Recently an old Navy shipmate, Steve Womack, visited us in Chaguaramus, Trinidad. Like most yachties, we wanted to show Steve a good time, so we decided to take him out to the islands, or Bocas, in the western approaches to the Gulf of Paria called the Dragons Mouth. The island we visited is named Chacachacare, and is the site of an abandoned leper colony. The leprosarium, established in 1924 by Dominican Nuns, was known as the “Hansenian Settlement.” It included wards for men and women patients, a doctors house, a chapel and a nunnery. The leprosarium was in operation until 1984 when the patients were moved to the Port of Spain General Hospital.
We landed the dink at the Government Dock in Perruquier Cove on Chacachacare Bay for a hike some 800 feet up to the lighthouse on the north point of the island; this light was constructed by the British in 1896. The road up to the lighthouse is paved, and was really quite a pleasant walk, with wildflowers along the way.
Wildfloweres brightened up the hike up to the lighthouse.
There were many Corbeaux, or black buzzards, living on the island.
The top is in sight. As we gained altitude the climate of the island changed from quite arid at sea level, to tropical rainforest at the top.
The area around the Lighthouse has some lovely old trees; that's a mango tree on the left.
At the top we met the lighthouse keepers, toured the grounds, and took in the beautiful Bocas. This is a strategic location as the principal source of Trinidad’s wealth is derived from natural gas exports, and all of the huge LNG tankers pass through the Dragon’s Mouth between Chacachacare Island and the Venezuela's Paria Peninsula just 6 miles to the west-northwest.
This radar looks like a typical air search FAA type airport radar. It may be used by Piarco Airport air-controllers to keep track of approaching commercial flights, it may be used by the T&T Defense Forces to watch the Bocas and Venezuela for military activity, it may be used by the Caribbean Drug Task Force to watch for drug traffic and smugglers, or probably it is used for all of these purposes...
This LNG tanker represents the wealth of Trinidad. They are one of the largest exporters of liquefied natural gas in the world.
This Corbeau is enjoying the shade of this beautiful Poui tree.
The old lighthouse keepers quarters is now a tool shed.
Looking down into Chacachacare Bay and across to Stanislas Cove we could see the nunnery where the Dominican Nuns lived who cared for the lepers.
Returning to Government Dock and our waiting dinghy,we moved S/V Jean Marie to an anchorage just off the Nun’s boathouse, and toured the abandoned buildings including: an administration building, chapel, dormitory, and out-buildings that included a scullery, laundry, and tool shed. The Trinidadian Government has made some effort to preserve this beautiful site and these historic buildings for use as a camping and educational venue for Trinidad’s youth. However, the project is sadly lacking for funds…
The boathouse at the entrance to the nunnery.
The lower deck of this building is the Nun's Chapel, and there were living facilities topside.
The architecture and construction of the buildings is really first-rate.
They must have brought over some skilled European craftsmen to build this facility, as we have not seen this level of construction anywhere else in the West Indies.
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The out-building
that housed the kitchen, scullery, and laundry.The back of the chapel.
The front porch on the second deck of the Chapel / Living Quarters.
Can't you just imagine the Nun's bent over these wash tubs, singing hymns in French as they hand-washed their laundry?
The out-building housing the laundry, galley, and scullery.
S/V Jean Marie lies to her anchor off the Nun's Landing.
The Nun's graveyard.
Although most of the Nuns were from France, here lies a Trini who passed away while serving some very unfortunate Trini's.
After touring the Nunnery, we pulled the hook and motored S/V Jean Marie across to the north side of Chacachacare Bay to Sanders Cove and the women’s ward. Once ashore, we pushed our way through dense tropical growth to view the Receiving Building, Chapel, Hospital, Boat Shed, Electric Generating Plant and Morgue. This area has not been preserved, and vandalism and the tropical climate have taken their toll. The dock at the Receiving Building is where the goods and supplies for the leprosarium were landed.
The walls of the Boat House have collapsed.
The Chapel in the Women's Ward.
The floor of the Chapel has been vandalized, and nature has taken her toll on the roof.
The veranda of the Hospital is just about gone.
This is the dispensary on the second deck of the Hospital,
The shelves of the Preparation Room in the Dispensary still have many of the drugs used to treat the patients.
The wards were tropical open-bay style with curtains separating the patients.
One of the Service Buildings has collapsed around it's foundation, this place was full of fruit bats.
A leaning privy.
The Electrical Generating Plant was diesel driven.
The morgue is set back from the main facility.
Mr. Corbeau is keeping an eye on TBS while I investigate the morgue.
The cooler in the Morgue was full of bats.
The Doctor’s house and boathouse are located on the northeast shore of Chacachacare Bay, opposite from the Nunnery on the southwest shore.
The Doctor's Boathouse.
We really enjoyed our 2 days touring Chacachacare Island, and we hope to return. Our visit made us think of another world, not that far in the past, of sick lepers and dedicated nuns and skillful British lighthouse builders. As you can see, cruising isn’t just about palm trees, beaches, and Jimmy Buffet. Actually there is a very interesting world out here ready to be explored.
