south of Petite and convinced Brian we should take the bus to it. This is mistake number three! We did take the bus to the next town. It was not cute and the bus service back to Grande was anything but reliable. I panicked -- it would be dark in another hour. I stood next to the road with my thumb out, hoping for a ride. After being rejected by three cars, the bus showed up. I jumped in the middle of the road flagging him down with both arms frantically waving. I truly was that crazy American woman. The bus did stop for us and we did make it back to Grande before dark. Brian is still shaking his head and wondering how he got mixed up with me......
I might have been a bit harsh in my judgement of the French in my earlier comments. The people we met outside Fort de France were very friendly and helpful. I'm thinking that it is big cities that make some people so surly.
Gotta smile -- we're lovin the ride!
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