Dutch Sint Maarten

Cruiser’s haven offers
shopping galore, dining
and a protected harbor

By Louisa Beckett

In the November issue of Southern Boating, we wrote up two French-speaking islands in the Caribbean’s northern Leeward Islands chain, St. Barths and St. Martin. But thanks to a happenstance of history, French St. Martin shares its island home with another nation: Dutch Sint Maarten. As the base for many private and charter yachts during the winter season, this cruiser’s haven deserves its own write-up.

Columbus “discovered” the island through a spyglass as he was sailing by in 1493 and claimed it for Spain. Over the next century and a half, the Spanish, Dutch and French squabbled over this Caribbean outpost and its valuable salt-mining operations. In 1647, the Spanish finally abandoned the island and the following year, the French and Dutch signed a treaty to co-habit it peacefully. The legend of how they decided where to put the border is often repeated in guidebooks and on the internet, but it’s too compelling not to include here:

A Frenchman with a bottle of wine and a Dutchman with a bottle of gin started walking toward each other from either end of the island. The gin was a bit stronger than the wine, however, forcing the Dutchman to take a nap en route – which is why French St. Martin is larger than the Dutch side!

St. Maarten, to the south, has the most protected boat harbor: Simpson Bay Lagoon. Almost entirely enclosed by a peninsula on the island’s west side, it is accessible only through a swing bridge with a 55-foot wide opening and a maximum depth of 20 feet. This is more than enough clearance for most boats, but I had the privilege of entering the lagoon aboard the 228-foot superyacht Sherakhan several years ago. It may have been just my perspective from the top deck, but her beam of 39-and-a-half feet seemed just barely to squeak through the bridge opening!

As our contributor Carol Bareuther reported in “Caribbean Currents” in the November issue of Southern Boating, the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority has announced it will reduce the bridge fees for yachts in the 26- to 60-foot range as of Jan. 1, 2011. This is welcome news for cruisers who felt the current fees, first levied in 2008, were onerous. For the latest Simpson Bay Lagoon Bridge fees, check with the marina where you plan to berth before you arrive.

Simpson Bay Lagoon offers a number of yacht harbors, including two managed by international marina developer Island Global Yachting: Simpson Bay Marina and Yacht Club Isle de Sol. These are superyacht-friendly marinas, as is La Palapa Marina and the Yacht Club Port de Plaisance; dock here and you are sure to enjoy the “eye candy” surrounding you. There are also several service facilities in the lagoon, including Bobby’s Marina, which recently added a 150-ton Travelift. Major chandleries such as Island Water World, which has a fuel dock, and dockside provisioning companies also can be found here, making Simpson Bay Lagoon a favorite stopover for luxury charter yachts.

Most of Sint Maarten’s marinas have “upland” facilities, meaning shopping malls with shops along with a wide range of restaurants from tiki to gourmet, and plenty of waterside watering holes. Port de Plaisance also has a casino within walking distance of the docks. Cruisers who want to enjoy the rest of the island need to rely on taxis, which are plentiful. A “must-see” is Sint Maarten’s quaint capital city of Philipsburg, which has world-famous duty-free shopping along Front Street facing the island’s main harbor. Be warned that this is also a favorite stop for cruise ships however; check with your marina staff to see which days are the least crowded in town.

Besides the services, shopping and experiences to be had on Sint Maarten, another thing that makes it a popular winter charter and private boat base is the proximity of Princess Juliana International Airport, which lies between Simpson Bay Lagoon and the sea. (In fact, when the crew of Sherakhan picked me up at the airport, we walked across the street to where the yacht’s tender was tied up in the lagoon and hopped aboard.)

A personal recommendation for a truly extraordinary outing while on Sint Maarten is the 12 Metre Challenge, which operates out of Bobby’s Marina. Experienced skippers take you – regardless of yacht racing experience – offshore in two America’s Cup sailing yachts and let you crew the boat during a short match race. Few things beat the nervy thrill of “hiking out” on the rail of a 12 Metre, grinding the winches, tacking the backstay or any of the other tasks that an America’s Cup team member — and now you – perform during a match race, especially with St. Maarten’s brisk breezes filling the huge sail and the volcanic island rushing past in the background. The 12 Metre Challenge definitely teaches you a thing or two about the importance of teamwork! For more, visit www.12metre.com.

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