ODE TO SINT MAARTEN

God Bless You All

The Captain and Gilligan

Like in other years there are so many people to Thank for making this a memorable year.

To the ‘crew’ at the Turquoise Shell Inn, Thanks for your wonderful hospitality and so many wonderful memories.  It’s been a slice.

To the ‘crew’ at Bobby’s Marina (Airport Division).  Thanks for keeping Bergy safe and sound.

To the Sint Maarten coffee ladies.  Thank You for so many years of great times and wonderful memories.

To our nephew Jeff Sill (our ‘Webmaster’) – Thank You for our Bergy Bit blogsite :O)

To our Pirate (yes that’s right Pirate not Private) Taxi Drivers, Maria and Peter & Jean.  Thanks so much for the rides to and from the airport and for all the places you chauffeured us.  Peter & Jean you certainly went above and beyond the call getting up at 5:00AM but it was a morning where Sint Maarten was at its finest. Which left us with very fond memories..

To our friend Jan Zwiers, simply Thank You!

And as for the The Admiral and Gilligan and Bergy Bit.

This was our ‘Swan Song’.

We knew in our hearts that this would be our last year in St. Maarten and it was.

To quote Alain (from SV Pretty Woman) who was the yacht broker who helped us sell Bergy the first time and then helped us buy her back – The Love Story Continues.

There is something about this little boat that gets in your blood and makes you fall in love with her – that’s why we jumped at the chance to buy her back in 2008…. and why in 2011 our friend Jan (who we bought Bergy from in 2004) and who is even more in love her than we are, jumped at the chance to buy her once again….

The Love Story truly does continue and it is comforting to know Bergy is back in the hands of some one who will love her.

We have had great times, some hair raising adventures, we’ve met people from around the world and made life time friendships.

We wouldn’t change a minute of it…

A final memory was standing on the dock at Simpson Bay as our dear friend Jan sailed Bergy Bit off  into a beautiful Caribbean sunset.

Fair Winds and Following Seas …

So you might ask – now what??

Well for the The Admiral he has had his fill of the Caribbean.  For Gilligan though the Caribbean still beckons.  This year she once again fell in love with the island of Saba and hopes to return there sometime in the future as part of a Volunteer Canadian team that maintains the Saba hiking trails.

As for new adventures.  The Admiral (now a Captain again) and Gilligan will enjoy sailing and enjoying the waters of British Columbia’s Coast and perhaps will start exploring beautiful BC by land.

We bid farewell with this Irish Blessing -

“May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of his hand.”

To say this has been a frustrating and challenging year is a bit of an understatement.

We are very Blessed to have had the opportunity to experience warm sunny weather during Canada’s winter months even in a dusty Boatyard.

Internet Access was a real  CHALLENGE both on and off the Water….I truly don’t know how businesses using the Internet manage in Sint Maarten….

We endured some wild weather, learned some new skills like bending a baquette and fixing carburetors, but most importantly have some wonderful wonderful memories. 

Memories like the incredible sail back from St. Barts, our time with Larry & Brenda in St. Maarten and St. Barts, an air show of vintage planes, incredible sunsets, a Palm Sunday procession, the  flight to Saba, our days at Flamboyant Cottage,  good times with St. Maarten friends and finally our last sail on Bergy Bit with Jan …
It’s

Yes folks, we have sold our dear Bergy Bit and this year was our last year enjoying her in the Caribbean waters.

It truly has been 7 incredible years and we are Blessed to have done it all.
 

Bergy Bit has been left in good hands….  as ‘The Love Story’  continues…..

While we were  in Saba the weather  calmed down which meant that when we returned to Bergy Bit we weren’t ‘boat bound’ any longer and could enjoy getting ashore.

On Palm Sunday I headed over to Philipsburg to St.Simon’s and St. Jude’s Anglican Church.  A church I have attended on many occassions, including Palm Sunday.

I had no trouble getting a bus so arrived early only to find the streets and the church deserted…

Luckily there was someone in the Church directing people to the Cruise Ship pier where the congregations of the three downtown Philipsburg churches were gathering for a blessing of the Palms and a procession through the streets of Philipsburg back to their respective churches

What a sight, local Sint Maartener’s along with tourists gathered on the Cruise ship pier with Palm branches. 

 Most people brought Palm branches from home – banana palm, coconut palm and large round Egyptian palms.  Plenty of smaller palm branches (which we North Americans are more accustom to) were available for those without palms.

It really was an ecumenical service.   The Catholic Priest opened with an invocation, followed by great gospel and praise songs lead by the Catholic music ministry team. Prayers were said by the Methodist minister.  Blessing of the palms was shared by the three churches and the sending forth was done by the Anglican priest.

Both the Methodist and Catholic churches have drum corps commonly referred to as Youth Brigades -  (Click on Youth Brigades to see one of the drum corps in action)

People sang as we processed through the streets of Philipsburg and as each congregation reached their church they left the procession to continue Palm Sunday services in their own church. 

It really was an incredible experience and I will remember this Palm Sunday for many years to come….

Although we had some great sailing, we also were boat bound more than normal due to the high winds and high seas – thanks to all those late winter storms on the East Coast! !

As our time in the Caribbean was coming to a close and the weather wasn’t co-operating for sailing south – due to the high South East winds and high seas – we decided to leave Bergy Bit behind and head to the island of Saba (by air) for some ‘land’ time.

Although you can anchor off Saba or pick up a mooring ball, it is always a rocky rolly ride on Saban shores due to the swells that constantly buffet the island. As it is a volcanic cone there really are no beaches and getting ashore can prove to be a real challenge – especially in a small dinghy.  In fact, last year a boater lost his life trying to get ashore in rough conditions.

Commonly referred to as ‘The Unspoiled Queen’ of the Caribbean, Saba- a volcanic cone – is located about 28 miles south west of Sint Maarten.

Saba prides itself in its world renown underwater diving, its Rain Forest, its hiking trails, its medical school, its red and white houses and its amazing road -which you have to see to believe…

The island is approximately 5 sq. miles; basically a mountain that sticks out of the ocean. It has six ecosystems with a wide range of flora and fauna and is currently in the process of becoming  a World Heritage site.

Despite its beauty, however, Saba had little to offer tourists and local residents were moving away due to lack of work.

In 1989 it was thought the island would become uninhabited by the year 2000.

However in the early 1990′s ‘eco’ tourism started to bring tourists to the island and today the island of Saba has a thriving tourist base with its underwater diving and hiking trails.

The trip to Saba by air is worth every penny…. Saba’s airport has the smallest commercial air strip in the world –  a mere 400 metres (about the length of an aircraft carrier) and like an aircraft carrier at either end there is a drop into the water.  Saba’s airport sits between 2 cliffs that drop about 200 feet to the Caribbean Sea. 

This photo was taken from a moving bus and unfortunately doesn’t really show the cliffs at either end of the runway 

When you land  on Saba the captain literally stands on the brakes to get the aircraft to stop!  When you take off the captain stands on the brakes, revs the engines to full throttle, releases the brakes and the plane starts its take off.  When you reach the end of the runway the plane literally drops off the cliff and you are flying….   Like I said the trip to Saba by air is worth every penny.

We stayed at Flamboyant Cottage - a lovely little cottage in the area known as Booby Hill – about a 15 minute walk from the village of Windwardside.  

Now keep in mind where ever you go or what ever you do on Saba it is either up hill or down hill.  The hike back to the cottage from Windwardside – up hill – took about 25 minutes.  I will never ever complain about Bay Road in Davis Bay again ….

Windwardside

Flamboyant Cottage had a lovely pool and despite the fact the Cistern was almost empty and water conservation was imperative – the pool was full and we enjoyed it most days after we had hiked home.

Our week went by far too quickly.

We returned to Sint Maarten and Bergy Bit and finally calmer weather!

The effects of the late winter storms were being felt as far south as Sint Maarten well into March this year and they were packing a wallop….

We were looking at heading south to St. Kitts but found ourselves bracing once again  for several more days of strong winds 18-20 knots gusting to 25 knots.  These conditions continued for over a week! !

Once again we found ourselves boat bound ! 

Slowly the winds started to drop below 15 knots things were calming down or were they??

We took the opportunity of the ‘lighter’ winds and one afternoon headed ashore and enjoyed a walk along Simpson Bay Beach.  It was good to be on land….

