Several months ago, Kory asked me where I would like to spend our birthdays, which are both at the end of May. Since we were heading south down the Caribbean island chain, and we had heard great things about Martinique, I chose this French island as our birthday destination. Kory agreed that this would be a great spot for us to celebrate! Little did I know that he was planning a surprise, and he needed to commit to being at a particular island, with an airport, at a particular time, so he could fly in one of my very close friends, Claire. Kory spent almost two months planning this special surprise, which entailed a lot of details that needed to come together seamlessly to make this happen.
We settled into an anchorage in Saint Anne, Martinique, about a week before Claire’s arrival. Kory, knowing that she was coming, offered to help clean the boat, especially the port aft guest cabin. I thought he was just being overly generous as part of a birthday present, which he was. But now I know that he was also making preparations for our guest.
In addition to wanting to be in Martinique for our birthdays, the other thing I desired was to rent a car for a few days so we could spend time exploring the island and do some shopping. We were very fortunate to be able to rent a car from Europcar in Le Marin for only $20 a day. This allowed us to have a car for the first couple of days of Claire’s visit.
On the day of Claire’s arrival, Kory suggested that we go shopping, and wait to tour the island on my birthday, the following day. I thought this was a great suggestion, and it fell right in line with Kory’s plan. After a nice lunch, we went to the Carrefour hypermarket to get groceries. While we were shopping, Kory told me he needed to use the restroom. When he returned, he announced that he got me a personal shopper to help translate the products since everything was in French. When I turned around, I was utterly astonished to find my sweet friend, Claire, standing behind me. The funny thing is that I had thought about her a month prior, and told Kory how nice it would be to have her as my personal translator while we were in the French islands, since Claire speaks French. Now, lo and behold, she was not only in Martinique as my personal shopper and translator, but as my incredible friend and companion for the week! What an amazing birthday surprise!
Claire is quite a bit younger than me. I met her when she was 15-years-old. She attended a young woman’s Christian discipleship group, Bright Lights, that was held in our home for eight years. Through those years, she became like a daughter to me. I was so honored and privileged to teach, guide, and counsel her using the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. She and I have remained friends after all these years and we have learned and grown so much together. She truly is my “heart daughter!” So you can imagine what a blessing it was to have her join us on Hope.
When we got to the boat, Claire was eager to jump in and learn everything she could about boat life. She was a huge help throughout the week. She learned how to raise and lower the dinghy, drop and pickup the anchor, raise and lower the sails, run the water maker, plot a route, read the charts, drive the boat, cook in the galley, and withstand the hot, humid weather. She was a trooper, and I would bring her on as crew any time.
The day after her arrive was my birthday, and I was showered with gifts and made to feel so honored. We enjoyed egg sandwiches on croissants with fresh fruit, took photos, and made our plans for the day.
Our first stop was to La Galleria, the main mall in Martinique. Claire and I had fun browsing the shops, and I even found a couple of dresses. It was a lot of fun!. We spent the rest of my birthday driving up the west coast of Martinique to Mémorial de la Catastrophe de 1902, which tells the story of the volcanic eruption of Mount Pelee that destroyed Saint Pierre and the surrounding communities. It was a rainy day and we were all loving the cooler temperature, the smell of fresh rain, and the sights of the dew on the tropical jungle in this quaint little village.
The day after my birthday, we walked around the nearby town of Le Marin. Kory decided to rent a couple of dive tanks so he could clean the rudders, keel, and bottom of the boat. He only needed 3/4 of a tank, so with the remaining full tank, he decided to teach Claire how to dive (per her request). I put my BCD (Bouyancy Control Device) on her and taught her how to breath through the regulator, read the dive computer, and inflate and deflate the BCD. She put on a mask, snorkel, and fins, and was ready for her first scuba lesson ever with Captain Kory.
(the maximum depth was 20 feet)
The day after Claire’s diving experience, we picked up anchor and went to the dock in Le Marin to get fuel. Claire learned how to attach fenders using a clove hitch, secure dock lines to cleats, and get on a dock and throw the lines to the dockhand. We hadn’t gotten fuel since Puerto Rico and we were now registering half full on both tanks, so it was wise to fill them up, and nice to have the extra help. This fuel should last us a long time.
