Sunset at St. Anne, Martinique

I may have previously mentioned that the Euro has made it very expensive for us compared to previous years but we still managed to have some great meals out and always found a decent beer or glass of wine. A few days later, our friends Rich and Sam arrived to spend a few days with us. He is English and she is from Scotland and they are the Captain and chef on a 47 ft. Moorings charter catamaran. In our eagerness to catch up with them we had a hair-raising experience with one of the many reefs in the area. Returning from Marin to St. Anne, we spotted their catamaran anchored off the beach and immediately made a left turn to join them. There are several large reefs in the area which are clearly marked by large red buoys. With the overcast lighting we didn't realize we had cut the turn a little close and..wham, we were stopped dead in the water. Luckily, we were only doing about 2 knots and were able to make a hard turn and motor off with no damage except to our pride along with some scrapes and paint scuffs on the bottom of the keel. The next day with the sun high overhead, we were able to see the pesky little reef which was about 100' across and not showing on our charts.  The following day Rich rented a car for an island tour to look at some property and we were invited along for the ride. The island is quite beautiful with miles and miles of sugar cane fields and banana plantations. The center of the island has a couple of large volcanos and the road winds through some picturesque little villages, beautiful rain forests and botanical gardens. After leaving Anse Mitan and the Fort de France area, we spent the last couple of nights anchored at St. Pierre.