Caribbean: The Leeward Islands - dream islands Sint Maarten and St. Barth

Since this rainy summer at the latest, let's not talk about winter yet, many crews have been dreaming of sailing in shorts and T-shirts, of golden sandy beaches, cocktails under palm trees and sunshine galore. Reggae beats instead of Nordic dreariness.

Once through the Leeward Islands

This is exactly the plan: start in the north of the Leewards, more precisely on the island of St Martin or Sint Maarten, which is divided into a French and a Dutch part. From there via the French St. Barth on to Antigua. Then southwards towards Guadeloupe and on to the Îles des Saintes. Almost completely through the Leeward Islands. The departure is scheduled for early the next day, directly to St. Barth, but before that there is a bridge cinema.

Harbour cinema in Sint Maarten

With umbrella drink in hand, we sit on the terrace of the Sint Maarten Yacht Club and watch mega yachts being threaded through the eye of the needle. The Simpson Bay Bridge and channel is the exit from the sheltered lagoon, the passage is narrow. Very narrow. Hulls the size of houses approach in slow motion. Crew members with headsets stand at the bow and on the side decks and tell the captain the distances to the sides.

Even the professionals seem tense. When the huge hull is in the passage of the bascule bridge, there are still a metre or two to the left and right before impact. The bow and stern thrusters roar. Everything goes well. Just professionals. But it's always a spectacle. When the boat is through, the enthusiastic spectators enjoying drinks at the Yacht Club on the bridge whistle and wave. Meanwhile, the well-heeled passengers studiously ignore the cheering. February is high season in the Caribbean and the Leeward Islands and therefore also mega yacht season.

The Saint-Tropez of the Caribbean

Our island hopping begins the next day: we set off in a cross to St Barth. We soon zigzag through the anchored yachts off the main town of Gustavia. Helicopters hover, chic tenders whizz by. No wonder, the town is known as the Saint-Tropez of the Caribbean. In the harbour, one mega yacht after another, expensive shops where you can buy a bottle of rum for 34,000 euros.

And yet St Barth is also a dream for charter crews. However, a new island always means clearing in. With passports, crew lists and boat papers to the harbour office, where you have to enter everything yourself on the computer - and after 20 minutes and a fee for anchoring in the nature reserve of the beautiful Colombier Bay in the north, you have learned your first blue water lesson from the authorities. Easy.

Gustavia: Swedish past

St Barth is one of these islands with an interesting history. The island belonged to Sweden for a long time and was a busy free trade harbour at the time. As slavery was banned in Sweden much earlier and St. Barth has little water, which was important for sugar cane cultivation, there was hardly any of the barbaric slavery that characterised many other islands in the 18th century.

From the 1960s onwards, the island was gradually developed into a jet-set destination by a resourceful Frenchman. Celebrities such as the Rockefellers fell in love with the island, bought a lot of land and thus prevented it from growing too wildly during the building boom. Fortunately. The town nestled on a green mountainside may look sophisticated, but there are also nice bars, cafés and shops for charter normalos.

Anchoring in the bay of Colombier

However, their yachts usually have to anchor and the harbour is almost always busy. But that doesn't matter. After a day, the crew is drawn to Colombier Bay, one of the most beautiful of the Leeward Islands. We head there with some obscure advice from the harbour officer: "Don't worry if you want to swim in the bay at night, the sharks won't do anything!" She already knows the somewhat irritated look on the crew's faces and adds: "There are only blacktip sharks there, they are small and harmless!"

In fact, the bay turns out to be a real hit. There are turtles at the anchorage all day long and the beautiful beach against a steep mountain backdrop is picturesque. We only return on board in the dark. Jump into the water again? Check with the torch at the stern. Sure enough: after a brief glow, there is a shark, albeit a small one. Better have another rum in the cockpit.

Part 2 with Antigua and Guadeloupe will follow!

Precinct information

Precinct

The islands up to Guadeloupe belong to the Leeward Islands. The distances here are greater than in the BVI or Grenadines, for example. Travelling with Air France from Paris to St. Martin and Guadeloupe. In February, in the high season, the flight costs 1,400 to 1,600 euros. If you fly in the low season and book early, you can get there for around 1,000 euros.

Currency

Always have euros with you on the French islands and US dollars on all others. Credit cards are accepted in many places. Harbours & anchorages Good marinas in St. Martin, Antigua and Guadeloupe (Pointe-à-Pitre). Often good buoy fields in bays, fees range from 16 euros (Îles des Saintes) to around 50 US dollars, partly payable at the harbour office (Gustavia, Antigua), partly at the cashier with the boat (Îles des Saintes). There are almost always anchorages, often right next to the buoy fields. Do not damage any corals! Local nature conservation regulations.

Buoyage

The lateral system B applies: coming from the sea, the buoyage is the other way round, i.e. red buoys on starboard, green on port. Shoals are well buoyed on the French islands. This does not always apply to Antigua, so watch out for shallows, especially in the south and east.

Wind & Weather

Trade winds from easterly directions between 10 and 20 knots. Caution: Squalls, gusts that usually move in with dark clouds, briefly bring strong wind increases and heavy rain. Reef with foresight!