A lucky cobbler and prisoner on May 8th 1902
Stream
Darrell Jackson and Sarah Barnes
Wed 23 Apr 2014 13:59
It was with heavy hearts that we set sail from Dominica on another overcast morning. Without any doubt it has been our favourite island so far and we are already talking of what more we want to do when we hopefully return next year. It is very different from all the other islands we have visited and has found its own niche for tourists that eschews the norm. It revels in its tag line 'Nature's Island', making the most of it abundant waterfalls, rainforest, hot springs and dramatic scenery to attract visitors that like more of a challenge.
We motor sailed to start with, due to the flukey winds along the coast. We put a second reef into the main and had the genoa well reefed. We had learned from our previous sails along the coast about how quickly the wind direction could change and gusts come and then totally disappear. Adam soon rested the helm from Darrell, as we moved into the channel on the way to Martinique and the winds promptly picked up to 20+ knots. So we had a fast close reach across the channel, with quite a big sea. This quickly got Adam back into the rhythm of sailing! We were accompanied by two tropic birds, who circled above us and dived for fish. With Darrell back on the helm as we reached the northerly point of Martinique, Adam saw a huge pod of dolphins jumping in the water heading north. There must have been about fifty and swimming very quickly. A small group broke off and headed to us for a short while before heading after their group. They were not the bottle nose variety we have been accustomed to, but were smaller, darker going to black rather than grey and spotty.
We arrived safely in Saint Pierre in the early afternoon. It was devastated by the 1902 eruption of Mont Pelee, where about 30,000 people died and all the buildings were destroyed. There are some ruins of the fort, theatre, prison and churches. Although it has been rebuilt the town has never fully recovered the prominent status it once held, being known as "The Paris of the Caribbean" and a major trading port of the island. Only two people survived the eruption; a cobbler working in his cellar and a prisoner in his cell. Both protected by being underground, under thick stone walls and no windows for the hot gases to get in. We anchored in the bay, avoiding the twelve wrecks from the eruption, and then dinghied ashore to explore. Being an Overseas Department of France and Catholic, everything was closed, as it was Good Friday. This meant we probably did not see St. Pierre at it best. It was deserted, many of the buildings are way beyond shabby chic. Many have been derelict and left. The front has been developed but is in need of some care and attention. We did find somewhere for a drink and a meal, much to the boys delight they had Moules Frittes, which were very tasty, the best since Isle du Rey last September.
Saturday
Darrell and Adam went ashore early to get some provisions and croissants for breakfast. The fruit and veg market was a great hit and they returned with enough lettuce and watercress to feed the 5000.
After breakfast we braved the rain showers to go ashore to complete the customs regulations now the tourist office was open. Then we visited the museum dedicated to the eruption, but were disappointed as it is need of a major overhaul. We then wandered the ruins of the theatre and prison, relieved to note that all the information was in French and English. After a heavy rain shower we went in search of the botanic gardens. As an attraction they were hard to find and have not been maintained. We walked the couple of miles back into St Pierre and had a drink before going back to the boat. As we were sitting in the cockpit enjoying the respite from the drizzle, the quiet was shattered by a Caribbean celebration of Easter. It was call and response in structure with the common Caribbean rhythm under pinning the music. The crowd were singing and dancing along. After about an hour another group joined in about half a mile further along the front. Theirs was a more obvious service but had the same tunes amongst the preaching. These both went on well into the night and then were replaced by a party, with music going on until about 5.30am. The Sunday Easter service then started at 6 am with a peel of bells calling the faithful and waking everyone else up who had just managed to get to sleep!