We had planned to go on a overnight direct sail to Sint Maarten, but on the advice of our new friend Buddy we decided to veer up through “The Narrows” between St. Kitts and Nevis and day sail to a large mooring field on the Northwest side of the French island of St. Barths (Saint Barthélemy).
This actually proved to be a difficulty passage for us and another indicator that our current electric motor/generator might not be what it needs to be. We had a 2-3 knot current in the face along with 15 kts of headwind. The max continuous rating for our Oceanvolt motors was 12 kW, (Max 30 min was 15 Kw). We would normally run them at 7 kW which push us along comfortably at hull speed. Today however, we pushed our throttles up to 10 kW per motor to fight the elements working against us. The only problem with using it at this level… the battery burn to support them (20 kW) is greater than our generator could recharge them (18kW). As we were cruising along at just around a knot speed over ground, we our watching our batteries slowly deplete.
Being in a narrow corridor between two VERY rocky islands, this was less than comfortable and we were constantly reassessing whether we needed to turn around and try again another day. The current started easing a bit and once we made it to the north end of the corridor, we were able to make left hand turn and raise sails. Now we were making 5-7 kts under wind power and had the motors in regen to replenish the batteries. Phew.
St. Barth? St Barths? St. Barts? (Saint Barthélemy)
Regardless of the name, with no major airport serving the island, you really have to want to get here. Which might make it the yachting Mecca of the Caribbean. A small island, just 10 square miles, off the beaten track with a very French vibe, it certainly has a very exclusive feel and we didn’t even leave our boat! This was all confirmed at the sheer number of super yachts docked and anchored as we passed the islands capital of Gustavia. No shortage of the vacationing rich here!
As we continued up to the north end of the coast our views were filled with lush green hills and the standard azure blue waters. And bonus, there were so many turtles and rays as we pulled into the secluded and deep Colombier Bay (Anse du Colombier). Only two ways to get there in the world…walk in via hiking trail or boat in. The mooring field was crowded, and we were lucky to get a well maintained mooring ball as someone was departing for an overnight journey to islands afar. There was a bit of struggle to get our lines into the balls pendent as it had no body line to catch with our boat hook. We ended up getting a little help from our neighbor who said nothing to us the whole time. His help was greatly appreciated though. We had good wind protection from the NE to S.
We enjoyed a quiet night and watch a super yacht set up a huge event on the shore line right out of the reality show, ’Below Deck’. It was interesting to watch and guests certainly enjoyed a beautiful evening on the beach with all the amenities and services they would need.
In the morning we were up with the sun and cleared out for the short trip over to Sint Maarten.
Sint Maarten / Saint Martin: “The friendly Island”
Not sure who determines these nicknames I find for the islands, but apparently this island has earned it’s reputation for hospitality with neighbors helping neighbors build houses and celebrations with food and drink as well as the island’s openness to visitors and free trade.
A little Random History
Fun fact: It is the smallest dual-nation island in the world. It’s is divided almost right down the middle or at least pretty close with the French owning the slightly larger north side and the Netherlands, the south. As the story goes: When determining ownership of the island, rather than fighting over it, the French and Dutch were actually very civilized. A Frenchman armed with a bottle of wine walked in one direction and a Dutchman equipped with a flask of gin walked in the other. Where they met became the boundary, and the French ended up with a bit more because the gin was stronger than the wine. No actual historical record of that, but it’s a great legend!
What we do know, is that the oldest treaty in effect in the Caribbean, the treaty of Concordia was signed between the French and Dutch for the partition of the island in 1648. There is always a paperwork trail! The treaty allows for the freedom of movement from one side the other…Just don’t try to buy a SIM card on the French side when you anchor on the Dutch side. Apparently has become very difficult. We never did figure it out.
The island itself has had it’s up and downs. In the late 1800s, early 1900s, it was a booming producer of tobacco, then sugar. When the sugar market collapsed, the island went on a downward spiral. So, in 1939 the island went duty free and it became the Caribbeans shopping Mecca. Booming! Then Irma hit in 2017 and the island took on extensive damage particularly on the French side of the lagoon. They are rebuilding, but the destruction is still very noticeable years later as some areas were just abandoned.
