Tuesday, April 27,1999  Arrival in French Guayana

Hello fellow travelers, 

STARSHIP had a pretty slow and mellow night, traveling at only five to six knots, fighting against current most of the way.  


Il du Royale

But finally, just after lunch we caught sight of the famous Ils du Salut. The three islands include the Ile du Royale, Ile Saint-Joseph and Ile du Diable and were the scene of a convict settlement built in 1852. The public eye did not really fall on these islands, until Henri Charriere published a book which also turned into a movie called 'Papillion' . The Ile du Diable (Devil's Island), a rocky but beautiful and in palm tree covered islet, was where political prisoners, including Alfred Dreyfus, were held. The last prisoners left in 1953 and you can see how nature has started to get back some of the buildings and how hard they are now to reach. Tomorrow we plan to explore these lush island, except the Ile du Diable, which is not accessible for visitors. For the rest of the day we had to deal with what our captain calls the two magic words "wash down". After being out at sea for four days, STARSHIP sure needed a thorough clean up. Salt was found in every little corner and our teak cap rail did not like the combination of salt and hot air too much. It enjoyed the crew's attention and in no time we had her back in tip top shape. Take care until tomorrow's exiting island report.


Your STARSHIP crew