Farewell, Pirate!
Marcel… it’s hard to find the words today. It’s hard to put pen to paper to write about the passing of a man whom so many Saint-Martinois knew, met, loved or simply caught a glimpse of during an evening out in Grand Case. With you, it is much more than a familiar face that is disappearing. It is an entire era that is slowly fading away.
Marcel Giudice, known as ‘Ti Truc’ before becoming ‘Marcel the Pirate’ to everyone, was one of those figures I thought would last forever. One of those who weather the years without ever losing their sparkle or their freedom. A cyclist, restaurateur, adventurer, storyteller and self-confessed bon vivant, you embodied a certain vision of Saint Martin: free, festive, sometimes excessive, but deeply alive.
Marcel embodied the Saint Martin that those under twenty cannot know. A time when the island buzzed with positive energy, when evenings seemed endless, when we were untroubled by the gaze of others or by conventions, and when we gathered at the Repaire du Pirate. A buccaneer’s tavern, a haven for bon vivants, a slice of fantasy set against the Caribbean Sea, where we too became a bit like pirates. We’d set sail for an evening without really knowing what time we’d return to port. Amidst the galleon-style panelling, the unlikely treasures hanging on the walls, the famous toilets decorated with women’s underwear, and that unique atmosphere where laughter, rum and good food mingled, you had managed to create a place in your own image: warm, with just the right touch of madness. There were also the pirate boat trips, the endless nights, the anecdotes told with that blend of truth and legend that was your secret, the encounters, the excesses and the stories we listened to right to the end, even when we were no longer quite sure where reality began.
Of Mediterranean origin, Marcel had travelled the world before dropping anchor in Saint Martin. He had found an island that suited his temperament. He belonged to that generation for whom life was to be lived intensely, without restraint and without ever looking back too much. Irma may have sounded the death knell for that era, but despite everything, he managed to retain his spirit of a sea-faring buccaneer, recounted in an autobiographical book, Marcel le Bienheureux. Eighty pages for eighty years of an incredibly full life. His travels, his loves, his whims, his adventures…
Marcel was cheerfulness personified. A way of savouring every moment without ever checking the time. A way of laughing heartily, speaking truthfully and always resurfacing when life tried to drag him down. An old modern-day buccaneer who forged ahead against all odds, driven by his energy and his irrepressible zest for life.
His passing leaves a particular void today. The kind left by popular figures, colourful characters, those who were as much a part of the island’s landscape as they were of its soul. Many will feel that, with him, a piece of old Saint-Martin is setting sail for the last time.
At 88, you cast off for your final voyage. May the trade winds be favourable to you and may your final anchorage be filled with light, rum and endless stories to tell. Farewell, Pirate.
One last wink!
For all those who would like to say goodbye, a ceremony will be held this Thursday 21 May at 1pm at La Paix funeral parlour. As a farewell gesture, ladies will be invited to leave behind their prettiest knickers, or their sexiest thong… so that Marcel may depart in peace!