Since we anchored in Simpson Bay on the dutch side, I will refer to the island mainly as Sint Maarten…which the first time I read it, based on it’s spelling, I weirdly did it in an Irish accent. And now we can’t unsay it that way. We are weird. We know 😉 We were surrounded by a LOT of MONEY. These boats were incredible. The most notable, the Black Pearl, very famous, very interesting design owned by a Russian Oligarch family.
Arrival and Check in
We had originally planned to head under the Simpson Bay bridge and into Simpson Bay Lagoon to anchor, but on arrival we saw a lot of boats just anchored out side in Bay itself and it seemed calm enough. So we opted to find a good spot out here. Check in to the country and then decide where we wanted to park ourselves. We knew we’d be here for a bit as we fixed our generator. Which was the right call.
Later, we dinked around the lagoon for a tour. With the amount of derelict boats, questionably anchored boats and A LOT of undergrowth on boats, we decided we’d stay put . This was all surrounded by marinas filled with super yachts of course.
Checking in was fairly painless. We dinghies up to a concrete wall on the left just prior to the bridge and tied off on the cleats there. It was a bit of a jump out of the dinghy and you’ll definitely want to care to tie up loosely so the dinghy has room to move and not get rubbed along the concrete. Both C&I are located inside a police station.
Other Notables:
Airport: Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM)
Cash Money: French side is officially Euros and the Dutch side is the Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ANG). However, US dollars are accepted everywhere and we found most price tags listed the price in USDs.
Official Language: English is the mostly widely spoken language. French and Dutch can be heard on their sides of the islands respectively. As well as quite a bit of Spanish used but Hispanic immigrants from the Dominican Republic.
The Highlights
French vs Dutch Side
The French side had a lot of great restaurants and supermarkets, some tourist attractions a big market. The dutch side felt more dive bar-esq, but had all the spare parts ( at 2 different chandleries ) and hired help you could need to fix most anything, oh and a the yacht club.
Cole Bay Area (Dutch Side)
Dinghying around the superyachts tied up to the marinas inside the lagoon on the Cole Bay side, you have two dock options conveniently located to the two main chandleries, Island Water World (this is the HQs, so is especially big) & Budget Marine. Between the two, you should be able to find helpful staff, whatever product you need and the prices weren’t overly outrageous. We picked up quite a few things, including the much needed Generator cooling seals. Bonus they had wifi, so once we were able to connect. We actually sat out on the benches around back to plot out our next moves.
Also located on this side, we found a large Carrefour to provision at as well as a brewery! Pelikaan Brewery offered a few craft beers and had a nice outdoor seating area. I found their beers to be just okay, but it was nice sitting outside on a beautiful talking with some locals. We also met a fellow Vision Owner at the Lagoons, a chill outdoor venuejust south of the Blue Lagoon Marina, for a cold beverage. As we came into anchor, we noticed a boat that looked incredibly familiar, which at the time there were only 5-6 Visions traveling the globe at this time, so we were excited to touch base and swap salty sailing war stories and new hull hiccups. We both had quite a few by now!
On the way back to the boat we stopped at the Sint Maarten Yacht club. A chill place with some killer views! Definitely a cruiser hot spot hang out. We had a sundowner or two and a tasty coconut shrimp appetizer. They also numerous hold events and sailing lessons from here as well if you are interested.
Réveil Matin
We had an amazing brunch a long a busy stretch of road while looking for an ATM in Cay Bay. Need a good greasy spoon, check out Réveil Matin. Big breakfast, reasonable price. We wondered around a bit then on the way back hit up the Irish Bar, now called Huppel The Pub, by the dinghy dock and watched some European football, which we love. Very interesting crowd in there. People watching. 5 stars. M
Pelican Key area (Dutch Side)
NFC Championship game: Could we be more American?
