St Pierre
Moonbeam
David and Lynn Wilkie
Sun 30 Jan 2011 15:12
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14.44.566N 061.10.670W
We left Grand Anse D'Arlet with regrets as it is a
very tranquil spot but we headed North for the bright lights of Fort-de- France
where there is a pleasant anchorage below the fort.
  Fort -de- France
Here there was a RHYC Caribbean muster with
'Moonbeam', 'Shian', and 'Starcross' and also a CCC boat 'Jigsaw' all at anchor.
This city is all a bit run down and apart from shops selling cheap clothes and
shoes there did not seem much else. Soon it will be Carnival time and in the
evening there was plenty of "drumming" ashore while the bands
practised.
  Library
Fort- de-
France
On route to St. Pierre
On Thursday we had a glorious sail north to
St.Pierre past some pleasant coastal scenery and started to see mountains of the
north. The scenery is lush and green although just a few years ago Martinique's
whole banana crop was devastated by a hurricane with considerable economic
affect. St.Pierre is in a lovely open bay with the anchorage just off the pier;
fine as long as there is no swell. The town was originally Martinique's capital
but was destroyed by the eruption of the adjacent Mount Pelee in 1902 when
30,000 people were killed. (www.zananas-martinique.com/en-saint-pierre-martinique/pele-mount-eruption-1902.htm).
Again the town has a run down feel to it but in
places it is being smartened up. On the high ground above the town there are
some superbly situated houses.
 
Anchored St Pierre
  
locals selling fruit, veg , bread etcSaturday we leave for Dominica which is an island
we have not been to before and by all accounts is the most 'original' of the
Caribbean islands with minimal development.
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