The damage caused by Lenny in Martinique was completely a result of storm surge slamming into the unprotected western shore of the island.  Rain and winds were not sufficient to cause any damage at all.  We had the opportunity to tour the island and witness some of the carnage.

Once the wind subsided on Saturday, we jumped into the car and headed over to Anse Mitan.  We were most interested in this location because we had planned to spend several days here.  It was the jewel of the island, with a string of restaurants and bars along a golden crescent beach.

On our arrival, we were astounded at what we saw.  First, the waves were extreme, enough to provide adequate entertainment for a half dozen surfers.  The beach was gone.  That’s right, gone.  There was no sand left, only boulders and garbage.  A sailboat had washed up on the shore, a victim of the storm surge and a miscalculation by its owner.  Many of the restaurants exhibited devastating damage when the water eroded the foundations and they collapsed.  Sand and garbage was strewn about everywhere.  The dock and restaurant at Ponton du Bakoua was completely washed away.

Having never seen this anchorage under normal circumstances, I was simply unable to imagine how it would look with 250 boats peacefully at anchor, with the beach abuzz with sunbathers, the bars and restaurants full of people.  Looking out across the water towards Fort de France, the water was still boiling with whitecaps and strong surf.  I could not imagine being on a boat anywhere near here.

Anse Mitan, Ponton du Bakoua (missing), and
Fort de France in the background.

Early next morning, I took the dinghy out of the harbor at Le Marin past Club Med towards Ste. Anne.  The club had experienced considerable beach erosion, as you could see the roots from the vegetation lining the shore.  Staff was already moving sand in an effort to restore the beach.  In Ste. Anne, the storm surge claimed two large sailboats, now washed up on shore.  You could see damaged concrete along the seawall in town that had collapsed when its foundation was washed away.

Later that day, we took the car for a day trip around the island.  We did not make it as far as St. Pierre, which was reported to have suffered massive damage.  The only storm damage we saw was in Fort de France, near the cruise ship terminal.  A seawall did not completely survive the pounding and much of the concrete had collapsed.  Garbage and rocks were strewn everywhere, as shown in the photos.

 

 

Looking closely though, you could see that there was not as much damage as you might think, once you removed the garbage.  Again, I could not imagine what the anchorage would look like under normal circumstances.

Finally, the next morning, we left Martinique and headed back to St. Lucia.  We encountered massive clumps of seaweed as we exited the harbor, but very soon the water became crystal clear and we could see bottom in 25 feet of water.  It was quite spectacular.  Off to starboard, the fishermen were at work, and everything seemed to be back to normal here.

St. Lucia

We arrived back in Rodney Bay later that day and proceeded directly to the Lagoon.  I had been concerned that the waves would still be sufficient to prevent entry into the Lagoon, but our worries were unfounded.  We anchored inside the second Lagoon and took it easy.

Next morning, we took a walk along Reduit Beach.  We were astounded to discover a new 5-foot drop to the beach from the porch at Spinnakers.  I was probably one of the last persons to walk normally off that porch a week earlier.  Carpenters were already at work repairing the porch.  The sand had been pushed inland some 100 yards, but was now piled in a huge mound beside the restaurant in preparation for its return to the beach.

The Royal St. Lucian Hotel and the Rex St. Lucian suffered extensive damage when sand eroded out from under a number of terraces.  They simply collapsed causing a real mess.  Storm surge had found its way into several first-floor ocean view rooms at the Royal.  We hoped that guests were wearing life jackets prior to being moved to another room by the Coast Guard.

 

Garbage, boulders, trees, and concrete lay scattered all along the shore.  Maintenance staff was trying to move sand around in an effort to re-open the beach.  I’m not certain if hotels guests were in the mood anyway, given that their holiday had been ruined by the whole thing.

There did not appear to be any damage inside the Lagoon, or at Marigot Bay, where we stayed two nights.  There was substantial damage to buildings along the shore in the town of Soufrière, next to The Pitons.  The Texaco station had been eliminated.  The recently completed offices of the Soufrière Marine Management Area (SMMA) were completely gutted by the surf.  There was substantial damage to the marina near the center of town.  By far, the worst damage I saw during the entire trip was to the homes along the shore.  Several dozen of them were affected, many beyond repair.  It was sad to witness a financially struggling community suffer this kind of setback.  It was clear that the Government of St. Lucia had no emergency funds to assist these people, or even repair its own infrastructure that had been damaged.

Somewhere Off The Coast of St. Vincent

For three days, the skies had been clear and the humidity low enough that we could see the entire island of Martinique as we sailed away to the south.  Even as we approached St. Vincent, we could still make out both St. Lucia and Martinique behind us on the horizon.  Truly a spectacular and rare sight, given the normal amount of moisture that usually lingers in the air.

The light winds out of the south meant that the wind was on the nose for our return home.  We were motoring.  Somewhere off the coast of St. Vincent, I glanced overboard and could not believe how clear and beautiful the water was.  I sudden feeling of relief came over me that, after nearly a week of rain, clouds, wind, and filthy harbor water, this scene of sunny skies and clear water it really hit home that things were finally back to normal.  I cut the engine and before the boat drifted to a complete stop, I had jumped over the stern for a swim in this beautiful water.

The other Suspects quickly joined in.  It is one of the great pleasures of the Caribbean to swim in such warm and clear water.  And, given the lack of opportunities in the dirty harbors of St. Lucia and Martinique that had protected us from Lenny, it was really great to be back in the water.  Afterwards, we poured a ceremonial “End of Lenny” rummer, started the diesel, and moved on.

Port Elizabeth, Bequia

We arrived back in Bequia November 26 and found a real difference from when we departed nearly two weeks earlier.  Mountains of golden sand lined the beach along the main part of town in Port Elizabeth.  This was a pleasant change, because the beach was previously lined with dark, dirty sand, small pebbles, and broken corals.

For the first time in many years, you could see bottom!  The storm surge flushed out the sediment that had accumulated over the years, and left beautiful golden sand along the bottom.  Any water that had become polluted was gone.  It was really a pleasant change, although some of the local residents who suffered damage might argue differently.

I took a dinghy ride through the harbor and discovered that much of the sand came from Tony Gibbons Beach.  It was now quite depleted, and a substantial number of coconut trees that lined the beach were destroyed.  That was sad.  The Harpoon Saloon was totally annihilated.  Daffodil’s dock was gone, and there was substantial damage to Schooner’s.  A large sailboat was washed on shore.  The road along Schooner’s collapsed as a result of erosion, and it was not certain how long it would be before the Government would repair it.  All in all, a very sorry sight.

The Blue Lagoon, St. Vincent 

The most favorable damage report came from Seth at Barefoot Yacht Charters in the Blue Lagoon.  There was no damage.  Nothing broke there despite the huge breakers that tried to make their way over the protective reef.  I took great comfort in knowing that my boat would be moored in this very safe spot.