Sailing In Martinique: Discover The French Charm In The Caribbean

Since taking French classes in high school and learning about the island, Martinique has been on my bucket list of places to visit. Sailing in Martinique is like icing on the cake for how to visit and see this charming island.

We arrived in Martinique after an overnight sail from Guadeloupe. We sailed on by the popular anchorage spot of Saint Pierre, as we knew we would be renting a car here to explore the island and could visit it that way.

We arrived mid-morning in Fort-de-France, the capital of Martinique. It has a great anchorage to explore the city and entire island from.

We spent a total of 16 days in Martinique, exploring the island, driving through the mountainsides, and walking around the charming towns we anchored in. Join us as we explore the following locations and share with you great anchorages and fun things to do while sailing in Martinique.

• Fort-de-France
• The east side of the island
• Habitation Saint-Etienne (rum distillery)
• Decathlon (such a great store, it is worth its own section!)
• Waterfalls
• Habitation Clément (rum distillery)
• Mount Pelée
• Saint Pierre
• Le Marin
• Saint Anne

Fort-de-France

Fort-de-France is one of the larger cities we will visit in the Caribbean, with a population around 85,000 people.

The check-in process with Customs and Immigration is very easy, just like the other French islands we have visited. We walked to See Services Chandlery, where they have a computer to check in/out, and were checked in in a matter of minutes.

There is a beach at the anchorage where locals swim at every morning, and a park directly across the street that was great for walking Mangaux.

Also in the park is the “water tree”! Yes, it’s a tree we would get water from to fill up our water tanks! There is a hose and spicket secured to the trunk of the tree for cruisers to fill up their water jugs. Best of all, it was free!

As our first stop sailing in Martinique, we first explored the city of Fort-de-France. There is the beautiful Cathedrale Saint-Louis located in the city, along with a large fruit market, and plenty of shops, restaurants, and bakeries.

A tour of Fort Saint Louis, located right at the anchorage, is definitely worth your time. You get your tickets for the tour from the tourist office (very helpful and friendly staff) for 8 euros per person, and tour some historic monuments on your way to the fort.

Exploring the Island

After spending several days in Fort-de-France, we rented a car to explore more of Martinique. From a recommendation through the tourist office, we used Luxiane Car Rental. It was a very easy process being able to reserve the car online, and they dropped the car off right at our anchorage. Their parking lot is a 5-minute drive from the anchorage, where we dropped it off and they drove us back to the anchorage. They were very professional, spoke English, and prompt with our drop off and pick up times.

We reserved the car for 3 days to explore as much of the island as we could.

Phare de la Caravelle

On the first day, we drove to the peninsula on the east side of the island and hiked to Phare de la Caravelle, the lighthouse at the end of the peninsula.

There are several hiking trails in this area, with beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean.

Habitation Saint-Etienne

After our hike to the lighthouse, it was time for a rum distillery tour! We found Habitation Saint-Etienne. This is a smaller distillery where we walked around the gardens and buildings with all the barrels of rum, then enjoyed tastings of all their varieties of delicious rums. It was a great afternoon!

Decathlon

The next day we made a stop at Decathlon, a large sporting good store located just outside of Fort-de-France. It was similar to being in an Academy Sports, but with a large focus on aquatic sports – bathing suits, snorkeling gear, moisture wick athletic clothes (all we wear on the boat!), and much, much more. It is a great place to stock up on these items, at a reasonable price, while sailing in Martinique and the rest of the Caribbean.

Cascade Didier

After getting some things from Decathlon, we drove up a mountain to do some more hiking. We found Cascade Didier, a beautiful waterfall only about a mile hike to get to. Once there, you can swim in the refreshing fresh water, and for the brave explorers, jump off the top of the waterfall!

After our refreshing hike to Cascade Didier, it was time for another rum distillery tour. Not a bad way for Scott to spend his birthday!

Habitation Clement

We toured Habitation Clément, a larger distillery that has been in operation since 1887. The grounds are absolutely beautiful, and the tour (13 euros per person) was very well put together. I especially loved touring the historical home, and going through the room of smells where you have to guess at the different fragrances of spices and such that get added to the flavored rums.

Mount Pelee

On our last day with the car, we drove through the mountains up to Mount Pelée. It was a beautiful drive up there, although a bit steep with hairpin turns at times.

Mount Pelée is an active volcano on the north end of Martinique. It is famous for its 1902 eruption that killed over 29,000 people in the town of Saint Pierre in a matter of seconds. There was one lone survivor, a man that was being held in a very solid jail cell that morning.

We didn’t get up early enough to attempt to hike Mount Pelée on this outing, so we stopped at Le Morne Rouge where we visited the Mount Pelée museum, then drove to the start of the trail for lunch with some spectacular views.

Saint Pierre

On our way back down the mountain, we stopped at Saint Pierre and saw some of the ruins from the 1902 volcanic eruption. This is also a popular anchorage for cruisers with a dinghy dock, small grocery store, and several restaurants and fruit stands.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Fort-de-France, with easy access to the city, water, and more. The anchorage was a little tight – we actually moved our boat one day thanks to the derelict boat that anchored right in front of us and was sitting over our anchor.

