Pirates.com: in Guiana

“Our first stopover was Cayenne, at Dégrade de Canes, a river with brown water and a strong current...just what we don’t like. We dragged once, and remained on the alert for the rest of the time. To our pleasant surprise, there was radiant sunshine and an azure sky every day, which contradicted the reputation of a rainy, damp country. However the town of Cayenne itself didn’t make a memorable impact on us. We then left for the Iles du Salut, with coconut trees, a sea which was so clear and a complete contrast with the brown waters of the river, and wild animals. This little string of three islands just 8 miles from the Kourou river, a historic place, won over our travellers’ hearts. We had all heard about Seznec, Dreyfus, and above all Papillon, immortalized by Steve McQueen.
Saint Joseph was the fate of incorrigible convicts. Total isolation, absolute silence. Any noise, even that of their own chains, brought about an extension of their stay. We counted 220 graves, where the guards, doctors and members of religious orders were buried. For the convicts, it was the sea, or rather the sharks. Just as beautiful as its close neighbor, the Ile Royale particularly appealed to Jonathan, through the diversity of its fauna. Turtles, iguanas, multicolored birds, agoutis, monkeys... Click, another photo! The swell enters the anchorage at spring tides, but it is tolerable, especially for a catamaran. We spent fifteen days there. As for the Ile du Diable, access was prohibited. Opposite us, it taunted us with its wild beauty and its inaccessibility.

Magalie, Cyril and Jonathan, aboard Pirates.com

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