While we were in town, the Philadelphia Eagles, our hometown team, were playing for the NFC conference against the 49s. I was not sure we would be able to find the game. But we did! We found a small little quiet place to watch that had the game on it’s one TV. It was us and one other couple and about 4 staff members who were very friendly! I can not recall it’s name, but does not appear to still be in business . It was a big pricey for the area, but sad still. They had good food, soup anyway; We never did order a meal as the power on the island went out and the bar went dark.
We waited about 15-20 minutes and decided it likely was’t coming back on any time soon. We walked a bit with other American tourists out on the same mission, to find somewhere to watch the rest of the game. Turns out the Dinghy Dock Sailors Bar had a generator running and the games on, but could only accept cash payments! No Problem! We were back in full viewing mode. This place actually had a MUCH livelier vibe going…Bonus, they had cheesesteaks! Did I mention we are from Philly?! We ordered them full well knowing we would be disappointed. The beers were $9-11 dollars here though…win some/lose some. Side note: The eagles crushed the 49ers 31-7. Clinched the NFC Championship! Now we’ll have to find somewhere to watch the Super Bowl in two weeks!
Touristy Rum Bar in the Rain
Our first bar we stopped in on our first walkabout could not be more touristy, this was actually on the ocean side of Pelican Key, Buccaneers Beach Bar. We were headed for another stop, but it started to rain. So we ducked in for a beverage, a very watered down beverage. It was pretty empty being a rainy weekday afternoon, but looked like if you wanted some boom boom fun on a weekend, you would get it here!
Marigot (French Side), the French Capitol
Friday night in our world is traditionally Pizza if we can make it happen. We found a nice place off Port Royale on the far side of Simpson Bay Lagoon. A very touristy upscale area off the lagoon. Also noticeably hit by the hurricane, but mostly up and running full force. We found a decent place with high priced drinks and everyone speaking French around us. Felt fancy. It was right on the water. La Main à la Pâte served us up a decent pizza.
Kevin and I then split up. My job was to get a SIM card, Kevin was taking the dinghy back to the chandleries to pick up some supplies. I failed miserably. In 2023 at least, the French was cracking down on SIM cards. French SIM cards are best deal b/c they work in multiple Caribbean islands unlike the Dutch version. Sadly, the required French immigration papers before they would sell you one. We checked in on the Dutch side. Your country, your rules. Darn.
The following day I brought him back to my walk-about discovery that did not end in SIM cards, to check out some fun spots I found. First, we hiked up to the most popular tourist spot on the island, Fort Saint-Lois, a French fort built in the 18th century during Louis XVI’s reign to defend Marigot’s Harbor and it’s buildings below. Now it stands as the remains of history overlooking the very upscale Marina For Louis and all it’s super yachts. A very inconvenient looking Marina.
We followed that up with a tour of the popular Marigot areas. Particularly, the Marigot Waterfront. A ramshackle collection of bars and restaurants on the sea side touting all manor of conch, fried food, and cheap light beer. We also stumbled upon a large market located at the bottom of a large square that looked almost like an amphitheater. It sold mostly touristy items and island-esq clothing.
SXM Airport
One other form of entertainment we weren’t expecting from our anchorage was planes landing. The airport runway runs parallel to you anchorage.So all planes coming in land very low to the water off to the side They came right in over a bar called Sunset Beach on the western side of the island, super low! If you dinghy in, it is swim up only. But apparently the rush of the jets overhead is worth it We just enjoyed the huge vertical stabilizer/rudder of the jets looking like a shark fin creeping behind the beach front condos along the water. The one pictured is an Airfrance A380.
On we go to the BVIs!
After taking all the beautiful blues of sea and sky along with fun bars, buildings of boat parts, and various historical attractions that Sint Martin had to offer, we considered Sint Maarten was a success! Now that our generator is back up and running (not leaking obsessively) as it should be probably for the first time since we stepped on the boat, it’s time to move on. Not sure we’ll miss bailing water out of the “garage” due to the generator (hint: we won’t), we are looking forward to what is next! We are offing the night to “the sailor’s playground”.
Next up: The Baths and the BVI Bar Crawl