Au Revoir Saint Pierre et Bonjour Anse Mitan. .....Brian here

Well after three days of hiking throughout St.Pierre if was time to go. We walked from the south end where a statue of The Virgin Mary gazes down on the anchorage to the North side where the Depaz Distillery continues to operates on the flank of mount Pellee amongst fields of sugar cane. Everything between had been destroyed by the eruption of May 8, 1902. There are many poignant reminders of the power of nature and the foolishness of man. There is not enough room here to explore the previous statement fully. We recommend doing some internet research or better still come and see for yourself.

The Virgin. She was knocked off her pedestal in the eruption and replaced several years after. Curiously, the statue is well flood lit at night but to walk to it there are no signs. We just started on a road walking uphill and came across the stations of the cross which just stopped. Then at the end of the road we turned right and decided we were going in the wrong direction so we turned around and walked uphill until the pavement stopped. Then we turned around again and followed the road past where we turned figuring it would lead us back down the hill to the sea. Well it just petered out and there she was down a dirt path guarded by goats!

The View we saw.

1902

Now for the RUM!

Mount Pelle amongst the sugar cane and the estate property.

This estate was wiped out but has obviously rebounded after 114 years. They had a very informative museum with a self guided tour. Some sampling was provided as well. Enough said! But no purchases were made. 

In Between!

Ruins!

May 8, 1902 was a Thursday, in fact is was "Assecention Day" according to the Roman Catholic Faith. So when the disaster struck many of the estimated 30,000 victims would have been in church. As a Christian I would say; "What a way to go", considering that "to be absent from the body is to be in the presence of The Lord"! The pryroplastic blast would have killed most of them instantly. Only two people were known to have survived. Following are some pictures of places of worship and a cemetery that shows the brute force of that day.

From closest to furthermost from the mountain:

This was not an insignificant structure.

Closer to the Centre of town this church is still being restored.

The stained glass is spectacular but rather secular as well. The bells are rung on the hour.

A memorial and just two of the many tortured graves.

Saint Pierre has never recovered. Today it has a population of about 5000. 

One other worthwhile adventure was a walk to the Earth Sciences Centre that is built on the slopes of Mount Pelee. It is dedicated to research and understanding of volcanic activity. They continue to monitor Pelee and provide educational opportunities. One film in particular explained the plate tectonics and how the islands were formed. It's amazing that you don't know, what you don't know! 

Now for our trip to Anse Mitan.

We had intended to sail leisurely down the west coast and observe the towns along the way. What actually happened...have we ever mentioned that all plans made down here are done in sand at low tide?...first of all, no wind, second of all, numerous showers, third of all,a when the wind and showers combined it was on the nose. Consequently we did our best "trawler" imitation and motored the whole day! Well the batteries sure enjoyed it so all was not lost except a few burned up dinosaurs. Thank goodness for good canvas!

Ta Ta for now!