Vanilla Farm – would have been Fun

Ship: Regina Maris
Date: 21st of December 2024
Position: Martinique
Geographical Position: 14°36.083N 061°03.687W
Etmal: 0nm
Total: 5212nm

Our second day on the coast of Martinique – and yet another deep clean. Annoying as usual, but necessary.

Everywhere on deck was dirt, especially after we set up the second dinghy. As you might have guessed by now, this part took the longest to clean. While many of us were already playing in the water, jumping and having fun, some people were still scrubbing the deck.

After lunch – noodles again – we had the big meeting where the teachers presented us options for the afternoon. Of course, we could do a regular free shore leave in small groups until the dinghy would pick everyone up again in the evening.

Because Janno and Anneke had talked to some locals yesterday, they learned about a vanilla farm nearby and the teachers offered to organize a visit for anyone interested. Kaspar also suggested going to a history museum, but since no one was interested, it was taken off the table.

To reach the vanilla farm, we would need to hike about 1.5 hours each way, so only a small group of people chose to go, while the rest chose free shore leave instead.

We put on our hiking shoes (after long discussions between Anneke, Nori, Anna and me because we’d be trekking through the rainforest) and packed our rain jackets and water bottles. Jasper and Hannes were joining us too, but they were with Lisa and Niklas in the second dinghy, which had some technical problems. So we girls had some time to enjoy ice cream while waiting.

At the shop, we saw Janno running toward us. He had just been shopping with Martin, the cook. Since it was Janno’s idea to visit the vanilla farm and he was the most excited about it, he absolutely wanted to join. However, he was only wearing Crocs, so Anna called the crew on the Reggie to bring him proper shoes.

Finally, after some waiting at the beach, our group was complete. We started our tour after a little more delay because Lisa’s mobile data wasn’t working properly.

At first, we walked through some streets, greeted locals and passed by crocodile warning signs at the edge of a swamp. Eventually, we turned onto a small path through the forest. The trail ran alongside and through small riverbeds, going up and down, so our boots got wet and muddy. We joked that someone would surely slip, but thankfully, no one did.

When we reached a meadow, we were a bit disappointed – the view was nothing special and could easily be found back in Germany. From there, we walked downhill past some luxurious mansions. Along the way, we spotted coconut trees and it didn’t take long for the boys to come running with a coconut. They rolled it down the street and argued over it while Lisa and I couldn’t stop laughing.

At a small concrete wall, everyone had ten tries to crack the coconut open while singing “Who stole the coconut?” (Wer hat die Kokosnuss geklaut?). It was nearly unbreakable.

After what felt like ages of hitting it with a stone, we finally broke the outer layer and revealed the smaller fruit we all recognize from supermarkets.

We also found another coconut later on, but by the time we finished our snacks (lots of ice cream), the sun was already setting. Unfortunately, it was too late to continue to the vanilla farm, so we decided to turn back. Instead, the teachers suggested having a beach picnic for dinner.

At the beach, we went onto a large bridge/jetty with many dinghies tied to it. From there, we watched the sunset, ate our food (Niklas got pizza from a 24/7 pizza vending machine) and some of us, including me, went swimming. Then we made an unexpected discovery – our dinghy was also at the bridge. Looking around, we spotted Heine and the rest of the crew at a beach bar.

Janno immediately ran over and sneaked up on Arne, whispering in his ear, “Can you sign my blue book?” – the trigger phrase for every crew member. Next thing we knew, both of them were in the water, play-fighting and Anneke and I joined in.

Afterwards, we asked Arne if the crew could bring us back to the Reggie since hiking back in the dark wasn’t ideal. Luckily for us, they agreed but wanted to finish eating first.

For the remaining time, we lounged on the bridge, talked and enjoyed our last moments on land. Later, Heine arrived and took us back. Although I’d already been on a fast dinghy (when Martin, the old captain, drove us in Morocco), it couldn’t compare to the speeds Heine reached.

Back on the Reggie, we found the ship mostly empty, as the others were still ashore. This gave us plenty of time to shower. Janno, Anneke and I even took a quick swim over to the Johnny.

The rest of the evening was very relaxed. Some went swimming again, while others stayed in the messroom or on deck, listening to music, writing diaries or letters or just resting.

It had been a long, tiring day, but for me, the hike was one of the best experiences so far, even though we didn’t make it to the vanilla farm.