It's All about the VOLCANO

Exit Strategy at anchor in Little Bay, Montserrat

The first draft of our float plan did not include Montserrat because the description in our cruising guide was minimal and, at best, depressing.  In the summer of 1995, the Soufriere Hills Volcano erupted repeatedly, destroying much of Plymouth, the island's capital that was located at its foot. The island's population went from about 11,000 to 4,500 people when many residents of Plymouth accepted Britain's (their mother country) offer to relocate them to England rather than rebuild in a safe zone on Montserrat. The rumblings and eruptions continued in 1996, '97, '03, '06, '07, '08. '09, with the most recent occurring in February of 2010.  The activity of the Soufriere Hills Volcano has rendered the island two-thirds uninhabitable, leaving only one-third of the land in the safe zone.

Plymouth as it looks today; many buildings were buried.

So why did we stop in Montserrat after all?  Some of our cruising friends said it was a "must see" during our island hopping, so we took them at their word.  We were not disappointed thanks to a superb 4-hour tour of the island given by Joe Phillip (avalonstours@live.com).  Joe was born and raised on Montserrat and decided to stay and rebuild a home for his family in the safe zone.  His tour was comprehensive, complete with "before" photos he collected over the years to show the extreme changes causes by the volcano.  Joe made it real for us, taking us into some select abandoned buildings, walking in the ashy sand where the rains washed huge boulders and rock down the valleys covering golf courses, roads and bridges,houses and everything in its path.

This 3-story home sat at the edge of the golf course.

Today, the island of Montserrat is looking strong and beautiful.  The tour with Joe Phillip was awesome and obviously given with much heart.  We'd encourage you to visit Montserrat and witness the resilient nature of its people for yourself. 

Standing in a resort's pool with volcano in background.

Excellent snorkeling here in Rendezvous Bay.