The “Oh-my-god-a Passage”

St. Martin to the Virgin Islands

The stretch of open water between St. Martin and the British Virgin Islands (BVIs) is marked on some charts as the Sombrero Passage and as the Anegada Passage on others.  Many sailors refer to it as the “Oh-my-god-a Passage.”  The passage has very deep water between the shallow water surrounding the Virgin Islands and St. Martin.  The fast moving current in the passage has a tendency to make the seas “lump up a bit” as it encounters the shallow areas.

 Simpson Bay Bridge

Standard procedure is to exit the St. Martin Lagoon at the 4:00 PM bridge opening, wave good bye to friends on the deck of the Sint Maarten Yacht Club, and anchor outside in Simpson Bay.  The next outbound bridge opening is not until 8:30 AM. 

Sint Maarten Yacht Club

It takes Motivator 10 to 10 ½ hours to do the 81 NM to the BVIs.  The prudent mariner does not run the chance of being forced to enter an unfamiliar harbor after sunset.  So, an early departure (6:00 AM) is warranted.

Besides, it gives you a chance to enjoy another spectacular Caribbean sunset.

Friends we met on the way to the BVIs

We waited 3 weeks for a good weather window to make the passage, and our patience paid off.  The wind for most of the way was less than 15 knots and we had a gentle following sea with only the occasional large swell.

Riding our bow wake

The two pods of dolphins we encountered each had 7 to 8 healthy looking members of various sizes.  One pod had distinctive stripes while the other had freckles.  Each pod stayed with us for about 10 to 15 minutes.  Pollie thinks they liked us because she was on the bow waving and talking to them.  I think it was the Dire Straits album I was playing.

Motivator in Biras Creek, BVIs

While we enjoyed our time in Sint Maarten, we were ready for the quiet of Biras Creek.

St Eustatius to Sint Maarten

After enough rolling in the harbor at Statia, we departed for St. Martin/Sint Maarten.  We had hoped to stop at Saba on our north bound leg, but that was not going to happen.  The swell at Saba can make the island untenable for getting to shore via a dinghy, not to mention trying to sleep while hanging on to the bed.

St. Barthelemy (St. Barts)

Stopping at St. Barts was another option which we had done on a previous trip (see: archived posting, May 17, 2012).  But, this is their high season, so the possibility of getting a mooring inside the harbor at Gustavia was slim to none.  There is an anchorage just outside of the harbor, but it is reported as quite rolly.  

Our sister ship, the Izzy R, went to Anse du Colombier on the northwest corner of the island and reported that it was quite nice.  There are marine park moorings, nice beaches, hiking, and the dinghy ride into to Gustavia is not too bad – next time.

St. Martin/Sint Maarten

The dual nation island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten offers plenty of anchoring and marina options.  Marigot Bay on the north side is good if there is no north swell.  Grande Case is noted for its French restaurants.  From Orient Bay you can watch the nude sun bathers on Orient Beach.  At Philipsburg you can anchor in the bay where the large cruise ships come to visit.  Simpson Bay is fairly well protected and offers easy access to services.

The Lagoon

Motivator’s crew prefers going through the Dutch Bridge and grabbing Andy’s mooring on the Dutch side.  Andy is an Australian expatriate and jack of all trades who lives in a motor-less motor yacht on the French Side. 

Anchorage on the French side

There seems to be a lot of Andys on the French side because they do not charge for their bridge or anchoring.  One of our budget conscious friends calls anchoring on the French side living in “the hood.”

Anchorage on the Dutch side with mega yachts in the background

For a boat the size of Motivator there is a $21 USD charge for the bridge and a $40 per week anchoring fee on the Dutch side.  We find the Dutch side to be a little more attractive. The bridge to be dependable (the French bridge was broken for the first week we were here). We are closer to the services we prefer.  We also feel somewhat safer due to the Dutch patrol boats.  I guess you get what you pay for.  

New Causeway Bridge

The big news in The Lagoon was that the new causeway bridge is operational.  Opening times for the Causeway Bridge are 15 minutes before or after the inbound and outbound opening times for the Dutch Bridge leading into the lagoon.

