Montserrat - Volcanic Destruction

Blogger: Gill

Off at 6am to sail to Montserrat. As we rounded the corner of Nevis we could see the island 30 miles away, with a tablecloth of clouds covering the summit and we were hit by wite topped waves and an easterly wind. Just too easterly for us to sail so we resigned ourselves to motor sailing with the main and genoa up. Dick and Mary on Alacazam overtook us about five miles out. Their light boat points a lot higher than ours and they were happily sailing. Damn! 

Arrived in Little Bay in the north of Montserrat at 2 pm and anchored off the black pebble beach. Then to check in. What a performance. Four custom/ police officers. Four different stories of how to do it. We followed Dick and Mary around the process and unanimously decided a strong beer was in order when we finally succeeded in checking us and Petronella in.

Montserrat, which is British, was devastated by volcanic eruptions when Mont Soufriere exploded in 1995, and over the next fifteen years covered the southern half of the island in volcanic ash. This was followed by mud slides which completely covered the main town of Plymouth, causing the 9,000 inhabitants to either move elsewhere or leave the island. The new capital is Little Bay but there is not a lot there. A few bars, a cultural centre donated by George Martin who had a recording studio on the island and some small supermarkets. 

Smallscale industry. The weaver's factory on Montserrat

We hired a guide for the day and he took the four of us round the island. The whole of the southern half is off limits to visitors as the volcano is still active but Joe took us as close as we could get, to his old house, now hidden in the jungle, to a hotel now full of ash, to two storey buildings now buried with just with the roof showing. He had photos of what these looked like before the eruption and it was sobering stuff. It was a rich island with lovely colonial houses and the best are now gone for ever. Over everything the volcano looms, smoking away and clouds of sulphur dioxide float down towards the old town, making the air smell of rotten eggs.

Weekly volcano bulletin

Mount Soufriere covered in cloud and gas

One of many houses now reclaimed by the jungle

Large iguana ambling across a lawn

This used to be Plymouth, capital of Montserrat. Now all buried beneath lava and mud flows.

Back at Little Bay we took advantage of the lovely walking country with good trails to explore the beaches around. Just round the corner from Little Bay we found a completely deserted beach, palm tree fringed with beautiful white sand and warm crystal clear sea. A picture postcard paradise beach. And with loggerhead turtle tracks up the beach to where they had laid their eggs. Wow wow. The swimming was great and our costumes stayed dry! 

"Our" beach

On "our" beach after a fine naked swim.

Loggerhead turtle tracks leading to their nests

Sunday saw us negotiating the minefield of trying to check out without paying £45 for overtime rates. Alacazam managed it first and then we went in, and had a long discussion with the official before we persuaded him that all four people we had spoken to on checking in assured us we wouldn't have to pay. In the end he gave in but it was a pretty chaotic process and doesn't make you want to go back, which is a shame because it is a lovely island with friendly people. Curry on board Petronella with Dick and Mary then an early night ready for the next country!