Monserrat Making a Comeback

Post by **phjim** » July 10, 2005 4:43 pm

"Volcanic Monserrat reemerging from the ashes"
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/my ... 072491.htm

Ten years ago this month, Montserrat's Soufriere Hills volcano erupted, driving off most of the island's residents -- as well as most of its tourist trade. Now officials hope the opening of a new airport will bring back leisure travelers.

In 1979, Jimmy Buffett climbed the then-dormant volcano and returned the same day to the studio to write and record an unusually prophetic hit, Volcano:

Now I don't know
I don't know where I'm a gonna go
When the volcano blow

crawfish · Post by **crawfish** » July 10, 2005 6:26 pm

Thats great! I have been all over the caribbean and it was one of the cleanest and most beautiful islands i have been to. I met the locals who played on the Volcano album with Jimmy, the Woop Wop Band, all 9 of them showed up at my apt. one nite and played for me for 3 hrs!
Something i will never forget! The people there are wonderful!
Viva Montserrat!

captainjoe · Post by **captainjoe** » July 10, 2005 7:34 pm

crawfish wrote:Thats great! I have been all over the caribbean and it was one of the cleanest and most beautiful islands i have been to. I met the locals who played on the Volcano album with Jimmy, the Woop Wop Band, all 9 of them showed up at my apt. one nite and played for me for 3 hrs!
Something i will never forget! The people there are wonderful!
Viva Montserrat!

Neat story!

nomad · Post by **nomad** » July 11, 2005 9:39 am

Its where my honeymoon is going to be in April.

conched · Post by **conched** » July 11, 2005 12:02 pm

It would have been nice for the article to mention that Jimmy wrote the song with Keith Sykes and Harry Dailey.

Tropically Challenged · Post by **Tropically Challenged** » July 11, 2005 4:19 pm

The island does not sound at all like a tropical paradise that anyone I know would want to visit...every other sentence in the article says something is covered with ash. Give me a beach where when the wind blows I don't end up covered with ash myself. There are many to choose from and this aint one of them.

Jahfin · Post by **Jahfin** » July 11, 2005 4:36 pm

conched wrote:It would have been nice for the article to mention that Jimmy wrote the song with Keith Sykes and Harry Dailey.

Careful or the BN Cliquers will accuse of you sounding like Parrot Monkey. You know knowledge of the music itself isn't appreciated very much 'round here.

Parrot Monkey · Post by **Parrot Monkey** » July 11, 2005 9:13 pm

Jahfin wrote:Careful or the BN Cliquers will accuse of you sounding like Parrot Monkey. You know knowledge of the music itself isn't appreciated very much 'round here.

Ya know, as a matter of fact I believe that info as well as even more instructing stuff is available on the original inner sleeve to the LP…

Parrot Monkey · Post by **Parrot Monkey** » July 11, 2005 9:14 pm

Interesting stuff I mean. I guess it can be instructing also if you think about it…

Darn news thread.

seawaters · Post by **seawaters** » July 11, 2005 11:37 pm

nomad wrote:Its where my honeymoon is going to be in April.

I spent part of my honeymoon there while sailing through French West Indies in April, 1993. I prefer white sand beaches. Otherwise it was very pretty.

chalksoperations · Post by **chalksoperations** » July 12, 2005 8:10 am

I recall this topic coming up a number of months ago. Like any other island in the Caribbean ( and Bahamas for that matter) not having an airstrip significantly alters the lifestyle. Life on Montserrat has been drastically altered since '95. Nearly two thirds of the population has been displaced, leaving some serious die-hards who are waiting it out.

Although we (at Caribbean Sun Airlines) have been contacted a number of times by the DCA (Department of Civil Aviation-Caribbean) to explore the feasability of opening up an Antigua-Montserrat route, the realities of it (at this point) are very complex.

Although it really hasn't been in the news up here much, Soufriere Hills has been actively venting ash regularly for the last 10 years. Just as recent as 2 weeks ago we had traces of VA (Volcanic Ash) as far away as St. Croix. This past month alone has seen a number of VA venting that was large enough to be picked up on the GOES Satellite (Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite). Another fine product from NOAA.GOV
It's no mystery why they would approach us for initial air service and not one of the government owned airlines (LIAT, etc.)

That being said, it would be extremely difficult to staff a station in Montserrat. The ash is very much a real threat to our aircraft and would inhibit any form of reliable air service at this time. It's hard enough to get into St. Kitts and Antigua sometimes having to avoid the ash cloud.

(In a number of months, if you ever hear any press releases regarding Montserrat air service from our airline, it would sound alot like the above)

Personally I'd rather see the money spent on a runway expansion in St. Vincents.