Location: Martinique
Baking chocolate chip muffins was a challenge that morning, but improvisation and elaborate oaths got us through to deliciousness. After breakfast, we dove. The dive was reported to be incredible. It was the deepest dive we have done so far, down to 110ft. Several people cracked eggs, which stayed together under intense pressure. They also saw numerous lionfish, which seemed to prefer those depths. The fish are highly poisonous, but we may attempt to hunt and eat them. I made a quick batch of scrambled eggs and toast for lunch, and then we headed inshore to explore Martinique. Martinique is the first French island we have visited. The island was certainly more developed than others, with well-paved roads, street-legal cars, and European-style houses. The pastries and bread are fantastic, living up to the nickname Little France. Communication is difficult, as, unlike the other islands, people do not speak English and do not take dollars. The warm baguettes make up for it all. After shore time, we returned to the boat and donned togas for a pork roast Halloween feast. Togas are the essence of freedom. The dinner reminded me of dinners at home, with more meat than we could eat (thanks to Chefs Tor and Ben). After the long dinner, we retired to a restoring good night’s sleep.