Bridge Lighting

A dedication ceremony for the New Causeway Bridge was scheduled for the weekend after our arrival.  The bridge is well lit with color changing lights, but that was not enough.  The fireworks were the most spectacular we have ever seen.  It was a highly orchestrate affair with fireworks originating from several different locations along the bridge.  From our front row seating on Motivator it was so overwhelming; we forgot to grab a camera.

The Bridge Walk

Joining the crews of Banyan and Izzy R, we did our own bridge dedication by hiking across it.

Swing Bridge

By perfectly timing our hike (actually dumb luck) we got to watch an opening.

These hard working young men standing in the shade of the newly planted palm tree are finishing up the landscaping on the roads leading to the bridge.  We feel somewhat invested in the new bridge because we have watched it being built on our previous visits to Sint Maarten (see: archive postings, May 14, 2012; March 1, 2013 and June 1, 2013).

Maho Beach

Again, we are blown in.  The current weather pattern has created long periods of high winds and waves that we want to avoid when we do the passage to the Virgin Islands.  Oh well, it is warm here, there are a bunch of great restaurants, and there is plenty to do.

Split Personality

At barely 7 miles across, the dual nation of St. Martin/Sint Maarten, is the smallest island in the world to be divided by two sovereign powers.  Legend has it that the French and Dutch being more civilized than some of their European neighbors did not fight over the island.  Instead, a Frenchman armed with a bottle of wine walked in one direction and a Dutchman equipped with a flask of gin in the other.  Where they met became the boundary, and the French ended up with a bit more because the gin was stronger than the wine.

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten (6 cruise ships)

Today St. Martin (usually used when referring to the whole island) is the best known holiday destination in the Leewards.  The island hosts about a million visitors annually.

Philipsburg, Dutch side

The island went completely duty-free in 1939, so now it is the Caribbean’s number one shopping mall.  The Euro is the official currency on the French side, while the Guilder is the official currency on the Dutch side.  Both sides however, gladly accept the U.S. Dollar.

Orient Bay (on the French side, of course)

Photo by Izzy St. Clair

St. Martin boasts a multitude of beautiful white sand beaches to suit everyone’s taste.  The nude beach once again proved the adage, “those that shouldn’t do, and those that should don’t.” 

Maho Beach, Dutch side

Photo by Izzy St. Clair

While some visitors go to the beach to get that all-over tan, others go to watch the jets land.

Photo by Izzy St. Clair

Watching departures can be even more exciting.

Grand Case, French side

Photo by Izzy St. Clair

Dinning is another St. Martin treat.  While the Dutch side claims the better duty-free shopping, the French side claims the better dining opportunities.  The little town of Grand Case has restaurants lining the beach with each claiming to be better than the others.

The Butterfly Farm, French side

Photo by Izzy St. Clair

Although the island is rather small, there are numerous activities to keep everyone, even Pollie, entertained.  Once checked-in on either side you are free to roam on both sides by dinghy, car, taxi, or bus.

Sandy Ground Bridge, French side

Boats can enter the protected water of Simpson Bay from either the French side or the Dutch side.

Palapa Bridge, Dutch side

The bridge on the Dutch side has a wider opening and can accommodate deeper drafts.

2012 photo, there is more damage now

But evidently, the Dutch bridge is not wide enough for some of the mega-yachts.  Watching the mega-yachts navigate the bridge opening from the Yacht Club deck is a very popular activity.

Mega-yacht facilities, Dutch side

Because of the wider bridge and facilities, you can’t swing a dead lobster on the Dutch side without hitting a mega-yacht.  There is a nominal charge for using the Dutch bridge and they charge a weekly anchoring fee.

Simpson Bay, French side

The French fees are less and they do not charge for the bridge, so you find more cruiser boats and unfortunately, derelicts on the French side. 

A bridge across the Simpson Bay is under construction that will probably separate the character of the two sides even more.  Traffic jams in paradise, both on the French and Dutch side, prompted this project.