Îles du Salut
Author: Shirlz
Monday, 2 July 2012
I spent my first day in the anchorage catching up on the sleep deficit and tidying things up. Just luxuriating in the beautiful surroundings.
Anchorage at Île Royale
Early the next morning I went ashore and followed the path that goes all around Île Royale which is the biggest of the three islands and has some restored buildings.
A footpath goes round the island
Every few meters along the path there are admonitory warning signs about slippery rocks, treacherous currents, high cliffs that you might fall over if not warned about, dangerous swimming. I wondered if each sign marked the site of a previous accident, in Brazil there might have been little shrines.
Hard to imagine that it was once a prison
Every day two or three huge catamarans arrive with day trippers. The black rocks surrounding the designated swimming area are soon draped with sunworshippers.
I walked inland to the higher part of the island and inspected the impressive lighthouse. On the way up I saw spangled butterflies, big, sky-blue-headed, lime-green-tailed lizards, free ranging chickens, a big pink pig and many agoutis.
There is a restaurant to cater for the catamaran visitors but I had no Euros so had to manage without a refreshment stop.
The last prisoners were taken off the islands in 1947 but the ruined buildings and the museum provide a chilling reminder of the old horrors.
Devils Island
Devil’s Island is the smallest of the three and is cut off by a narrow shark infested channel with a strong current. Hopefully now that they have stopped burying the frequent prison mortalities at sea, the sharks have moved along. This island was where long term deportees and political prisoners were kept. Dreyfuss spent his time here. According to the museum, Henri Charriér, who wrote about his daring escape from the island in his book Papillon, was actually imprisoned at Cayenne on the mainland. Well, it was a good read anyway.
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
Yesterday Suza off the yacht ‘Voyager’ gave me a ride across to Île Saint Joseph in their powerful RIB. It would have been a bit of a battle to row across the channel in Bokkom so I was very grateful. Again there is a well-maintained footpath all around the island. It’s no longer possible to explore the ruins of the old prison as they have become dangerous with falling rocks according to the warning notices.
The beach on Île Saint Joseph
I was happy to find a small beach where I could collect some sand for Sinbad’s litter tray.
Island graveyard
A less cheerful sight was the old graveyard for those who were priveleged enough not to be thrown to the sharks.
The prisoners bathing pool
At one point we looked down on the pool where the prisoners were allowed to wash. It was low tide and just a muddy puddle remained. Rotten luck if it was your day for the monthly dip.
Today it rained, which was very welcome as I was able to do some washing and top up the water tanks. The rain showers tend to be very localized and it can be rather frustrating to watch the rain pass by a few hundred meters away without leaving a drop on board.
Navy ship keeping an eye on things
Tomorrow I plan to move to Kourou as the Space Center will be launching a rocket and the area has to be cleared. Two navy ships have arrived to make sure that everyone leaves.
Tags: cruising, French Guiana, Îles du Salut
