Text reproduced from "MERCURY" November 1995 and re-edited
VP2MDK 2nd to 16th August 1995
by Sam Kennard,
G40HX
"Mountserrat is experiencing volcanic activity and the Foreign Office advises against travel to the island unless on urgent business"
That was the information we received a few days before our planned departure for just that location!
We had cancelled plans to revisit "paradise" twice before - 1993 on account of a family wedding and 1994 because of Grace's fall and injury. We considered that in 1995 our holiday WAS "urgent business" so elected to embark.
Montserrat is a British Dependent Territory in the West Indies: a volcanic island in the Lesser Antiles group. Discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus it was colonised by the British in 1632. Its area is 102 sq.km and until the well-known increased volcanic activity forced relocation to neighbouring islands it had a population of 11,500 or so.
After an uneventful flight we arrived at Blackburn Airport, Montserrat via Antigua at 1630 hours local time (2030Z). The flight from Antigua is only a short hop of about 15 minutes' duration on a Leeward Islands Air Transport (LIAT) - more popularly transcribed as Leave Island Any Time, but the approach to the runway is quite interesting as a mountain fills the aircraft's windscreen and following a quick swoop to the left, the `plane touches down. We were met by our driver, Franklin, who gave us the usual welcome to the island, and took us to the local Police Station (at the airport) to collect our driving licences. We were going to hire Franklin's car for 2 weeks so a licence was vital. A very pleasant Constable gave me a briefing on the motoring rules and added a stern reminder that, apart from one short stretch of road, the speed limit throughout the island was 20 miles per hour. Just to the north of Plymouth, the capital, there is a stretch of road about 2 miles long where you can legally drive at 40 mph! Also meeting us was John, whom we had met on our visit in 1988.
On the journey to our villa we learned from Franklin just what the volcano on Chances Peak had been doing. We could clearly see the damage to the flora on the mountainside, and smoke and steam were rising from the middle, with the attendant nauseating smell of sulphur dioxide.
We arrived at Oberhaus on the North West coast to receive a lovely welcome from Perry who was pleased to renew our acquaintance whilst awaiting the arrival of his wife from the United States. We had no immediate problems from the volcano at this site, we were in beautiful gardens containing hibiscus, mango trees and banana trees and there were humming birds and bananaquits in abundance.
On our first full day, after a swim, I was able to get into the shack and my first "CQ RSARS" resulted in a reply from a non-Member in the Cook Islands. I did work Bob, KA3CSR but conditions were not good. My first G-QSO was with Fred, G3HSL at 18552, followed by several more Members, most of whom had good signals. Unfortunately the 1COM735 decided then that it was tired and so packed-up on me. The reserve, an ICOM701, too was below par so I resorted to an ancient TS520 which worked reasonably well, but then the key caused problems - all in all I earned the nickname of Jumby Mon - "the jinx man"!
Over the next few days we visited beaches, photographed and made videos of the volcano and made some car trips. We also saw our first snake but were assured it was not venomous. Perry introduced us to the Royal Signals Palm, one which we had planted in 1988 - a 28-footer now with a suitable plaque.
On Monday 7th August, 0700 local time, we were told that all emergency services had been mobilised and that the authorities were evacuating many villages and that the Red Cross were assembling at 0730. The emergency amateur radio nets were constantly manned - unfortunately I had no VHF equipment so was not able to listen, but we did volunteer our services. At 0745 the Governor, Mr. Frank Savage and the Chief Minister, Mr. Reuben Meade announced on radio that all evacuees must take food, water and clothing with them and that they were not to open the emergency Army rations that had been issued. The East Coast road and the Eastern Corridor Road were all closed to traffic. Things were beginning to be serious. All people living in the villages around these roads were warned to stand-by for a move to the North and to have bags packed ready. At 0755 a further announcement told us that the whole of the eastern side was to be evacuated. Warnings were given to stay out of the valleys (ghauts) and off the hills, and we were told that if the sun were to be blocked out by ash and smoke we were not to panic.
