Martinique, St Pierre and Fort de France

We are at a French internet cafe in Fort de France, and we are struggling to use a French keyboard.



It was a sad day for all when Stacy, Chris and Malinda departed from us on Wednesday March 11. Stacy had a very early morning flight out of Marigot, so required a 4:30 AM dinghy ride. Chris and Mal needed the same at a saner hour, and we took them over at 10:30 AM. We had such a wonderful time with all of our guests, and they added so much to our fun and enjoyment and provided so many memories for us. The time on board really flew by.


That afternoon Keith hired Albert to take him fishing. Purchased some baleyhoo and took a marginal rod/reel from the boat as well as a hand line, and headed off. Spent 50 EC dollars, 2-3 hours and a gallon of gas trolling, but nothing. Kathy was not at all surprised, and had a nice dinner prepared for us.


The next morning we sailed 2.5 hours south to Roseau, where we took a mooring ball just south of Fort Young. We were there two nights, having made arrangements to get our heads pumped and declogged. However after 6 hours of frustration, were unsuccessful. The Dominicans, though kind and well-intentioned, just did not have the where-with-all to take care of things. We tried blowing it out with compressed air from our scuba tank, a plumbers snake ( not enough AC power to run it) both below and above the deck, etc. Keith made about 10 dinghy runs getting people, plumbers, supplies, manual pumps, etc, but nothing worked. Paid them all 100 EC dollars just for their time, but really got nothing done except the port holding tank pumped, which did smell better. (Funny, Keith's berth is on the port side; what a coincidence).


Spent a day exploring Roseau. Has some very old and interesting architecture. We just walked the streets, visited the Catholic and Methodist churches, went in and listened to Vespers and choir practice, and ate dinner at the same cafe as a few days earlier. We must have walked into six other cafes, but none were serving. This time we watched "Cash Cab" instead of cricket matches. Curry goat was very good.


Below is a big cruise ship that came into Roseau the morning we sailed out to Martinique.

March 14th we sailed into Saint Pierre, Martinique on a single broad reach! It was a rough sail, 6 foot sea swells/waves and 20+ k winds. Peter got beat up pretty good by whipping jib sheets on the foredeck when he went up to reef the main. It remained really very windy right up until the last 400 meters till shore, and there were only 4-5 other boats, including one that was recently destroyed after washing up on the beach. We nearly pushed on to Fort de France, but decided to give it a try anyway. We are so glad we stayed. St Pierre was one of our favorite towns of the entire voyage.

When we arrived most everything was closed due to the strike. We checked in at the local internet cafe/Customs office...it's all on computer and do-it-yourself. And free!

Here's a view of St. Pierre. We sure could have used Stacy's French here!

This is where we anchored. The wind was really funky and we ended up rotating 360° in the night...thankfully no anchor issues.

No this is not our boat and I was not at the helm! Every boater that came in to port worried when they saw this beached Cat. Apparently this happened a week prior when a potent storm from the north hit... that was the night when our anchor slipped in Isle de Saints and Stacy saved us from a collision. The owner of this cat had not listened to the weather and went fishing the night of the accident. Expensive fishing trip.

We walked all around town and discovered a place where people were betting on cock fights. They asked if we wanted to stay, but after seeing the Gendarmerie we decided to leave. Saw some dead roosters, and a lot of money changing hands. Sort of creepy, actually.

A local river that runs thru town.

St Pierre has a very interesting history. Was the capital of Martinique and the Paris of the Caribbean, very cosmopolitan, sustained by extensive plantations. Mt Pele exploded in 1902, and despite days/weeks of warnings all 30,000 inhabitants were killed in a massive eruption, including sinking 12 ships anchored in the harbor. Only two survivors reputedly, including one Cyparis, a murderer housed in a local jail.

This was part of the fortification in the city.

What a parent won't do to get a good photo. And so natural. Isn't this what you do in your windows?


We think this was the home of Victor Hugo when he lived in St. Pierre.
This is on the grounds of the theatre/prison, virtually destroyed in the eruption. The theater sat over 800 people. This partial restoration reminds me of the Spanish Steps in Rome.

This is like Stacy, protesting when she had to leave the boat. Wierd statue, sort of Pompeii-esque.

The next morning Keith and I got up early and hiked up a hill to a lighted statue of The Virgin of Mariners, designed to guide all incoming ships. In the town is the Catholic Church that was a favorite of pirates, and they donated their booty to its support. The church has some beautiful carillon bells, and we heard them call the faithful several times a day in the harbor. Really quaint and beautiful.

Kathy ( or is this The Virgin). Mount Pelee is in the background of this picture.

As usual, I found a great bakery after the hike. We ate more calories than we walked off! Ate a chocolate eclair, pain du chocolate, and raisin cinnamon bun.

Kids are so cute. Always shy.

Our anchorage in St Pierre.

We have yet to see the "green flash", but we've seen many great sunsets.

Monday we sailed 3 hours south to Fort de France, Martinique. It is the largest city in Windwards. It looks like L.A., California!

Here is Fort St Louis, which is still in active use by the French Navy and closed to sight-seers. We anchored at the bottom of the sea wall in the lee.

This was quite the chore trying to type on a weird keyboard. It's a good thing I am typing for my mom. This is a Petter typage.

-KATHY!