It was hard to leave Antigua. After New Years we languished on it’s west coast, day sailing up and down it and dropping anchor in various
bays. There were just so many beautiful beaches to enjoy.
Frog Island
Can you find Serenada?
and beautiful sunsets
just before the green flash
Settled weather conditions (preferably without any north
component in the wind or seas) are needed to have a comfortable stay at anchor
on the island of Montserrat. As such favorable conditions appeared in the
forecast, we chose to take advantage of them. We had tried several times in the
past to get to Montserrat, but had never succeeded.
On the morning of our departure from Antigua, however, Gil
noticed that one of our spreader caps was hanging upside down. He cursed the
riggers who had done our rigging inspection back on the island of Grenada. They
had to remove the spreader caps to inspect the rigging behind them, but
obviously hadn’t secured them back into place with enough care.
If life begins at the edge of your comfort zone, then I lived that day.
Why was I up there and not Gil? By default; as the person on
deck had to do the hoisting, and I do not have the strength for that. I was
happy to be living when I got back down.
Montserrat's flag above HYC's burgee on Serenada
Montserrat's flag above HYC's burgee on Serenada
Montserrat's smoking volcano
On a clear day, Montserrat can be seen from Antigua. As we
sailed nearer, you could also see the gases rising from the Soufriere Hills volcano,
still active after all these years.
Soufriere Hills volcano
Montserrat has a remarkable history. Its’ volcano has
erupted numerous times between 1995 and 2010. Its’ population, once as high as
11,000 is now under 5,000. Half the island is an exclusion zone, and volcano
updates are given weekly by Radio Montserrat.
the flow that buried Plymouth
Gil & I took a tour with Joe Phillip, a life long
Montserratian. His personal story eclipsed his exceptional tour, and provided a
glimpse into the harsh life led by those who chose to stay on the island while
the volcano continued to be active.
The capital city of Plymouth was buried. Four story
buildings can no longer be seen. One bridge, which was about 15’ high, is now
buried by more than 30’ of mud flow material. The island’s coastline was changed
as a result of its’ volcanic activity.
Joe's neighbourhood, abandoned after erruptions
Joe took us into the site of his old neighbourhood (within
the exclusion zone), and we entered the remains of some of the homes, whose
occupants were evacuated ‘temporarily,’ almost 20 years ago; but then never permitted
to return. They essentially left with little more than an overnight bag. The images were haunting....
Prior to the volcano’s eruption, one of the island’s most
noteworthy residents was George Martin, who built a state of the art recording
studio here, and recorded records for the likes of The Beatles and others. He
organized a huge benefit concert (in England) whose proceeds went towards
rebuilding Montserrat.
From his own funds he had built a community theatre/auditorium,
and the art on its’ walls paid tribute to those who performed at the benefit
concert.
Paul McCartney
Our stay in Montserrat was short (but sweet), as an incoming
north swell threatened to make the anchorage uncomfortable.
Montserrat's anchorage in Little Bay
incoming barge
After only two
nights, we set sail for St. Kitts & Nevis. I’ll save that story for the
next blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment