“High surf warning,” shouted the headlines on the internet. “Rare northwestern swell wreaks havoc on anchorages around St. Martin.”
I could see the masts of the boat in Marigot Bay rocking back and forth violently as the huge rollers barrelled in from the northwest. A massive cold front extended from the Yucatan Peninsula to Nova Scotia and disrupted the usual easterly trade winds. The wind was blowing up to 30 knots. Even though we were in a protected marina, the large swells made their way into the marina, rocking our boat.
The wind whistled through the rigging making a high pitch all night. I got up every few hours to check the mooring lines. The harbour master Alon had us Mediterranean moored with our stern to the dock and our bow attached to a mooring ball. On either side were motor yachts that tourists would rent for 5000 Euros per day. All night we banged into each other, protected with the huge fenders from causing damage. In the morning, no damage had occurred. Other boats in the bay were not so lucky.
After a glorious trip from Antigua with Marco, where we stopped in Barbuda, then St. Barts, I’ve spent the past two weeks with Ileana in St. Martin. The days drift by. My routine is getting up at dawn and going for a 10k run. If I finish the run by 8 a.m., it is still cool before the fierce Caribbean heat kicks in. After a breakfast of granola and yoghurt, I’m off to the grocery store to stock up. St. Martin is a French Island. The store is typically French with a selection of 30 different types of cheese. The bakery section takes up half of the floor space. Essentials like escargot, truffles and steak tartar are always in stock.
On the rare occasions when Ileana accompanies me, somehow we stumble onto a wine tasting event in one of the many duty-free wine stores.
Indera and Faz, our longtime friends, came to stay for a week on the boat. It took no time for them to get accustomed to the lay back lifestyle. Fluffy omelettes in the morning, a nap in the afternoon, a gentle rocking to put them asleep at night.
The views from Fort St. Louis ruins are spectacular. Christopher Columbus discovered the island in November, 1493. In 1648 it was split into a Dutch portion and a French portion. A fictional story about the 1648 border-drawing process is often told on the island to explain the larger French side: A Frenchman and a Dutchman were selected by their respective communities, given intoxicating drink, stood up back to back in Oysterpond, and set off to walk around the shoreline in opposite directions. The line between the starting and ending point was supposedly declared the border. The French side explains its larger territory by saying the Dutchman stopped to enjoy the company of a woman, or that the Frenchman chose wine and the Dutchman chose Jenever (Dutch Gin), which is supposedly heavier and required a nap. The Dutch side explains its smaller territory by accusing the Frenchman of cheating by running or taking a shortcut through the northeastern part of the island.
Video of St. Martin looking towards the Dutch side
Many of the super yachts in the harbour can be rented. The Liv Love superyacht can be yours for 235,000 Euros per week, but you have to pay for expenses. The Blue Devil is only 125,000 Euros. The fuel costs for the week could run you another 100,000 Euros. But you could bring six of your closest friends and split the cost.
Usmaan and Daniela Hameed with their daughters Isla and Mia came to the boat for dinner of Paella. It is less of a challenge to find all the necessary ingredients: mussels, scallops, shrimp, chicken, black olives, capers, saffron and the magical herbs and spices in St. Martin.
Life is good.
