Our last stop in Martinique turned out to be one of our favourites. Lying at the foot of Mt. Pelee, St. Pierre was once the commercial, cultural and social centre of the island but on 8th May 1902, Mt. Pelee erupted killing the nearly 30,000 inhabitants of the town, leaving only two survivors. Twelve ships in the anchorage were destroyed and the town was left in ruins, some of which can still be seen today.

The anchorage is in a lovely setting and the town was bustling with shops and restaurants catering to locals and visitors alike. The daily produce market is next to the fish market which was a hive of activity the day some local fishermen brought in a huge shark they had caught. Cries of ‘Requin’ could be heard in the anchorage as the fishmonger announced that he had ‘Shark’ for sale.

Once stocked up with some French goodies for Christmas, we waved ‘au revoir’ to Martinique and headed north for Dominica, our first new island of the season.