Over the neat few days we listened to the radio broadcasts regularly to find out what was happening and on 11th August we decided (rightly or wrongly) to visit the volcano. We were at the time also on the alert for Hurricane Felix (due within 24 hours). (In the event the blow moved north west so we had one potential problem removed.) Our earlier attempts to photograph the volcano had been thwarted by a very polite but firm policeman. We drove as far as we could along a track and then walked on further. We were about half a mile from the volcano and decided that we were close enough: Grace's injured ankle was hurting and we were moving slowly. The noise from the volcano was terrific - the only way I can describe it is to compare it with a very large waterfall, a constant "whooshing", and quite frightening. We managed some very good photographs and video footage and after a couple of hours made our way down.
Saturday 12th August - on 14065 by 1030 and although the band was in good condition there was only limited activity from Members - I presumed they were all out shopping or catching up with some welcome sun! I spent a couple of frustrating hours trawling the frequencies but contacted only a couple of Members so retired to the pool! It was as well that I was not buried
under a pile-up of RSARS contacts since around 1600 local time (2000Z) we experienced our first earthquake, which, according to reports, was 4 on the Richter Scale. The volcano I could tolerate because it could be seen and smelt and, when close, could be heard, but earthquakes I do NOT like!!
The first tremor dislodged the working parts of the toilet cisterns and rattled the crockery in the kitchen. Tremors continued until 0350 local time with another big one at 2000, and what felt like a double one at 2058 followed by yet another a minute later. Over the next 18 or so hours we experienced some 38 Tectonic earthquakes! The TV station announced that the road on which we had travelled the previous day to the volcano was blocked by a significant mud flow and another vent had appeared on the volcano and, all in all, it was extremely dangerous to go up there!! At 2100 we discussed moving out of the main house and either go into the shack (which is under the house) or move onto the lawns.
Earthquakes or tarantulas ? take your pick!
We decided to remain where we were. During the evening the awful smell of sulphur dioxide reached us for the first time in the house. At 0600 the following morning (Sunday 13 August) the smell was even worse and the patio area was covered with thousands of dead insects coincidence or cause? I went into the shack and had one ear on 14065 and the other listening for anything else which might occur. There was what seemed to be a final, very large, tremor at 1739.
During the day there was a considerable increase in helicopter activity (one from HMS SOUTHAMPTON and the other from HMS WESTMINSTER) including the lowering of personnel and equipment onto the peak of Lawyers Mountain which was immediately behind the house.
We took little notice of this but on our return to the UK Ursula (formerly VP2MT, currently GØIHM) phoned us for news and she told us that she had sometimes seen steam coming from that peak after heavy rains! This made our day, knowing that there was the possibility of another volcano just outside our door!!! We are grateful to Ursula for phone calls made to our families whilst we were on Montserrat
It was not all doom and gloom ? I had great fun on the air with an 1COM735 with a TER tri-bander at 40 feet and an umbrella antenna for 40m and 80m: we did all we had intended in spite of the limitations due to Grace's injured ankle (she has been advised to have a further operation): we found and filmed a large colony of iguana, some over 4 feet in length: sampled Mrs. Morgan's famous "goat water" and her rather infamous dumplings, with coconut pie and ice cream for dessert. Conch fritters were quite pleasant but a bit chewy, but a local delicacy, mountain chicken, was delicious. (Mountain chicken is in fact a very large frog found in the hills!). We had the pleasure of meeting some of the crew from HM ships who were erecting tents to be used to accommodate the evacuees - a fine bunch of lads who did us proud. (Later hurricane Iris was to remove all the tentage.)
Grace and I have now finished our holiday, it is difficult to describe adequately the volcano activity and earthquakes: we were both sad about what was happening to an island that is so very special to both of us. We continue to scan the newspapers for more news and sincerely hope that the island and all our friends there are safe and that Mother Nature is not too hard but shows compassion for what to us is, well, Paradise.
We flew home via Grenada ? now that looks a v-e-r-y nice island……………..wonder if there are any radio amateurs about? I will have to check up!
You can see a picture of Sam operating on Mauritius as 3B8/G4OHX in our Photo Gallery
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