SXM

I could write endlessly about the captivating island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten.  The dual nation has been the most influential and character forming place I have ever lived so one can imagine the mother lode of tales and anecdotes stored in the recesses of my mind.  I have met so many fascinating people here over the years, people I consider family and the events that shaped our lives are no ordinary stories.  Writing about SXM is not difficult at all, keeping the writing relevant to my current journey and this blog is my enduring problem.

I found SXM on my way to St. Bartholomew in the spring of 1984.  My connecting flight to St. Bart’s the next morning left me with a night all to myself at a Dutch-side Hotel near Philipsburg.  I asked a taxi to take me to the liveliest place to find the local crowd and the rest is history...literally.  SXM has always been promoted as the friendly island and I can certainly attest to that, especially in the 80s when the population was still in the thousands.  My new found friends set me up with a job for the winter season so I quit my job in the States, suspended my university studies and spent the summer in Europe before moving to SXM five months later.  Those first years were ethereal; halcyon days at the beaches and late nights at the bars and discos.  Everyone knew each other (and each other’s business).  It was an island neighborhood of a myriad of nations, over 72 even then, I once heard.  Those were the days of the Spronk Cats and single day Heineken Regattas, Sam’s Bar and Cafe de Paris.  Hitchhiking was safe, people smoked grass in public, no one wore much clothing.  There were far fewer Americans and much smaller resorts.  It was a completely different place from what it is now.  I adored SXM and thought I’d never leave until a love story took me to the USVIs and BVIs to crew on luxury term charters in 1988, a year in South Africa, then back to the Virgin Islands with a license to run my own charter yacht.  Most first loves don’t work out and when mine unraveled I naturally took refuge back in SXM in 1992.  It was more exciting than ever!  My favorite people were still around and the idyllic laid back village of Grand Case had transformed into a marvelous scene of innovative restaurants and boisterous bars and legendary characters.  Cha Cha Cha, Jimbo Lolo, and Surf Club South were in full swing. It was terribly scandalous and spectacular fun! The same type of boom had started in Simpson Bay and now it was impossible to see the beaches or the lagoon from the airport road anymore.  Thus began one of the most enchanting periods of my habitation on the island.  The decadent calm before the storm, Hurricane Luis on September 5, 1995.  In a recent conversation a friend described it as a time of no restraint.  Unsustainable, it couldn’t have lasted and when the biggest hurricane known to any of us hit the island nothing was ever the same again.

A tragedy took me off the island shortly afterward and I thought it would be too depressing to return. My reluctance was unfounded as I arrived to a new building boom as shell shocked denizens were in full recovery with admirable resilience and an impressive drive to restore their businesses and improve the infrastructure.  An influx of new inhabitants had energized the economy and increased the allure.  My job on the Lady Mary was still available to me as well as some new offers to fill my extra time and the upbeat and hopeful atmosphere was infectious.  How could I resist?  Where else could I be?  I was home.

I stayed another six years and seven more hurricanes.  When I left for good in 2001, it was a career driven venture that had been in progress for some time.  It was a good move and it was time but that’s a Miami story.  I returned a couple of times for short visits while the island kept growing.  The Cruise ship Terminal was completed as well as the Simpson Bay Causeway.  I could only find my way around the island because I still knew the roads but not the scenery.  So much of the island was unrecognizable to me but my friends were still there and that’s all that mattered.

I watched the news of hurricane Irma in helpless horror as she swept through the northern islands in 2017.  A slow motion delayed shock set over me as the photos of the damage became available on the internet.  It was months before I had any contact with the people I loved down there.  A devastating storm of the century, worse than Luis, which was catastrophic.  When the big ones hit, it is an indiscriminate and indescribable disaster the proportions of which can only be understood by those who experience it.  I know that my experience in Luis will only equip me with a modicum of comprehension when it comes to Irma so I can only listen to the accounts and witness the aftermath that we saw last November on a visit and have seen on our current journey from Puerto Rico through the Virgins to my beloved SXM.

Not the smoothest of segues here, but I hope everyone understands that although we had planned to spend more time in SXM it was not in our best interest, or more to the point, in the best interest of our sailboat.  We know the storms won’t start spinning off of Africa for a couple of weeks but our insurance (that we are lucky to have, not so easy to arrange in the Caribbean these days) doesn’t care.  We are supposed to already be south of 12 Degree North Latitude now to comply.  Effectively, we are not insured for hurricanes or any other calamity until then so we are compelled to move south and keep our India safe.  SXM has some of the best chandlers and marine stores and a massive Ace Hardware store now.  Unbelievably, we also needed a repair on our new main sail this time from all the bad weather we've experienced.  And India is a French boat with 220 Volt power supply and French plugs and we had been looking forward to adding some new appliances.  We kept very busy and soon another week had disappeared.  We had already missed several friends by the time we arrived but were very happy to make Babette’s Birthday and spend time with Pierre, Jimbo, Monique and Patrick.  We wished we could have stayed longer and are sad that we needed to leave so soon that we missed a few other friends.

St. Maarten/St. Martin is a beautiful island with a charm like no other.  It’s beaches are breathtaking and there are 36 of them.  The restaurants are competitive and top notch.  It’s hotels are beautifully situated with friendly and helpful staff.  The island takes care of its tourists because they understand how it drives the economy and want to promote their island with pride.  The dichotomy of nations makes it unique and interesting as well as all the people from everywhere who have made SXM their home.  It’s the only place I know where one can stand on the beach and watch jumbo passenger airliners land

overhead.  The Heineken Regatta has grown into a first rate and internationally recognized event and Carnival in April is big celebration and a lot of fun!  Yes, the island has been battered again by a recent hurricane but it is bruised, not broken.  If you’ve never been here, I highly recommend a visit, like most of us who’ve spent time here, it won’t be your last.

Dinner at Jimbo's Cafe for Babette's Birthday!

Gathering on S/V india

With Suzanne and Dan