We had just returned to Bergy (relatively dry! !) when the wind started to kick up, you could hear it coming in the distance and it hit with a wallop…

Within minutes several boats were going ‘walk about’ dragging anchor. On one side of us two boats which appeared to be anchored far enough apart got  tangled up in each others anchors and on the other side of us one boat ‘s dinghy had wrapped itself around another boat’s anchor chain and the ‘dinghy’ boat was now bow into the side of his neighbour.

Despite the conditions it was amazing how many people sprang into action boarding drifting boats, trying to untangle other boats.  At times the rain was so thick you could barely see a foot in front of you and the wind (we learned later) had sustained gusts of 35 -40 knots…

Bob and I tried to deal with the boats closest to us where the dinghy had wrapped itself around the anchor chain.  After assessing the situation with the conditions the way they were we decided it was safest left alone as releasing the dinghy could possibly have ended up with one boat impaling itself into the side of the other…  Something we definitely didn’t want to take responsibility for.  Later that day – the boat’s ‘Care Taker’ did exactly as we would have done and cut the dinghy free – both boats co-operated and swung away from each other and all was well with the world.

As is very typical of the Caribbean, a ‘Big Blow’ is quite often followed by a lovely Caribbean sunset …  this time was no exception…

The planes were in the Caribbean as part of the 25th annual St. Bart’s Bucket Sailing Regatta and despite some wild weather were able to fly everyday.

 The participating aircraft included a P-40K Warhawk, a Goodyear FG-1D Corsair, a P-51D Mustang and a B-25J.

The 70-year-old aircraft were flown 1,100 nautical miles from Houston to Sint Maarten and then back to Houston.

This type of trip had never been tried before and to accomplish the trip the planes had to cross more water than had ever been attempted since World War II.  

The group made two stops between Houston and Fort Lauderdale, and three stops between Fort Lauderdale and Sint Maarten – total flying time 14 hours.  

The Sint Maarten airport which is located right beside Simpson Bay Lagoon was the plane’s Caribbean base.

Every morning the planes performed a fly past over the St. Barths  regatta and every afternoon, at the end of the day’s races, they performed a 20 minute air show over St. Bart’s Shell Beach. 

So, every day for 3 days – 4 times a day we got a private air show as the planes took off and landed. 

On the day they headed home they did a fly past over the Lagoon as a final salute.

Being an airplane officiando - The Admiral  was in his glory and by the end of the 3 days even Gilligan could identify the different aircraft.

It something not many see in a lifetime.

We were truly privileged.

The Caribbean however was feeling the effects of some late winter storms off the East Coast of the USA, this was evident by the full Lagoon as ‘Cruisers’ took refuge to wait  for better weather…  Good anchoring spots were at a premium and dinghy traffic was much busier than normal.  This required a watchful eye whenever you were on the water.

One evening while enjoying a ‘cool one’ with Jan.   We heard the engine of a dinghy as it passed by us.  The dinghy was close, but as it was a dark night, it was hard to see it although there was a small running light mounted on the engine.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, then silence!  The dinghy had run into something, what exactly we were soon to find out.

The silence was broken by shouting, then the sound of the dinghy motor being started and racing off, then the sound of Jan’s phone ringing…

The dinghy had hit one of Jan’s company dinghies tied  at the back  of an employee’s boat.  Like  Jan, some of his employees live on boats and take their company dinghies home.

The dinghy’s outboard engine was in the water being held on by the fuel line and the engine cover was at the bottom of the Lagoon.

Of course that was the end of our ’cool one’ with Jan as he headed off to assess the damage…

Even with the help of the ‘Cruisers Net’ the dinghy and its operator were never located….

Unfortunately accidents like this are common in Simpson Bay Lagoon – day or night – and sometimes such accidents even result in fatalities.

We rarely venture  off the boat at night and are on constant guard when we are on the Lagoon in the daytime…

Once again the weather is keeping us boat bound but we are hoping for a change in the weather soon…..

We have had many wonderful times in Anse de Colombier which has a long white sandy beach and rock outcroppings that provide for some good snorkelling.  Anse de Colombier is a hangout for sea turtles and if you are lucky the occasional octopus or spotted eagle ray – simply amazing creatures to watch!

Anse de Colombier - from above..

