La rouge tete, oui, non, avec, merci , bonjour- that is about the extent of my French so when it comes to a choice of clearing into the French side of the island of St Maarten or the Dutch side - which one am I going to choose. Yes, you know, I went to the Dutch side and happily it's been rare to hear people speak Dutch. Most conversation is in English.
While reading a local newspaper (in MacDonalds) there was a picture that broke my heart. There was a Moorings Beneteau 505 (50ft) sitting completely submerged on a reef just outside their charter base. They didn't think they could get it off in one piece so they are going to take hydraulic chain saws and cut it to pieces and take it off the reef that way. Until they remove it, I imagine it will make all the charterers leaving their base extremely nervous.
We went for an island taxi tour and it's very evident with the different cultures on the French and Dutch side. I think it is fair to say 2 common characteristics on the French side were thinness and smoking. Joan seems to be taken a little bit with the French pastries. Most of the islands over here are a country unto themselves. St Maarten happens to be two countries, but you have to clear customs in with your boat as well as out with your boat. If you don't clear out, the next country may not let you in.
So we cleared out of St Maarten Dutch side and headed for St Barts. Remember how I avoided the French in St Maarten, well St Barts is definitely French. Obviously I was going to be nervous about clearing in. Usually the captain is the only one allowed off the boat so the double bugaboo about St Barts is not only is it French but their customs form is computer driven. After playing dumb and asking for help (the keyboard seemed to be different) I was able to complete the forms and clear into the country. St Barts is hands down the neatest, cleanest, least improvised island that we have seen down here. Restaurant cafes are endless around the harbour with lots of public waterfront walkways. The island was French during the pirate days but France gave it to Sweden for some trading rights into Stockholm, but after 100 years, Sweden decided it was too much of a burden, so they gave it back to France.
In another week, St Barts will hold a sailboat race but I don't yet qualify to enter. To take the starting line, the qualification is that your vessel must be over 100ft long. I was thinking if I bought another 393 (39ft), the 2 boats would give me 78 ft and 2 masts - I'm not sure if I would be ketch or a yawl or a schooner. Now 78 ft doesn't make 100, so maybe if I talked to the guys cutting up the 50ft Beneteau, I might be able to get a 22ft piece to bring me up to the 100ft. If their section had a mast as well, I would have 3 masts and that might make me pretty unique.
Small cars and electric cars are certainly the "in" thing in St Barts and we saw some pretty unique, probably European, vehicles. St Barts is as far south as we are going to go so technically we are on our way home. I'm tired of clearing customs. One of the islands further south requires you to register with the port authority when you arrive, then leave that building and go to another one for customs, then leave that building and walk down the street to the police station for immigration.
So we cleared out of St Maarten Dutch side and headed for St Barts. Remember how I avoided the French in St Maarten, well St Barts is definitely French. Obviously I was going to be nervous about clearing in. Usually the captain is the only one allowed off the boat so the double bugaboo about St Barts is not only is it French but their customs form is computer driven. After playing dumb and asking for help (the keyboard seemed to be different) I was able to complete the forms and clear into the country. St Barts is hands down the neatest, cleanest, least improvised island that we have seen down here. Restaurant cafes are endless around the harbour with lots of public waterfront walkways. The island was French during the pirate days but France gave it to Sweden for some trading rights into Stockholm, but after 100 years, Sweden decided it was too much of a burden, so they gave it back to France.
In another week, St Barts will hold a sailboat race but I don't yet qualify to enter. To take the starting line, the qualification is that your vessel must be over 100ft long. I was thinking if I bought another 393 (39ft), the 2 boats would give me 78 ft and 2 masts - I'm not sure if I would be ketch or a yawl or a schooner. Now 78 ft doesn't make 100, so maybe if I talked to the guys cutting up the 50ft Beneteau, I might be able to get a 22ft piece to bring me up to the 100ft. If their section had a mast as well, I would have 3 masts and that might make me pretty unique.
Small cars and electric cars are certainly the "in" thing in St Barts and we saw some pretty unique, probably European, vehicles. St Barts is as far south as we are going to go so technically we are on our way home. I'm tired of clearing customs. One of the islands further south requires you to register with the port authority when you arrive, then leave that building and go to another one for customs, then leave that building and walk down the street to the police station for immigration.
Antigua is getting a very bad name regarding crime and apparently 2 cruise ship lines are going to stop calling into there. The volcano at Montserrat is still putting out ash and depending on which way the wind blows, the ash is landing on and doing damage to boats in Nevis and St Kitts.
Heading off to Anguilla tomorrow.....or maybe the next day.....depending on the winds!
Heading off to Anguilla tomorrow.....or maybe the next day.....depending on the winds!
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