St. Martin: The Shopping Capital of the Eastern Caribbean

     Sailing overnight from Antigua was calm and uneventful- exactly the sail we needed to boost our night passage confidence again. Although it was more upwind than down (no matter which diction we head we always seem to be going upwind!) the wind speed remained at a manageable 15-20 knots and the swell was small. Stars shone brightly overhead and a waning moon cut brightly through the blackness of night. St. Barts looked small as we passed it's shiny lights in the small hours.

     Sunrise saw us anchored at Marigot on the French side of St. Martin (the southern half of this small island is Dutch). Our guidebook highlights a quaint, though inaccurate, story of the border being decided by having a Frenchman with a bottle of wine walk from one side and a Dutchman with a flask of gin from the other. They cemented a border where they met and the French ended up with slightly more territory due to the strength of the Dutchman's gin.

     The shoreline of Marigot is packed with shops, older hotels and resorts. Swarms of tourists sitting in sidewalk cafes and browsing the waterfront market for colourful beach clothing and souvenirs make it clear that this island has it's feet firmly planted in the tourist industry. There is also a small spice market nearby where fresh produce and homemade spices are sold by local ladies with colorful head scarves.

     For a late breakfast ashore yesterday we visited Sarafina's, a bread and pastry shop/cafe that sells everything delicious from delectable pastries and baguettes to sorbet and breakfasts of sausage, eggs and hash browns. Following brunch we wandered through cafes and past stores of all kinds to the West Indies Mall, a small two-story mall with natural lighting and pristine stores. After not seeing anything remotely resembling a mall for months it felt strange and wonderful to be in one again.

     We also huffed and puffed our way up to Fort St. Louis for a view of the blue bay of Marigot and Simpson Bay Lagoon to the south. The lagoon is a large enclosed body of water that extends into Dutch and French territory and forms a sheltered anchorage for boats of all sizes. Signs around the fort briefly explained the history of St. Martin and highlighted that it's population was long troubled by British privateers and pirates who would raid the islanders for coffee and other valuable crops.

     The anchorage at Marigot is filled with dozens of boats but has plenty of room. Though rather swelly, it is shallow enough to almost see the sandy bottom through the crisp blue water. We will likely remain in St. Martin for about a week and plan to move to a bay called Grand Case, slightly north from Marigot. Jamie has his first post coming soon where he'll highlight his favorite places so far!

All the best,
Nicole

Exploring Iles des Saintes

     The Saintes are a small group of islands south of Guadeloupe and are also a French territory. In the past the economy was primarily based on fishing, and today there are many shops, restaurants guest houses along the small winding streets of Bourg des Saintes catering to tourists arriving off ferries from Guadeloupe. One of the most notable things about the main village on arriving is that the majority of the roofs are red. It makes me wonder if there is a rule about this or if people have just followed tradition when building their homes and businesses. The hills on these small islands are small and dry with reddish soil in many places.

     So far we’ve explored the town, had delicious pizza at a restaurant open to the warm air, and shopped in the unique stores. Dad and Jamie even went kiteboarding in the bay beside Ile Cabrit, where there is a windsurfing and kiteboarding school. During the day the streets are filled with French tourists zooming around on rented scooters, but by night local families emerge into the streets to socialize and enjoy the evening. Last night we heard music booming from speakers and realized that the music was slowly moving along the village streets. After putting ashore for dinner we found that it was coming from a city truck with huge speakers in the back followed by a man playing guitar and a swarm of young people forming a moving dance party. Perhaps this is a Saturday night tradition?

     We are quickly becoming fond of these islands and love how European they feel while maintaining a laid back Caribbean vibe as well. Yesterday we girls grabbed a baguette and a local pastry called “the agony of love” to snack on while hiking the nearest hill to Fort Napoleon for an amazing view of the village and bay. To our surprise, we saw a familiar towering tall ship anchored in the bay and realized it was the Stad Amsterdam, which had amazed us with its huge wooden masts and majestic lines at Norman Island in the BVIs not so long ago. Part of the enjoyment of traveling by sailboat, is seeing familiar boats and cruisers at different islands. So far while in the Saintes we have met several other cruisers from Canada and occasionally see boats we recognize from other islands and anchorages. 

Until next time,

Nicole.

Baguettes and Best Yets

     In Deshaies there is a small main street with colourful shops and restaurants. The local shops open early and break for several hours over lunch, so motoring in early in the morning is a must to purchase produce from local farmers and baked goods from the shops. While dusting off their basic French skills to purchase fresh produce, Mom and Dad found some amazing baguettes brought fresh from a bakery every morning. Since this delectable discovery we've been gorging ourselves on fresh bread smeared with nutella on a daily basis. The first day they returned with three baguettes, but they quickly vanished, so yesterday they upped the number to four and we still managed to eat them all in one day. Our logic was that they go hard by the next day, but it wasn't exactly a struggle to finish them off.

     The road leading south from the village of Deshaies climbs steeply over a peak and disappears into the mountainous distance beyond the Jardin Botanique de Deshaies. On a rainy day, Sarah, Dad and I hiked up this hill with cameras in hand to visit the sprawling, lush, overgrown tropical gardens. Our cruising guidebook captures the essence of these magnificent gardens when it says, "This is a perfect botanical garden - nature with a dash of theatre." Nestled among the overflowing tropical greenery and carnival-esque colours of the flowers you can observe the dramatic shenanigans of koi, flamingoes, parrots and a multi-coloured bird called a Lori de Swainson. If you spend .50 Euros for a small cup of bird food, the purple and yellow headed Lori De Swainsons will proceed to land all over your head and arms, nudging their way towards the cup in the most comical way. Even if you don't have any food, if you approach someone with any the birds will land on you all the same, leaving you laughing and hoping they don't leave anything behind when they fly off.

     Along the coast of Basse Terre there are several bays where boats can tuck in for the night. Yesterday we sailed to Pigeon Island and the Cousteau Underwater Park. It is by far the best spot we've snorkeled yet, right up there with "the Indians" and Norman Island in the BVIs. Pigeon Island, Petit Ilet and a brief stretch of the coast at Pigeon Island anchorage combine into an underwater amusement park with hundreds of colourful fish and corals. Between the two islands the water is a bright blue, but as the water deepens fingers of darker blues blend together. Over one short snorkeling session we saw practically every fish we've seen yet on this trip, all in one fantastic location. Floating a few inches above large parrotfish and black durgon felt like swimming in an aquarium. Among the creatures sighted were a snake-like sharptail eel, large squid, and a flat place camouflaged among the rocks. It was a site well worth visiting despite the rolly overnight anchorage we were forced to contend with.

     Pictures of the Jardin Botanique and our hike up Riviere de Deshaies will follow when the internet improves, but so far it has been weak everywhere along the coast. In the meantime, check out pictures from our drive around St. Kitts on the "Travel Photos" side bar. Over the weekend we will continue sailing down the coast of Basse Terre to explore a small group of islands south of Guadeloupe called The Saintes.

Nicole.
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