Les Saintes
Under a pale blue sky with puffy white clouds scudding along the horizon, we sailed into the picturesque bay of Terre Haute, the larger of the two inhabited seven islets that comprise “The Saints.” The small village of Bourg sits in the middle of the welcoming arms of the bay. Christopher Columbus sailed by these islands on All Saints Day 1493 and named them after the feast. After a brief period of Spanish ownership, The Saints were colonized by France in the 1640s, along with Guadeloupe (1635) to the north and Martinique (1636) to the south. Unlike the rich sugar islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, The Saints were too small to be of use for the commercial production of an exportable crop. There is presently no major industry on The Saints except the ferry bringing tourists from Guadeloupe and smaller sailing yachts.
The town of Bourg is a delightful blend of Caribbean and French architectural features. There is one main street, which follows the crescent shape of the bay. Brightly colored shops, bakeries, jewelry stores, dress shops with multi-colored French Creole dresses, restaurants, ice cream vendors, and art galleries line both sides of the street. There is a lovely Catholic church centrally situated on this main street. This morning’s service must have run late as the choir was still singing a full-throated hymn as we approached. The Saints are part of the Department of Guadeloupe and, as such, has approximately the same relationship to France as Hawaii has to the mainland United States. In fact, it is mainland France’s taxes that are the principal economic factor sustaining these islands.
Our first port of call on Terre Haute was the very imposing Fort Napoleon, which sits dramatically perched on top of the highest hill above the village. We arrived at the entrance of the fort at 9 a.m. ready for the day’s excursion. This imposing structure was begun in 1844 and completed in 1867. It was named after Napoleon III, a nephew of Emperor Napoleon. It has never seen any active combat but was built as a defensive fortification and, perhaps just as importantly, as a physical symbol of French presence. Today, the major building in the fort functions as a museum and contains a wonderful diorama of an important sea battle fought on April 12, 1782, between these islands and Dominica just to the south. The English Admiral Rodney soundly routed the French Admiral de’Grasse, who was allowed to flee. The battle engaged almost 75 ships. At one point, the smoke from the cannons was so dense that a halt was called to the fighting for an hour so the wind could carry the smoke away. The French lost more than 2,000 sailors while their British counterparts lost 243—two English and six captains were killed. Fort Napoleon is also justifiably famous for a botanical garden devoted exclusively to cacti.
It would not have been a full day on Sea Cloud without an opportunity for snorkeling and a swim. We rode Zodiacs to a pristine white sandy beach for our snorkeling. There, elegantly drooping coconut palms greeted us and gently swayed in the soft afternoon breeze. The fish accommodated us and were out in great profusion. We were all back aboard for lunch. The Sea Cloud sailed from these jewel-like islands at 2 p.m. Alberto Montaudon gave us a wonderful lecture on the ecology of the coral reef and reviewed the many fish we have seen. As a finale, Tom O’Brien gave a splendid talk on the history of the Sea Cloud before dinner. Tom’s talk was followed by a Champagne reception and an open house in the original cabins. The original staterooms are breathtakingly beautiful and have working fireplaces! Then we went to dinner in the original dining room and library where, with vivid conversation, we celebrated the richness of the day and then off to bed. Tomorrow: St. Lucia.
