Martinique Regatta 2012 – Tour des Yoles Rondes (Part 1)

Every summer, everyone in Martinique gathers to watch or take part in the annual regatta, a week-long race with traditional wooden boats. Those boats are called Yoles and their particularity is their square sail. Sailing is handled using large wooden sticks which the sailors lean on, as you can see HERE.

The regatta lasts from Sunday to Sunday, the first day being called “The prologue”, and every subsequent leg goes from town to town along the coast. The Yoles start racing around 9am and usually take 3 hours to get to the finish line. During that time, many boats owned by individuals or catamarans rented by groups of people follow the race from afar, being kept well away from the Yoles by the marine police.

Once the race is over, then THE PARTY STARTS on the boats at sea! But I’ll cover that in my next post.

I took those photos while following the 4th leg of the race this year, from Fort-de-France to Diamant (south west on this MAP).

Nantes, France

On my way to Nantes, I didn’t know what to expect and I didn’t think I would like Nantes as much as I did. I found the town very homely and I even pictured myself living there. I walked a lot around town, visited its many churches and went to some very good restaurants. I didn’t think much of the riverside but I really liked the city center. Moreover, many roadworks are underway, which will certainly greatly improve the layout of the town. Big thumbs up for Nantes!