St Pierre (Martinique) - General Info
Where is St. Pierre?
Saint-Pierre is located around 30 kilometres north of Fort-de-France on the north west coast of the island of Martinique, at the foot of the famous Pelée mountain volcano.
Once the economic capital of the French West Indies, St Pierre was practically destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 1902 which killed nearly 30,000 people. Struck off the list of French municipalities for many years, Saint-Pierre rose from its ashes in the 1920s to become a town in its own right again. In the districts of the Fort and the Centre, ruins stand as moving reminders of this tragic event: the Fort Church, the colonial health centre, the Engineering offices, the old theatre and the Figuier trading premises.
Entrance Notes and Cautions for St. Pierre:
The substantial town pier/dock is used by charter boats and ferries most of the time.
Cruiser Highlights for St. Pierre:
Once described as a small Paris, it is now a peaceful little community on the NW coast of the island. It’s a pretty town to visit and nearby are a couple of interesting distilleries. While the charming harbour is equally among the cruising community, it is also of great interest to divers with its many shipwrecks, which sank to the sea bed on the day of the great volcanic eruption.
Position:
14.44°N, 61.11°W (Anchorage)
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The Tourist Office for clearance has moved. It’s now in the white building with the yellow roof at the end of the parking area at the right of the dock (2 minutes walk).
Obtained limited internet on our boat while anchored in the bay with assistance of booster antenna. Network was named WIFI-ST PIERRE. Provide your name and email address when prompted to receive a random login/password that will give you 60-90 minutes of internet access. The same login/password will work for additional bite-size access on subsequent days. Really nice service to email family upon safe arrival to the island.
Anchored in a narrow band of reasonable depth water to the north of the pier – good holding in sand. On the first approach from the sea, the town looks a bit run down and unappealing. This was not the case, we discovered interesting historic sites dotted around the town, left untouched since the volcanic eruption, had a walk to the lovely dipaz distillery and found a friendly dive centre (ADE Plongee), with good diving nearby. It had a great fresh market, good supermarket, and the L’Alsace A Kay café provided a relaxing and hospitable place to access Wi-Fi and do clearances – it was a varied and enjoyable stop for us.
For those of us who do not speak French, I can recommend an English-speaking guide. The tours are all in French so he will translate for you. He is an ex-lawyer (don’t hold that against him) and just does this for fun and tips. You can contact him on his email: yves.desire@laposte.net
Early December 2018
No town Wifi or freshwater taps yet.
We did not use our dinghy stern anchor and did not have any issues. Dinghy stayed tied up (and locked) on the town dock for up to 6 hours with no issues. The “no dinghy” zone (for the ferry) is marked in light spray paint, on the side of the dock. Can confirm that the dinghy dock smells…ripe.
Many fish, starfish, eels, and crabs at the anchorage.
Laundromat — it’s on N2 (Rue Bouille) on the east side, past Cercle de Saint-Pierre and papa d’lo. Open 7h-19h and I think 7 days a week if I interpreted the sign correctly. Washes are 5, 8, or 9 euro depending on which machine you use (they are different sizes). Drying is 1E per 10 minutes; the dryers are very large. 1E for a dose of detergent powder, I guess for if you did not bring your own.
There is possibly another laundromat in town too.
There is a large, cheap, home goods shop next to Ecomart (just south of Ecomart)…lots of inventory — home goods, personal care, etc. Most items seem to be made in China or France. Picked up some sewing and kitchen items that were a great value.
Another home goods store just south of 8aHuit. They sell Madras fabric by the metre.
The rental car was 45E when we reserved the day before. You may be able to get a better price if you reserve in advance. All available cars were stuck shift.
There is a tourist train called Train Cyparis. You can take it for 15E (leaves at 11h most days). The tour is conducted in French. We were lucky that their English-speaking guide was available when we were there. It’s worth calling and asking in advance if Yves will be there. The tour route doesn’t really cover that much ground, but Yves provided a lot of knowledge and history that is not available elsewhere.
It is a quiet and lovely town.
Finding a good anchor spot in St Pierre was easier than expected, try to find a spot close to one of the beaches, there is a reef near the rocky coast. We arrived during a busy weekend day, but when we left there were only a handful of boats. You can leave your dingy on the dock, which smells like mouldy swimwear. There is a market every morning with fresh fish and vegetables.
There is one clearance terminal at the tourism office, which was working fine while we were there. There is a second Clearance Computer located at the restaurant L’Alsace A`Kay. This is a good option for those who arrive after the Tourism Office is closed, or on weekends. To find it, walk off the main dock, turn right, and walk about one block. The restaurant/café/store will be on the left side. Also, there are plans to build more cruiser accommodations, such as fresh water taps on the dock, and better wifi int he anchorage. Very nice town to visit, and excellent diving!
Travis and Joanne
s/v Calico Jack