ST LUCIA TO MARTINIQUE

ST LUCIA TO MARTINIQUE

APRIL 21, 2017

We departed Marigot Bay for St Anne Bay, Martinique at 1030 hrs on Friday April 21^st.  It’s only 30 nm but we got a late start because the Harbor Master didn’t show up at his office until 1000 hrs – such is life in the idyllic Windward Islands.  The Trade Winds were rather light on this trip; blowing 12-15 kts with an occasional 20 kt.  The St Lucia Strait has a reputation for being boisterous and rough but, on this occasion, it was remarkably well behaved; I don’t remember anything over 4’.

With the exception of Martinique, many of the islands exchanged hands between the English and French as the fortunes of war favored one or the other.  As a colonial power, the English exploited the natural resources of the islands without investing a lot of money in the infrastructure. Given the hierarchical structure of their country: monarchy, aristocracy, Upper Class, etc, they were, and continue to be, class conscious.  Since most of the local population were former slaves and uneducated, the English brought in East Indians to manage the mundane tasks that an established bureaucracy needed.  There was very little mixing between the English and those they ruled.

The French, on the other hand, considered Martinique to be an overseas extension of mainland France.  They exploited the natural resources of the land but invested large amounts of money in building an infrastructure and mixing with the local population.  This doesn’t mean that they weren’t class conscious but they didn’t have problems with interracial breeding.  This has resulted in a population that is a mixture of all the races that were brought into Martinique.  To enter Martinique is to enter the sphere of European French culture.  It is highly developed, modern and enjoys all the benefits of mainland France.

We dropped anchor at 1630 hrs in St Anne Bay in 20’ water depth on a sandy bottom:  14-26.030’ N; 060-53.230’ W.  This is a small town on the southeastern part of the bay that leads to Le Marin.  The surrounding area is pleasant and well protected.  The formalities for entering Martinique are all done on a computer in a designated restaurant: US$3.00.  It is the same for checking out:  how great is that?  We weren’t planning to stay long in St Anne so we took care of some provisions at Carfour in Le Marin and weighed anchor for St Pierre at 0906 hrs on April 23^rd.  It’s about 30 nm from St Anne to St Pierre.  For the most part we had an ESE Trade Wind at 15 kts with 3’ seas and protected by the landmass.  Some motoring was necessary during shadowing of the wind by the landmass. At 1600 hrs, we dropped anchor at St Pierre in 16’ water depth with 110’ chain out: 14-44.445’ N; 061-10.661’ W  Saint-Pierre is not as well protected as St Anne.  It is open from the North to the SW.  The bottom falls off sharply so one has to anchor fairly close in. 

Saint-Pierre was once a great trading center with about 30,000 inhabitants.  It was completely destroyed in 1902 by an eruption from Mount Pelee which killed the entire population with the exception of two individuals:  a criminal and a carpenter.  It has never been restored to its former glory but remains an interesting study in what a pyroclastic flow can do.  Many of the rebuilt homes, in the center of the city, use one or two of the old walls that remained after the rest were destroyed.  There is an interesting Vulcanological Museum that depicts the unfolding of that great tragedy.  The stupidity and ignorance of the local officials, at that time, reminded me of Heinrik Ibsen’s play “An Enemy of The People”.

The French islands deserve a lot more time to explore and enjoy.  I have always admired the free-spirited independence of the French.  They are imaginative, creative and adventurous; many are excellent yachtsmen.