Normandy in the Sun

Bourg les Saintes

Bourg les Saintes is occupied by a predominantly white population, descended from original Norman settlers. It has escaped the tourist development and so, has itself become a tourist draw. Visitors flock on the day boats from Guadeloupe but, out of hours, it is as sleepy as a Fenland village.

Crested Hummingbird

Matthew and I climbed the hill to Fort Napoleon and were treated to stunning views over the islands and iguanas. We had hoped to come across these large lizards on the other islands but finally found them here. We also found an American kestrel, hunting for smaller lizards.

Iguana guards Fort Napoleon

Beneath the waves, again the guidebook dive sites proved unremarkable. The rock reef around the mini-piton Pain de Sucre showed signs of silting and over-snorkelling near the wonderful beach at Anse a Cointre but improved when I went deeper and further towards the north east. The main feature was damaged coral and decaying reef – I am no longer surprised at the increased incidence of ciguatera poisoning here as this is thought to be related to toxins from dying reef. Another result was in increase in larger predatory fish. I have finally seen decent sized porgies and snappers. Both children enjoyed the plethora of tiny fish in the shallows and Elizabeth spotted a ray.

Croix des Gardes at anchor

Later we moved again to the barely-inhabited Terre D’en Bas to anchor in Anse Fideling. This gently shelving sandy bay is fringed by rocky caves and promised good snorkelling. The fan coral damage was less than the more popular spot we’d left earlier, but the corals were still in mediocre health. Elizabeth and I rounded one boulder to find a small eddy, filled with plastic litter from tourists and yachts – water bottles, toothpaste tubes and yoghurt pots were among the identifiable refuse along with a discarded lobster pot.

Discarded nylon rope

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that no anchor zones, such as those in the marine parks of Dominica and St Lucia are hugely beneficial to the reef, not solely because they reduce physical damage from anchors, but they eliminate the more insidious peril of visitors discharging sewage, litter and seeping oily residues into the delicate ecosystems. Tomorrow we head for the Jaques Cousteau’s marine reserve at Pigeon Island to see what difference that has made.