St Pierre, France 46:46.6N 56:10.5W
Millybrown
Mark Hillmann
Sun 7 Sep 2008 22:12
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Yes, France and you have to talk French in the
shops as few people talk English. If I lived as close as this to the US
and Canada I might do the same. Now we have French wine
and cheese but have already finished the bread and
croissants. Much better they could also fill our two camping gaz bottles,
so we have enough for this year now.
The sail into St Pierre was exciting as well:
A beautiful sunny early morning was followed by a thunderstorm and then a
good breeze to roll us into this little island group.
Then you arrive and the obvious entry
route has "passage interdit" on the charts. Why? So you go half
a mile further to the other entry. When I asked later, I was told it could
be a bit tricky at night with the town lights behind the harbour. Customs
and immigration then with the enthusiasm of a small island with little else to
do.
We had to pay for our berth for the first
time since the Faroes, but not resented as they have power,
water, wi-fi reception on the boat, showers, washing machine and
drier. We are at a proper sailing club/school in the French tradition with
hoards of kids getting taught every morning
We walked up the main hill of the island,
which Assaf thought was much like Jerusalem, a rocky hill with low
vegetation. But you say, "Surely it is much much colder
there" and you would be wrong.
Apparently there was fog in St Pierre every day of July, but summer is
today and the town is full of frenchmen in
shirt sleeves like any French town.
St Pierre was a major fishing town until all the
cod on the Grand Banks were caught in the 1960s, followed by two other fish
species and the local crabs. Said here to be an example of a complete
failure to learn.
If France did not support the town with admin jobs
it would be in a bad way. My comment: "That is why the houses are all so
beautifully painted, there is little else to do" is much too close to the truth
for comfort. The climate is unsuitable for holidays (except
today) and it is too far from France for anything useful. It will have to
become a tax haven.
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