Sunday 13^th, Monday 14^th, Tuesday 15^th and Wednesday 16^th Feb.

The anchorage that we are in at Le Marin is surrounded by mangroves and is completely packed as is the marina and a second anchorage across the bay. Almost all of the boats out in the anchorage have no-one on board (and therefore no anchor lights lit at night) and in some case you wonder if the owners are aware how little is keeping their boats attached to the mooring buoy they are using! Added to the fun are the charted but largely unmarked shallows that are all around us and the route to the town quay for dinghies has a crucial gap in a sand bar marked by a traffic cone stuck on top of a short pole. There is an egret roosting area ahead of us in the mangroves which we will try to photograph before we leave.

Sunday was partially spent sorting out the new dinghy and a system for lifting it complete with the engine up to the deck level, alongside Serafina so we can make it safe from theft at night.

In the afternoon we used the dinghy to go ashore and explore the town of Le Marin in a bit more detail. Of course being Sunday everything was closed except for a couple of supermarkets allegedly open until 1230.   We had moored the dinghy at a small dock behind one of the supermarkets not realising that this would become locked after closing hours and closing hour was half an hour earlier than published – luckily a kind hearted security guy let us back to our dinghy.  And we got a good idea of where everything was in preparation for a full scale assault on Monday!

So on Monday, after a spectacular downpour with a double rainbow and weird light effects (see photos in due course), we headed for the boatyard end of the town and firstly found a grubby but workmanlike Inox Welder (Stainless Steel) who agreed a very reasonable price to modify the crane arm we use for lifting the outboard engine onboard when going sailing. The original was made last winter in Marmaris (Turkey) and seemed fine until we put the new 18hp Tohatsu outboard on it!! Next stop was a small sail-maker and canvas workshop that Sarah had found mentioned in a book about the island. They were only too happy to help with our complicated requests and were far more reasonable and flexible than any other sail-makers we have found. Actually our requirement is not too complicated, but once I had converted this into my excellent schoolboy French they were left pretty confused.

Found a working internet cafe in the afternoon and so I got on with emails and the like whilst Sarah booked herself a hair cut for the next day at the saloon nearby and went off to investigate a third supermarket near the marina. Finally we raided the two main chandlery shops here, armed with a growing list of requirements most of which were fulfilled. Quite a contrast however between the two shops as one is staffed by disinterested and downright rude assistants whilst the other has two wonderfully hard working, knowledgeable and helpful ladies.

On Tuesday we spent the morning working on board and then in the afternoon, we went ashore again, so Sarah could have her haircut and I could revisit the internet cafe. Sarah, pleased with her haircut, also came across an excellent proper French bakery which was an added bonus.

Wednesday morning I fetched the crane arm from the welder (Tony Crater – tel: 0596 7466 60) who had done an excellent job, then I went on a wine shopping expedition before heading over to the main town dinghy pontoon to fetch Sarah who had been back up to the bakery, done a little shopping and spent quite a lot of time trying on and then buying some new bikinis!

In the afternoon we picked up the canvas work from Didier and his hard working wife Maria at ‘Voiles & Assistance’ tel: 33 (0) 596 74 88 32. Actually one of the jobs they have done for us involves a rain hood for the forward hatch. We have suffered here from broken nights (and days) constantly having to get up and close the hatches as yet another heavy rain squall passes over, only to have to get up and open everything again barely minutes later as it is stiflingly hot and airless with them shut! Sarah has rigged up a very successful arrangement over the aft cabin which not only allows us to keep the hatch open in the rain, but actually causes a positive draft and keeps the cabin surprisingly cool all night.

Tomorrow we plan to sail north up to Anse Mitan on the west coast of Martinique.