January 15
(Photo: Schoeler Library, Fort-de-France)
What a delightful time we had with Ellie and Theo. They were a good crew: helpful, pleasant, they never complained and enjoyed themselves. After Anse Dufour where they snorkeled for hours, we had a perfect sail to Saint-Pierre. Both Ellie and Theo had a chance to steer Komeekha in the wind and waves. They’re natural!
Saint-Pierre, being the first city built by the French in 1635, it quickly enriched itself by exporting indigo, sugar, coffee and rum to France. Its wide and deep bay was perfect for anchoring many boats during its flourishing trade years. By the 1800’s, it was dubbed the Paris of the Antilles. It had a huge theatre, convents and schools, a prison, a mental health institute, townhouses, magistrates, doctors, government officials. It is said that once a year, a theatre troupe from Paris would travel to Saint-Pierre to perform. The Mount Pelee and surrounding hills brought fresh water through the city via many rivers and gutters. The residents of Saint-Pierre even enjoyed electricity and the telephone by the end of the 19th century.
Then, in the early morning of May 8, 1902, after a few days of telltale signs, Mount Pelee’s volcano erupted, destroying most of the city and anchored boats in minutes. Very few survived; one in particular became quite famous, being sheltered in a prison cell during the eruption. The thick stone-walled cell with no window and a very small door somewhat protected Louis-August Cyparis. It took decades to rebuild. We visited Frank A. Perret Museum, dedicated to this devastating event. It was fascinating.
Today, Saint-Pierre’s harbour is still a busy anchoring spot. Many mooring balls are now installed to protect its seabed. There are diving spots where sunk boats can be found. We did a self-guided tour of the ruins which included, among other ruins, the theatre, the health institute and the prison. We only stayed a full day at Saint-Pierre, wanting to sail to other interesting bays.
We spent the remaining of the week in Trois-Islets where we hiked to Savane des Esclaves. Through this village of bamboo huts in the mountains and many bilingual signs, we learned of the first habitants of Martinique, the Arawaks, followed by slaves and a third section dedicated to post-slavery. This village was built by a local Martinique man, Gilbert Larose, who deeply felt the need to educate the island population and visitors. Over the years, he relentlessly augmented and improved his village.
Every day, Ellie and Theo swam as soon as they got up and often upon our return from shore in the afternoon. At Trois Islets, they swam 2 kms to shore and back. Every morning, we ate fruits, plain yogurt and mueslis. Ellie being vegetarian, we ate very healthy meals during the whole week. Oh, I did cook meat aside for Frank and Theo of course, carnivores! LOL! It was very pleasant to spend days with them.
The day before they returned to Germany, we anchored at Anse Mitan which is across the bay from the main city, Fort-de-France. A short and cheap ride on the ferry allowed us to visit Fort-de-France without anchoring in its crowded and rolly bay. We visited the beautiful architecture of the library, the city hall/theatre, and roamed the streets. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the fort, the staff were closing it for the night. After a lively pizza and beer dinner at the corner of busy streets, we took the ferry back to Komeekha at Anse Mitan.
It was sad to see them leave but we know they had a wonderful 4-week vacation in Guadeloupe, Dominica and Martinique. That’s what vacationing in Caribbean Islands is all about: fun, sun, good food and drinks.
Yesterday, we finally heard that the part to repair our dinghie motor has now arrived in Dominica. Yeh! The weather window to travel there – a 14-hour sail – will not be possible before next week. So in the meantime, we’re enjoying Saint-Anne with friends. Our group is growing, we were 17 of us for a walk, lunch and swim last Sunday. It was funny to see 7 dinghies beaching in front of Touloulou’s Restaurant. High winds are forecasted this weekend. We’ll make sure our anchor is well set and plenty of chain to keep us in place.
