On May 18 we motored the 36 nm down to St. Pierre, Martinique.\u00a0 In the past we have had some rolly experiences at St. Pierre, but this time it was nice and calm.\u00a0 When we arrived we learned that a heritage celebration was to begin that day, so we walked up to the ruins of the theatre and found a tent and seating erected in what had been the foyer.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the performance, which consisted of a long and dramatic soliloquy accompanied by a busy percussionist, was entirely in French.\u00a0 We were seated much too close to the front to consider leaving early, and anyway it was fun to watch the audience react to the performer.\u00a0 As we were heading back toward the dock we encountered a parade filled with bands and people costumed in a manner clearly intended to evoke the heritage of the island.<\/p>\n
Next day, the Takks<\/em> and the Terns<\/em> walked northward out of town and visited the Earth Sciences Centre, not to be confused with the Pel\u00e9e eruption museum that is up on the hill overlooking the bay and is much closer to the center of town.\u00a0 To get to the Science Centre, one walks along the road toward Pr\u00e9cheur, crosses the bridge into the Fort District and passes the ruins of the Fort Church.\u00a0\u00a0 Eventually one arrives at the Centre, instantly recognizable by its imposing modern boxy construction.\u00a0 We had read that hand-held audio devices were available for English translations of the extensive exhibits; alas, they were not functioning when we arrived.\u00a0 The pictures were interesting anyway.\u00a0 There was also a nearly one-hour long film about Pel\u00e9e and other volcanoes, also in French, but thankfully accompanied by large legible subtitles.\u00a0 Very well done, unlike the lousy film we saw some years ago at the Volcano center in Montserrat.<\/p>\n On the way to the Centre we passed a tree that was alive with colorful and noisy birds high up in a tree.\u00a0\u00a0 I returned later and took some of pictures of what turned out to be Village Weavers.\u00a0 Imports from Africa, they are said to be common and widespread in Hispaniola, but are otherwise not found in the Caribbean except on the north end of Martinique.\u00a0 As I photographed the birds it soon became apparent that only the males were busy weaving new nests; the females merely stood off and watched the activity. \u00a0Does that seem fair?<\/p>\n When St. Pierre was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Pel\u00e9e in May 8, 1902, there were 13 vessels in the then-busy harbor.\u00a0 All but one sank; the remaining 12 now serve as a seductive attraction for those of us who scuba dive.\u00a0 Many are too deep for normal non-decompression dives, but one large vessel sits upright with its bow just at the limits:\u00a0 the Roraima, <\/em>400 feet long and 65 feet wide.\u00a0 Although it sits in 165 feet of water, the attached mooring line runs down directly to the bow, the top of which is listed at 115 feet.\u00a0 Barb doesn\u2019t like to dive wrecks, and is especially disinclined to dive deep ones.\u00a0 Hunter, always a generous and accommodating man, had little interest in the dive, but when he learned that Barb had turned down the opportunity:\u00a0 \u201cnot just \u2018no\u2019, but \u2018hell no\u2019\u201d, he volunteered to accompany me.\u00a0 We were submerged for only 21 minutes total, including going up and down and hanging on the line for a safety stop on the way up.\u00a0 When we reached the wreck I dipped down to circle the bow and my computer registered 135 feet maximum depth, a figure that suggests that my computer has begun registering depth inaccurately.\u00a0 With the dive so short, there wasn\u2019t time to see much; the most salient feature was the presence of at least a dozen huge lionfish hanging at the bow.\u00a0\u00a0 We came up with lots of air still in our tanks, but with our computers showing that we had been right at the limit of our acceptable nitrogen levels.\u00a0\u00a0 Ah well, at least we can brag that we have dived a casualty of the famous Pel\u00e9e eruption.<\/p>\n On May 20 we moved 15 nm down to Anse Mitan, where we went ashore and did some modest sightseeing on foot. \u00a0While there, we also checked in to Martinique, the office in St. Pierre having been closed either for the weekend or a holiday during our entire stay. \u00a0We stopped at a vegetable and fruit stand, where a very friendly lady sold us a number of items, all of which were so delicious that I was almost tempted to return back after we had gone further south. \u00a0And a gregarious man showed me his fishing nets and the fish and fish soup he was preparing on a small fire on the beach. \u00a0All of this in French of course, with a bit of broken English on their part and no French on mine. \u00a0On the 22nd<\/sup> we moved 5 nm to Grande Anse D\u2019Arlet, where we also did some walking.\u00a0 And then on the 23rd<\/sup> we traveled the 15 nm to the outer reaches of the bay at Cul-de-Sac du Marin, where we could continue to get cooling breezes but were protected from waves by a series of reefs, and where the waters are much cleaner than the eastern anchorage with its hundreds and hundreds of vessels.<\/p>\n On the 25th<\/sup> we hosted a \u201cnoodle party\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 We provided the rum drinks and threw lines with floats out behind our boat so that the guests would not be swept away.\u00a0 Everyone brought his\/her own noodle for floatation.\u00a0 Arctic Tern<\/em>, Zero to Cruising<\/em>, Aries Too<\/em>, Oceana<\/em>, Nahanni River<\/em>, and a lady from Brazil on Tau\u00e0 <\/em>all participated.<\/p>\n After waiting for days for the winds to subside, we departed Marin on May 30, headed for St. Lucia.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n\t\t