Captain's Log Page 14

Tideline Yacht Sales
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      Martinique has a very interesting history, particularly as pertains to Napoleon. His wife Josephine was born and brought up on a plantation there. There is a large rock that guards the entrance to the island, and the British seized the rock to blockade the French island. They named it in the same manner they would have named a ship – HMS. There was a devastating earthquake on the island at the beginning of the 20th Century. A prisoner managed to escape from jail as a result, but the earthquake was of such a magnitude that he actually stayed and helped save many lives. He was pardoned and released as a result of his actions.

Our next destination was Guadeloupe, another French island. It is butterfly-shaped, and less developed or well known as Martinique. There is a world famous research facility that was started by Jacques Cousteau, and divers from all over the world come to dive there as a result. We used it as a stopping off point more than anything else, and had to "clear" into customs and immigration by leaving our forms in a basket outside the office!

After a good nights rest, and refill of baguette, we departed again for St Maarten. This course took us past Montserrat, which is an active volcano. It had erupted that year, and there was uncertainty as to whether it would erupt again. We decided to sail on the windward side of the island, just in case. However, we were curious and were no more than 2 miles offshore. If the volcano had decided to erupt at that time, it is doubtful that we would have been unscathed.

From our vantage point it was obvious to see the devastation the lava flow had wreaked. The entire northeastern portion of the island looked like a moonscape, and reminded me of Ascension Island, for the same reasons. The flow had come all the way down to the sea on the eastern side, and had effectively "cut" the island in two. It would take a long time and a lot of money to restore the island.

We arrived at St Maarten in the morning, and had to wait for the bridge opening to allow us into Simpson Bay lagoon. Until recent years the lagoon had been an acceptable hurricane hole, and boats used to hide during hurricane season there. One year they had two hurricanes pass over the island within ten days of each other, and that had destroyed its reputation as a safe haven. continue to page 15 >>