After that, we set sail for Anse d’Arlet, about 13 nautical miles north. Claire helped raise the main sail and unfurl the headsail. We turned the engines off and were going 6.5 knots, mostly on a broad reach. The seas were choppy, but they were mostly behind us, so it was a fairly comfortable sail. We were having a great time back on the water and sharing this experience with our new crew.
We arrived in Anse d’Arlet and anchored in the same spot where Kory and I had anchored before. This is such a beautiful cove and charming little village. Claire and I spent time walking around town one morning, then we all enjoyed lunch at one of the waterfront restaurants. It was hot walking around the village, so we were eager to jump in the cool, refreshing water and go snorkeling. Anse d’Arlet has a small reef and boulders close to the beach with fairly healthy underwater coral, grasses, and marine life. It wasn’t the best snorkeling we have had, but it was still exciting, especially since we could swim to the reef from the back of our boat.
We spent two days in Anse d’Arlet and enjoyed the cute little village, the clean emerald waters, the snorkeling, and the protected bay. We had a couple more days before Claire had to fly home, so we decided to sail back to Saint Anne since we knew we could rent a car there to get Claire to the airport when needed, and because there was still so much more to explore there. Our 2-1/2 hour sail back to Saint Anne was a rough one. We took a beating with wind and waves straight on the nose and had to motor most of the time. Claire got to encounter both smooth, exciting sailing, and choppy seas requiring a motor. We really only had about an hour of rough riding, then the seas calmed down as we neared our destination and it was a nice cruise into the anchorage. What great experience Claire had learning how to captain the boat in various conditions.
Once anchored back in Saint Anne, in our protected spot, we rinsed the salt off the boat, then jumped in the water to cool off. We enjoyed playing Uno that evening with fresh baked chocolate chip cookies after dinner.
The next day, was Kory’s birthday and Claire and I wanted to celebrate with him in whatever way he chose. He decided that he wanted to go to Le Marin to visit a couple of boat stores and have lunch at Elite Kabob, which turned out to be one of his favorite restaurants in Martinique. So we rode in the dinghy about a mile to Le Marin, and set about making this day special for Kory.
Claire and I perused a couple of boutiques while Kory took a break from the heat and humidity. Then we all enjoyed cappuccinos and butter cookies at O’Wax cafe while we waited for a marine store to open.
We found a freshly roasted rotisserie chicken shop while we were in Le Marin, and Kory chose that to take back to the boat for his birthday dinner. It wasn’t anything fancy because we were all hot and tired from the day. I made buttered carrots, green beans, and yellow rice to go with the chicken. And we enjoyed air conditioning all night and lots of laughs. Kory even wrapped his gifts that he had purchased earlier in the day and had a surprise unwrapping celebration. Claire and I had no idea he had wrapped his gifts in microfiber cloths. It was a joyful occasion and I think Kory had a great birthday!
On Claire’s second to last day with us, she and I took a walk around the quaint village of Saint Anne. We browsed through several boutiques looking for dresses. Even though we didn’t find anything, it was fun shopping together and taking a stroll. We tucked into a boutique when the rain started to come down, then enjoyed delicious lemon ice cream at a cute parlor when the rain let up. It was an enjoyable outing!
When we got back to the dinghy to head to the boat, I couldn’t seem to get the motor running. After trying to start it several times, pumping gas into the line, and checking the fuel level, I turned to some fellow boaters who had just pulled up to the dock in their dinghy to ask for help. Within a couple of minutes, the man figured out that I had forgotten to attach the kill switch key. I had removed it when we left the boat. Of course it wouldn’t start without the key! Once we put that back on, we were good to go! I don’t think I’ll make that mistake again. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
Claire was such a help on her last morning on the boat. Not only did she pack up all of her belongings, but she stripped the sheets off her bed, cleaned up her room and bathroom, and left little work for me to do when she left. We rented a car and drove around Fort-du-France, then enjoyed lunch at another kabob shop before heading to the airport. It was sad to have Claire leave. I had such a great time with her. What a wonderful birthday surprise, and fantastic memories we have made! God bless you, my sweet sister, friend, and “heart daughter!”
