Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine December 2016

MARTINIQUE’S MAGNIFICENT YOLES RONDES
Le Tour de Martinique des Yoles Rondes. Photos by Marc Sambi,
text in French and English by Jean-Claude Asselin de Beauville and
Thomas Thurar. Editions Ouest-France, ©2016. 160 pages.
ISBN 978-2-7373-7395-4
The yoles rondes of Martinique are arguably the most spectacular
indigenous sailing vessels in the Caribbean. Powered — and often overpowered
— by a vast sprit-rigged mainsail alone, these fiercely raced
descendants of dugout canoes sport the multitudinous neon colors of
their sponsors and a yole ronde racecourse rivals a Carnival parade in
terms of vibrant color in motion. Scores of crews and thousands of spectators
hit the beach when yole ronde fever strikes. Photographer Marc
Sambi has captured the splendor and visual excitement of the biggest
yole ronde race on Martinique’s annual calendar — the seven-stage
Around Martinique Race — in this new coffee-table-style book.
Photos from different years’ competitions have been chosen not only
for maximum “wow” impact, of which there is plenty (your inner
Prudent Mariner will be shrieking, “Are these people insane?” while the
imp on your other shoulder is hollering, “Go, go, go!”), but in addition
to the eye-popping racing shots, there are images of the crews, the
crowds, the scenes along shorelines at the starts and finishes, and
even the food, to give us a well-rounded picture of this quintessentially
Martiniquais event.
The text, in French and English, provides valuable documentation on
the development of the unique 30-foot yoles rondes themselves, from
gommier fishing vessels and workboats to modern sport racers, as well
as the development of their highly competitive crews, who have
exchanged beliefs in the supernatural as the keys to winning for today’s
specialized physical fitness programs tailored for each crew position.
(Check out the abs on the skippers.) The round-the-island race is divided
into seven village-to-village legs of varying difficulty and danger, and
these are described as well.
The text also shares insights into the personalities involved and the
powerful significance of the Tour de Martinique as a cultural catalyst
that has “become an outlet for a heightened sense of [village] identity,
which is reflected in a strong — but controlled — rivalry… This long
tradition has also reawakened a fervent desire in the people of
Martinique to get back in touch with the marine world that surrounds
them… The Tour now serves as a focal point, a place where all the
strands, echoes and movements that make up our social fabric come
together and intertwine.”
For anyone who loves Caribbean sailing, this would be a great addition
to the bookshelf. Le Tour de Martinique des Yoles Rondes was just being
published as this issue of Compass went to press. Seek it out. It does
the yoles rondes and their people proud.
DECEMBER 2016 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 35