The Rockerfeller House

Overlooking Anse de Colombier is what most people refer to as ‘The Rockerfeller House’ originally owned by David Rockerfeller but apparently now owned by Harrison Ford.

The weather was perfect, we swam and snorkelled and just enjoyed being aboard our little Bergy Bit.

Anse de Colombier has become a very busy anchorage and every night it was full to overflowing and as in past years the Mega Yachts would show up for the day, ‘ferry’   Tables, Chairs, Lunch and Passengers ashore and at Sunset load everything back on board, pull up anchor and set off for Gustavia, the capital of St. Barts or their next port of call!

Occasionally a Mega Yacht will stay anchored overnight and this year a British Mega Yacht anchored overnight while we were there.  In the morning we watched the crew set up an outdoor gym on the foredeck – treadmills, stationary bikes, weights etc.  When the workouts were done the passengers enjoyed breakfast on the rear deck and then were ferried ashore for a day at the beach! !

After 4 wonderful days of sunshine, stormy weather was headed our way and  it was time to head either south to St. Kitts or back to St. Maarten.   As the wind was from the Southeast – directly in our teeth if we headed for St. Kitts – we decided to head back to St. Maarten to our safe little corner and wait out the weather.

The sail from St. Barts to Sint Maarten was incredible – what some sailors would call ‘A Sleigh Ride’.  Anse de Colombier to Simpson Bay in 3 hours – average speed 5.5 knots, with a top speed of 6.5 knots.  Bergy was flying.  The only downside were the 8 to 10 foot swells, but even those were on our stern quarter which didn’t make for too much rocking and rolling…  (click here for video of our sail)

We had a wonderful time in St. Barts but were very glad to be back in St. Maarten and in our safe little anchorage near the Witches Tit! 

Little did we know what we were in store for!

St. Bart’s is about 17 miles away and traditionally due to ‘fluky’ winds we have learned that it’s easiest to motor from Simpson Bay to the end of the island then head north before putting up the sails.

This year though, the conditions were absolutely perfect!  Once out of Simpson Bay we were able to put the sails up and had a great sail to St. Barts.  We arrived earlier than anticipated, anchored in Anse De Corrosol and headed into Gustavia (the Capital) to check in.

What we found out later was we had an audience while we anchored.  Larry and Brenda had brought a picnic lunch down to Corrosol and were on the beach enjoying the sun when we came into anchor.

Anchorage - Anse de Corrosol

Beach at Corrosol

We met Larry and Brenda the next day on the beach in Corrosol and they took us on an island tour before taking us back to Villa Poirier (where they were staying) for a dip in the pool, a hot shower (AAAH) and a lovely late lunch Bar-b-que of Filet Tournadoes, Quinoa, Potatoes and grilled Red Peppers – delicious! !

Corossol is known for the dried palm frond handicrafts made by Village ladies; this is a dieing art however there is a small store that still sells a few items. The most treasured one is called a “Quichenotte” which is a bonnet worn by the ladies to hide their appearance and discourage advances by male suitors. English translation of “Quichenotte” is “Kiss Me Not”.

Villa Poirier, a two bedroom villa with pool, is located on a hill with a gorgeous ocean view of the St. Jean area of St. Bart’s, Isles Forche, Sint Maarten and Anguilla.

View From Villa Poirier of Iles Forche (on the left) and Sint Maarten (in the background)

Our tour guides showed us many areas of St. Barts we had never seen before.  They also told us about the ‘Little Churches’ of which there are still 6 or 7 scattered on the island.  These ‘Little Churches’ or Catholic Creches/Shrines were initially built as the French settled the island so people in the small villages had a local gathering spot to worship. The ones we saw were well maintained.  One was in the middle of a ‘town centre’ and surrounded by a picket fence others were just out in the country along the roadside and the one in Corrosol (honouring sailors) was simply a large boulder.

A 'Little Church' by the Roadside

A 'Little Church'

We were so glad we had made it to St. Bart’s before Larry and Brenda were scheduled to fly home.

Thank You Larry and Brenda for a great tour, great hospitality, delicious food, extra provisions, a swim, a hot shower AHHH and most especially for a wonderful day ashore…  Great Memories!

As Larry and Brenda headed for home we headed to Anse de Colombier (St. Bart’s) for four days and then back to Sint Maarten to ride out some more blustery weather….