DESTINATIONS

Cruising in French Guiana
 

by Kasia Wiechowska and Lucien Le Belu

This article is based on single visit to French Guiana aboard S/Y Mirit, which took place in February and March 2004. We sailed from Fortaleza, Brazil.

General information
French Guiana (La Guyane Francaise) lies in northeastern South America, between Surinam and Brazil. It is a French overseas department, with French as the official language and the euro as currency. It has about 150,000 permanent inhabitants. The majority of French Guianese live in the Atlantic coastal zone.
French Guiana's economy is dependent on subsidies from metropolitan France. Its main industries are fishing, forestry and mining (particularly gold). Agriculture consists of a few plantations. The climate is tropical, tempered by tradewinds. Dry season runs from July to December. January and February bring alternating sunshine and tropical showers, and March might bring a mini-dry season. Rainy season runs from April to June. The time difference from GMT is five hours in summer and four in winter.
Formalities on arrival are straightforward and free of charge. The official port of entry is Degrad de Cannes (4°51'N, 52°16'W) in the river Mahury. It is also possible to register with the authorities in Kourou. Valid passports and ship's papers are required.

Navigation notes
The coast of French Guiana extends for about 170 miles and is affected by outflow from all its main rivers. Tradewinds exist in the area practically all year. From January to April winds are predominately out of the northeast; from April to December east and southeast. The north equatorial current, with speeds between one and three knots, has maximum effect between 60 and 100 miles offshore. The tidal current, with a speed of around one-and-a-half knots, runs along the coast and is stronger in front of the river mouths.
The following SHOM charts cover the area: 6131, 7337, 7480, 7481, 2459, 2836, 5728, 7378, 5884, 5883 and 6058. We navigated using the electronic charts and SHOM "Instructions  nautiques" H 5 (Antilles Orientales, Amerique du Sud cote nord-est).
The coastal zone is not very easy to navigate. The depths are changing constantly as the river waters deposit their contents of mud and debris. The additional negative factors are the erosion of the beaches and rapid growth of mangrove. The charts should be used with great caution.
When entering the rivers, calculating the state of the tide and the current is a must. We traveled the Mahury, Kourou and Cayenne rivers.

The Mahury River
The Mahury River provides access to Degrad de Cannes, where the commercial port and a yacht marina are located. These are situated some two-and-a-half miles up the river. A channel, about a hundred yards wide and six miles long, well marked with red and green buoys, leads there.
The marina consists of several small pontoons, with space reserved for visitors. The berth fees are reasonable and include water, electricity (220V), and hot showers. There are a couple of phone boxes. The marina is a bit off the beaten track, with the nearest shops six miles away. Getting to Cayenne (10 1/2 miles away) is not difficult during the day, as there is a lot of traffic associated with the harbour. Some collective taxis can be found.

The Cayenne River
The Cayenne River holds only the fishing harbour. A marked channel leads to it, but the depths are minimal. Anchoring is possible but not recommended. There is no dinghy landing.

The Kourou River
The Kourou River has a well-marked channel leading to a yacht marina and a very good anchorage about a mile from the river mouth. Marina  Kourou (port de Bourg) consists of two pontoons full of local craft. Obtaining a berth is difficult. There is a very good anchorage in the vicinity of the marina, with access to a public pontoon with free water and dinghy landing. From there the shops, restaurants and local fish market are easily reached.
As for the other main rivers, we learned that Sinnamary, Iracoubo and Mana are dangerous for sailing boats and only used by small local pirogues. The Maroni River, which forms the border with Surinam, is navigable for yachts up to the town of Saint Laurent du Maroni.

Les iles du Salut
One of the highlights of French Guiana are the Salvation Islands (Les Iles du Salut). This archipelago of three islands is located about seven miles to the north of Kourou. They gained a sinister reputation because of the former penal colony there. Famous prisoners included Dreyfus and Papillon. The prison was closed in 1947, and remains of associated facilities can be also be seen in the town of Saint Laurent du Maroni. At present, these islands are a pleasant tourist attraction, with rich vegetation, animal life and superb fishing grounds. There is a good, sheltered anchorage south of Ile Royale (5°17'N, 52°35'W). The islands are evacuated when there is launching from the Space Center.
The Centre Spatial Guyanais, situated in Kourou, is the launch site for the European Space Agency's Ariane rockets. Visitors are welcome at the Center itself, and the space museum, and can even witness a launching, if lucky enough to be there at the right time.

A multicultural society
While exploring ashore in French Guiana, one comes across various ethnic groups and their rich cultures, customs, crafts and gastronomy. Among them are the Amerindians, native inhabitants of Guiana; the Creoles, descendants of European settlers; the Maroons, descendants of Africans who escaped from slavery and set up homes in the forest along the Maroni river; the Chinese, who arrived in the 19th century; and the H'mong, who fled the Indochina war and settled in the village of Cacao in the 1970s.
The vast Amazonian rain forest (90 percent of it intact) and dense network of rivers and streams provide ground for rich wildlife. During turtle egg-laying season, the giant leatherback turtles are storming the beaches of French Guiana in the biggest numbers in the world. So, unspoiled nature, visible history, fabulous cuisine and hospitable, warm people with their multicultural universe, all wait for you there in French Guiana.