Martinique is one of the largest islands in the Lesser Antilles (1100 Km²). The mountainous part has 2 main peaks: Mont Pelée in the north and Les Pitons du Carbet in the central section. Bougainvillea, anthuriums, bamboo and many varieties of exotic trees are decking the woodlands. All over the island you find sugarcane and banana fields. Introduced around 1640, slavery was abolished only in 1848. Martinique is a department of France since 1946, whose capital is Fort de France, and was made a centre for sugar production.
The classic sailing course starting from Martinique is down to the south, passing by St Lucia and heading for the Grenadines, archipelago between St Vincent and Grenada. Bequia, Moustique, Tobago Cays…these places mean faraway, exotics and amazement. You can even extend your way further down to Trinidad and Tobago or Los Roques…
Your cruise can lead you also up to the north…passing Martinique on the Caribbean side, heading for Domenica, the wild, green island...and finally finding mildness again by approaching Les Saintes, islands belonging to Guadeloupe.
Martinique enjoys tropical weather and easterly trade wind. The Winter season is generally dry. It is more humid from the end of August to the end of October. Mean air temperatures vary between 22 and 30°C and sea water stays between 24 and 28°C. Tropical days are short. Sun rises at 6am and sun sets around 6pm. The winds are blowing from North-East to South-West and are between 10 and 20 knots in summer, 15 to 25 knots from November to May. Sailing in the Caribbean is easy, but you have to look out for corall reefs and rocks as soon as you approach the coast. The sea is in general smooth but a little rougher in the channels between the islands.
|
