S/V Nada: St.Pierre, Martinique

With our Slovene friends Majda and Peter, sailing with us from Le Marin, we chose the next destination to be St. Pierre.
Crossing the Baie de Fort de France in wind gusts is always exciting and this time was no exception. We slowed down as Martinique sheltered us and had barely enough wind to sail to St. Pierre without motoring.
The Paris of the Caribbean until 1902, when St. Pierre, the commercial, cultural and social center of Martinique with population of 30.ooo, was burned by lava, gasses, mud and rocks. Two people survived the eruption of Mt. Pelee volcano, the cobler working in his cellar and a prisoner in a stone cell.
Twelve ships anchored in the bay were also distroyed.
St. Pierre was rebuilt, but somr ruins remain. There is also a museum telling the tragic story.