We decided that we should have more anchor chain after the line chaffed through in Rodney Bay. Talking with other cruisers, we found that the best (cheapest) place to get anchor chain was in Marin, Martinique. Marin is on the south coast of Martinique but way to the east so it's usually difficult to get to sailing. We waited until there was a good weather window - reduced winds & seas with the wind shifting to the south-east. We had hauled anchor and were on our way by 8:15 AM and had a delightful sail between St Lucia & Martinique - making almost 10 mph for some of the trip and 7-9 mph for the rest of the time. And while we had 4' swells, they were easy, gently rolling waves that were easy to take. Marin lies at the east end of a channel almost 2 miles long. We got to the entrance - where we dropped our sails - at 11:30 and by 1:00 pm we had anchored in the bay.

Marin is an interesting place. It's full of shgip's chandelrys (marine hardware stores) and other businesses all oriented around boats - mostly sailboats. The marina is divided into two parts (old & new) and has slips for over 1000 boats. The large bay to the west of the marina has a huge mooring field plus lots of room for anchoring. And almost all of this is full! It seems to me that Marin could be called the "Anapolis of the eastern Caribbean" for all the boats & nautical supply places.

After arriving we made arrangements to take a mooring so that we didn't need the anchor. While most things in Martinique seem to be more expensive than the other islands (by 10% - 25%), some items are much cheaper. Wine is a good example and cheese as well. As it happens, so is the anchor chain. The chain is made in France but the transportation costs are subsidized by the French government. As such, it cost us about half of what it would cost in St Lucia or Grenada.

We had been in touch with friends (Chris & Shelia) on board Never Bored whom we'd buddy-boated with last year & part of this spring. I had written them that we were going to Marin & hoped to meet up with them here or in St Lucia. The afternoon that we arrived, we got a radio call from Never Bored. They had just gotten into the bay with another boat (Just Imagine with Robin & Sheryl). We'll all be here for about a week - until we get a good weather window - and then will head south to St Vincent & the Grenadines before going to Grenada.

The picture is of a couple of the local sailing boats. These are typically 25' - 30' long with over-sized sails and no keel, so they could capsize rather easily. They were originally fishiing boats for going off the coast through waters that might not be more than a foot or two deep. They are kept upright by crew balanced out on boards that are run off the side. They are now used mostly for recreation with races being organized regularly for them.