More of Martinique
Moorglade's Voyage
Ted Wilson
Sun 30 Jan 2011 02:07
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Our position is 14:44.53N 61:10.66W
The passage to Trois Islets was easy enough under
headsail with a quartering 25Knt breeze but the anchorage there looked open to
the prevailing wind and a night at the Fort de France anchorage seemed a better
bet. It proved a bit rolly while the ferries were running but they stopped
quite early in the evening and we had a still night.
No shortage of good shops here, well it is the
capital of Martinique, so our time there included buying food and wine from
Carrfour, stainless steel security chain for the dinghy from the chandlers
and lots of useful bits and bobs from a huge bricolage. It was a
pleasant change to be in a well organised city.
We chatted to skipper and crew of a yacht called
Star Cross who was in the anchorage. We had briefly spoken before in Rodney Bay.
We were curious why a boat from Oban should be named after our home port in
Devon. He bought the boat in Sweden from a large scale Swedish poultry farmer
who kept a breed of chicken called Star Cross because it was bred at a
poultry research organisation in Star Cross, Devon. He had named his
big expensive yacht after the chickens that had made his money.
Friday 28th January
Left Fort de France after lunch and sailed
15Nm north to St Pierre. Once the hook was securely down we went ashore to check
when the launderette opened in the morning and were we had to clear out of
Martinique the following day. Mission accomplished and rain threatening we
retired to a seafront bar. I was sure I recognised a chap sitting at the next
table but could not place him. It turned out to be Graham Pike and his now wife
Tessa, both Merlin sailors, who we have not seen for over thirty years.
We enjoyed reminiscing until it got dark.
St Pierre was the old capital of Martinique
but the whole town was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Pelee in 1902. It is
now a small rather shabby little town with still plenty of evidence of the
disaster. The church and fort have been left unrestored. However the last remaining member of the Depaz family, the
rest were killed when the eruption covered the family Rum factory, set out from
France in 1904 and rebuilt the business, replanting the cane fields and
rebuilding the family home and distillery. We went for a look round this
morning. It proved a very interesting trip, I now know a lot more about rum,
buying a couple of bottles of he good stuff after comprehensive
degustation. We stayed for lunch at a super restaurant on the
estate.
The walk back took us past the old church and parts
of the old town covered by the volcano. We seem to end up in the same bar as the
previous evening chatting to a couple of Aussies who are sailing through the
Islands on their way up to Canada.
Back on board now for supper and an early night as
we intend to depart for Dominica at first light tomorrow.
  Fort de France taken from the
anchorage
Street market Fort de France
  Mount Pelee from the
anchorage
Rum still
  Gecko on the Ice bucket at
lunchtime
The remains of the church dating from 1604 destroyed
by
the eruption during a service in 1902.
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