For over a year, we have heard great things about the island of Martinique (Mar-tin-eek), so it was quite astonishing when we finally arrived after almost 1-1/2 years of sailing. Martinique is a French island, known for its fertile land and luxuriant vegetation. It’s tropical climate is similar to Hawaii’s year-round, and it’s two seasons are the “wet” season and the “dry”. The island’s natural landscape of beaches, coral reefs, hills, valleys, and Mount Pelée volcano make it a stunning locale. The French-Creole culture and tales of the island are fascinating, and the culinary fare is among the best in the world. What a place to call home for a time!
Our first stop upon entering the waters of Martinique was Saint Pierre, a small town known as the City of Art and History. It was founded in 1635 as the first permanent French colony. Upon entering the harbor, the beaches invited us, the church steeples greeted us, and the charming bay offered us great protection.
A large portion of the bay is filled with sunken ships from the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée. This area is marked off as a “no anchor zone”. There are mooring balls scattered throughout the southern part of the bay, and a large anchorage behind that. We found a sheltered space to anchor in 20-feet of crystal clear water. After a full day’s passage, we were eager to jump in and cool off before heading to town to check in.
Clearing in with customs was easy. Again, these French islands make it so convenient and simple for visitors. The customs and immigration computer is located in the Office of Tourism on N2, the main waterfront street, just right of the dinghy dock. The check-in process took five minutes and we were free to be in this beautiful country.
Over the course of a couple of days, we spent time walking around town, taking pictures, and touring a few of the historic and prominent structures. We enjoyed French-Caribbean food and picked out fresh, island-grown fruit from one of the many produce stands scattered around the island.
Saint Pierre was the island’s thriving commercial center in the 1800’s, known as “Paris of the West Indies.” That is, until May 8, 1902, when Mount Pelée Volcano erupted and utterly destroyed the city and its inhabitants. It killed 30,000 people and left only two survivors, a prisoner and a shoemaker. Ludger Sylbaris was one of the survivors. He was arrested and sent to prison the night before the eruption for assault in either a bar fight or a street brawl. Little did he know then, that this would be a blessing in disguise. He was put in a bomb-proof underground jail cell, the most sheltered building in the city, which ended up saving his life. Surprisingly, this prison cell still stands today.
Sylbaris didn’t walk away from the volcanic eruption unscathed, however. He was badly burned by the heat which radiated through the stone walls of his cell and left him with many scars. Years later, he got a job with the Barnum & Bailey’s circus and toured America as “the man who lived through Doomsday” and “the Most Marvelous Man in the World.
The Mémorial de la Catastrophe de 1902 is a vocanological museum in Saint Pierre that is well worth visiting. This small museum holds a vast amount of information that helped us better understand the history of Martinique, the tragic eruption of Mount Pelée, and the effect it has had on the island and its people. We felt like we were on a journey back in time as we read gripping testimonies from inhabitants and survivors, and examined old photos, vintage films, and petrified artifacts left behind by the catastrophe.
Saint Pierre is a precious town, not only because of its tropical beauty, but because of its colorful culture and rich history, mixed with triumph and struggle. It has been forever scarred by the eruption of the volcano; and yet, the scars make the people and the city an extraordinary masterpiece.