Les Saintes
Daybreak at 6:07. The light crept into my cabin and teased me out of bed. I imagined that I heard the sound of the Marseilles! We had landed in the French Antilles and were about to disembark on a group of islands called Les Saintes. Like other islands we visited, Columbus also named Les Saintes. These islands are politically a department of the French overseas Department of Guadeloupe France, and as such they have the same status as any region of France, e.g., Burgundy. They send both senators and representatives to the legislature in Paris. Most of the permanent inhabitants are French citizens. These islands are not heavily visited and retain much of their Gallic flavor.
Our arrival on the main island of Terre-de-Haut was undoubtedly a surprise to many of our guests. On first impressions, it was hard to imagine we were on an island in the Caribbean. The village Bourg des Saintes nestled around the Anse Mire is decidedly French in flavor and the people are mostly European. The total population of the village is approximately three thousand. The language of the inhabitants is not a local patois, as we found in Dominica, but a dialect of standard French as those of us who purchased items found out. The standard of living is substantially higher than the other islands we had visited owing to the close connection with France. The original Breton colonists did not intermarry with the local Indian populations and the islands were never large enough to warrant large plantations and so slavery was never a major factor in their settlement. Sugar production played almost no part in their history. The eight islands which make up the archipelago are only six square miles. So in truth, here we were nestled in "la belle France" thousands of miles from the old world.
The village was laid out along a beautiful crescent beach. Most of us chose explore its narrow streets and passageways. We discovered a local physician's home built in the shape of a ship. Les Saintes proved to be a great place for shopping. I saw many taking advantage of this last opportunity.
The view from Fort Napoleon is breath taking and shows the strategic importance of these islands during the French and English conflict. After the French commander de Grasse was defeated by the British Admiral Rodney in April 12, 1782 in the great battle of “The Saints”, French expansion was limited in this area. Those who went snorkeling reported sighting very interesting fish here.
Before returning to the Sea Cloud II for lunch, a number of us took the opportunity to rest ourselves along the quayside soaking up the ambiance and had a fresh squeezed tropical juice or cold beer. We left for lunch on the Sea Cloud and at 1:30 we sailed out of “The Saints.” The Sea Cloud II listed in the wind ever so gently. Tom Heffernan gave a talk on the Sugar: The White Gold of the Antilles” which was followed by fresh made waffles and ice cream. We continued to sail past the butterfly shaped beautiful island of Guadalupe.
Daybreak at 6:07. The light crept into my cabin and teased me out of bed. I imagined that I heard the sound of the Marseilles! We had landed in the French Antilles and were about to disembark on a group of islands called Les Saintes. Like other islands we visited, Columbus also named Les Saintes. These islands are politically a department of the French overseas Department of Guadeloupe France, and as such they have the same status as any region of France, e.g., Burgundy. They send both senators and representatives to the legislature in Paris. Most of the permanent inhabitants are French citizens. These islands are not heavily visited and retain much of their Gallic flavor.
Our arrival on the main island of Terre-de-Haut was undoubtedly a surprise to many of our guests. On first impressions, it was hard to imagine we were on an island in the Caribbean. The village Bourg des Saintes nestled around the Anse Mire is decidedly French in flavor and the people are mostly European. The total population of the village is approximately three thousand. The language of the inhabitants is not a local patois, as we found in Dominica, but a dialect of standard French as those of us who purchased items found out. The standard of living is substantially higher than the other islands we had visited owing to the close connection with France. The original Breton colonists did not intermarry with the local Indian populations and the islands were never large enough to warrant large plantations and so slavery was never a major factor in their settlement. Sugar production played almost no part in their history. The eight islands which make up the archipelago are only six square miles. So in truth, here we were nestled in "la belle France" thousands of miles from the old world.
The village was laid out along a beautiful crescent beach. Most of us chose explore its narrow streets and passageways. We discovered a local physician's home built in the shape of a ship. Les Saintes proved to be a great place for shopping. I saw many taking advantage of this last opportunity.
The view from Fort Napoleon is breath taking and shows the strategic importance of these islands during the French and English conflict. After the French commander de Grasse was defeated by the British Admiral Rodney in April 12, 1782 in the great battle of “The Saints”, French expansion was limited in this area. Those who went snorkeling reported sighting very interesting fish here.
Before returning to the Sea Cloud II for lunch, a number of us took the opportunity to rest ourselves along the quayside soaking up the ambiance and had a fresh squeezed tropical juice or cold beer. We left for lunch on the Sea Cloud and at 1:30 we sailed out of “The Saints.” The Sea Cloud II listed in the wind ever so gently. Tom Heffernan gave a talk on the Sugar: The White Gold of the Antilles” which was followed by fresh made waffles and ice cream. We continued to sail past the butterfly shaped beautiful island of Guadalupe.
