14:44:3N 061:10:7W

St Pierre, Martinique
Monday 2nd Feb. 2015

Email contact
We went ashore at 0800, checked our email in the park. Sophie had sent one explaining Vincent was I'll. I said we were going to be in St Pierre their town that night and was sorry we could meet up. All wrong.....miracles do happen Vincent is feeling better and we are meeting tomorrow at 1100 at the local jetty.

Madonna at lot of bull!
Denis read we could walk to the Madonna statue we could see up on the hill. So off we trotted. Climbing up through the rainy afternoon, past beautiful old wooden houses....can't of been that old. In 1902 a huge volcanic eruption killed all but one person, who was in jail, in St Pierre. Even the ships in the harbour were sunk. We passed all the stages of the cross on the way up there; towards the top, right when we were thinking we should be there by now, I saw a chap with a very big bull on a chain. In my best French I asked where was the Madonna statue? The bull took an instant interest in me and advanced much too close, forcing me to back up and the local gentleman to struggle with chain. I was thinking about dodging the bull, which had great long horns, when the owner got him under control with a large handful of grass. Denis who had already passed by to a safe distance, didn't see that it was a close thing at all. But was pleased that I'd ascertained the Madonna was around the next bend. A stunning view there was too, augmented by many goats roaming wild around the statue.

Restaurant Search
Denis had also read in the pilot about a great restaurant called 'Escapade'. The rain was coming down in bucketfuls, I wasn't sure whether I was getting wet or being dried, the sun was still shining. We traipsed up and down the roads, eventually, by a crowd of people queueing under a large umbrella to buy slices of swordfish, we sheltered, intrigued that the fisherman was wielding his two machetes to slice up this huge fish...probably as bug around as I am. Eventually the rain eased enough for us to shelter in a local bar and try Lorraine.... a local beer! Very good too.

Restaurant found!
That evening we returned to shore, having first bailed the rain from the dinghy. I had the most wonderful meal of (fillet mignon du porc estaragon) Pork tenderloin and tarragon sauce.....delicious! La Tamaya. We had WiFi again and could use it to use Sea clear an online system to speed up customs clearance in Dominique.

Text received...Vincent well enough to meet tomorrow, yippee!... Change of plans, stay for another day.