Michael Aye Nautical and Historical Novelist
St. Lucia by Michael Aye
Pat and I returned from St. Lucia this past Saturday and we had a wonderful trip. It was hard to get back on the plane for the return trip but was too broke not to. We were able to visit Pigeon Point/Island where the British used to send up a lookout to spy on the French fleet on Martinique which is 15 miles away and clearly visible. Later the British built a fort on the top of the point and when there was French movement would send a pigeon down to alert the commander. We also took a trip over to Martinique. I saw the fort there, but was unable to go inside as the French Navy is now using the Fort as an active base. You have to arrange a visit ahead of time. I had been told it was an open attraction.
We also had the opportunity to visit "The Diamond" or Diamond Rock. I was amazed at the pock-marked appearance that our guide said was from French cannon balls. He said divers will still bring up the odd "piece" leftover from when the "rock" was used to control the approaches to Martinique. Lifting the heavy cannons up to the rock from the deck of a ship was truly a feat. I had the opportunity travel over most of St. Lucia and was amazed at how "3rd world" most of the islanders lived. A lot of the houses were nothing more than pieced together shacks built on a steep slope. The foundations ranged from concrete to rocks and tree stumps to bamboo poles lashed together. There was no apparent electricity or running water. We saw people wash clothes and dishes in the river and not 20 feet away kids playing naked in the water. At one place a horse was in the water on one side of a bridge and on the other (downstream side) people were bathing. The people in St. Lucia are all very friendly and outgoing even if they are poor.
On the trip back a doctor from England went into premature labor and I thought I was going to have to deliver a baby at sea. We were able to stop her contractions but with some simple medical techniques and she was fine. I also meta lot of tourists from all over England and exchanged some business cards and email addresses.
-Michael Aye