Other than that instance, everyone was super friendly and aware in the tight anchorage. The anchorage was a bit rolly, due to the frequent ferry boats in and out of the harbor, but that died down in the evenings and made for peaceful sleep.

Fort-de-France Anchorage

• Latitude: 14° 35’ 59.66”N, Latitude: 61° 04’ 09.61”W
• Holding: Good holding in sand and grass
• Wind Protection: Protection from the north through east
• Depth: 10-20 feet
• Water: Yes, at the water tree!
• Pump-out: No
• Laundry: Yes, there is a laundromat in town (we did not use it)
• Pet Friendly: Yes, great park to walk the dog and let him run around. (Dogs are not allowed on the beaches in the French islands)
• Groceries: Yes, Carrefour Supermarket and Leader Price supermarkets within walking distance
• Restaurants: Yes, several. Most don’t open for dinner until 6 or 7 PM, but you can find a few that stay open all day long.

Le Marin

After our visit in Fort-de-France, we moved down the coast to Le Marin. Sailing in Martinique was a bit spicy that day, with southeast winds on our nose at about 15-20 knots in 3–4-foot swells. Rounding the corner near Diamond Rock was rather salty as we were sailing with the current, but against the wind, leaving us with short choppy wind waves. The trade winds also love to wrap around the tall mountains on the islands for some extra spice!

We were excited to arrive in the calm harbor of Le Marin, where we took a mooring ball for a few days for access to the marina’s showers, the veterinarian’s office, and several marine supply stores.

We have never seen as many sailboats in one place as we did in Le Marin. It was quite the site! This is a popular port for Martinique boat charters, as well as a place to buy or sell your sailboat.

Le Marin was a very calm harbor with access to several dinghy docks for restaurants, laundry, showers, marine supply stores, and grocery shopping.

We’ve had a couple of items break since we left all of the marine supply stores in St. Martin. First, one of our interior fans bit the dust, and we replaced that fan and bought a few spares. They are a lifesaver helping keep the cabin cool in this tropical heat.

Also, we needed to replace the fuel connector piece for our external fuel tank for our outboard, and replace a fender that went overboard cruising in the ICW months ago. All these items were in stock at Caribe Marine.

In preparation for our passage to Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, we visited Clinique Vétérinaire du Marin for Mangaux’s health certificate. Traveling with a dog on a sailboat requires several extra steps, as we are learning. The staff there were very helpful, spoke English and helped get us set up for our pet permit for St. Lucia.

Le Marin Mooring Field

• Latitude: 14° 27’ 59.02”N Longitude: 60° 52’ 04.88”W
• Cost: 15 EU for the first 2 nights, then 12 EU after that
• Holding: Ball held well, a lot of room between boats
• Wind Protection: Protection from the northeast through southeast
• Depth: ~10-20 feet
• Water: Yes, available for purchase from Le Marin fuel dock
• Pump Out: No
• Laundry: Yes, 17 euros for one load of laundry (wash and dry)
• Bathroom/Showers: Yes
• Pet Friendly: Yes, there were some grassy areas around the marina restaurants and shops to walk Mangaux
• Groceries: Yes, small markets at the marina complex, and there is a dinghy dock at Leader Price supermarket approximately 0.5 nautical miles from where we were moored.
• Restaurants: Yes, some require reservations

Saint Anne

After our restful and productive stop in Le Marin, we moved 2.7 nautical miles to the anchorage at Saint Anne, located on a peninsula at the southern tip of Martinique. It is a great place to continue our travels sailing from Martinique to St. Lucia.

We stayed here for a couple of nights and enjoyed the nearby beach with crystal clear water, explored the town’s shops and restaurants, and stumbled upon Notre-Dame de Sainte-Anne’s Stations of the Cross sanctuary offering beautiful views of the anchorage.

Saint Anne Anchorage

• Latitude: 14° 26’ 19.07”N, Latitude: 60° 53’ 08.64”W
• Holding: Good holding in sand and grass
• Wind Protection: Protection from the northeast through southeast
• Depth: 10-20 feet
• Water: Not that we found on land, but you can make water here with your watermaker
• Pump-out: No
• Laundry: Yes, there is a laundromat in town (we did not use it)
• Pet Friendly: Yes, you can walk your dog through town, although there are few grassy areas. (Dogs are not allowed on the beaches in the French islands).
• Groceries: Yes, small Carrefour minimarket
• Restaurants: Yes, several. Most don’t open for dinner until 7 PM. We did find one place that did take-out when looking for something to eat at 6 PM.

Sailing In Martinique Is A Must Do

We thoroughly enjoyed our time sailing in Martinique. Our salty sailing passages along the coast of Martinique expanded our experience sailing in the trade winds.

I really loved learning more about the island of Martinique, exploring it firsthand, and immersing myself in the French culture and practicing my French.

And, it is definitely worthy to note that Martinique is a great place to stock up on groceries, specifically French wines and cheeses, before heading further south into the Caribbean.

What was your experience sailing in Martinique? What are some of your must-dos and must-sees for our next visit to this charming island? We would love to hear from you!