Having completed a maiden bareboat sail throughout the British Virgin Islands last fall, a followup cruise is approaching in mid-December that includes a little more open-water sailing around and slightly beyond the island of St. Martin. In addition to the French/Dutch dual principality island of St. Martin, anticipate visits to the islands of Anguilla, St. Barts, Saba, and time permitting, the tropical lushness of St. Kitts and Nevis.
St. MartinHalf French, half Dutch, expect a culinary haven, great shopping, and some risque sunbathing throughout the island that is our launching-off point. Arrive a day early and explore a relatively cosmopolitan way of life for Caribberan islanders.
AnguillaSentimentally one of the most significant stops for me personally, providing the reminiscent soils for an endearing friendship sprout. Can the blossom possibly be nurtured into boundless gardens here on Anguilla? Ah, the romance potential of this island of circuitous sugary white sand!
St. BartsA tiny French island of megayachts, material riches, breathtaking beaches, spectacular airplane landings, beautiful residents and visitors alike, and mouthwatering cuisine, you might mistaken it for France itself.
St. Kitts/NevisKnown more formally as Saint Christopher (no apparent connection to your skipper!), St. Kitts is a tropical rainforest and a hiker's paradise.
The photo shows Friar's Bay at the eastern most reaches of the island.
A mildly challenging hike through the rainforest can be made on Mount Liamuiga, described at its Wikipedia listing:
<>Mount Liamuiga is a 3792 ft stratovolcano which forms the western part of the island of Saint Kitts. The peak is the highest point on the island of Saint Kitts, in the federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and in the entire British Leeward Islands, as well as one of the tallest peaks in the eastern Caribbean archipelago. The peak is topped by a 0.6 mi wide summit crater, which contained a shallow crater lake until 1959. As of 2006, the crater lake had re-formed. The last verified eruptions from the volcano were about 1,800 years ago, while reports of possible eruptions in 1692 and 1843 are considered uncertain.
Mount Liamuiga was formerly named Mount Misery. The renaming took place on the date of St. Kitts' independence, September 19, 1983. However, many older citizens still refer to it as Mount Misery. The nameLiamuiga is derived from the Kalinago name for the entire island of St. Kitts, which means, "fertile land."
The mountainsides are covered in farmland and small villages up to the 1500 ft height, after which lush tropical rainforests drape the slopes until cloud forest takes over at 3000 ft. Many tours and guided hikes are organized to the peak's summit and surrounding rainforests, usually starting from Belmont Estate in the village of St. Paul's. From the summit, the views are outstanding, including the entire island and the beautiful Caribbean Sea, as well as the neighbouring islands of Saba, Statia, St. Barths, St. Martin, Antigua, and Nevis.
So, when you ask?: Arrive in St. Martin no later than Friday, Dec. 11, sleep aboard that evening, depart for first anchorage around noonish on Saturday, Dec. 12. Our scheduled arrival back to St. Martin is no later than noon on Saturday, Dec. 19.
The ideal crew candidate: low maintenance and laid back, but ready and willing to react if called upon by the skipper. The perfect crew combination makeup would include a capable skipper/navigator, a knowledgeable activities mate, a purser, a gourmet chef, and a first aid/medical practitioner. On the other hand, we'll make do with less too!
Costs: All costs will be split evenly, erring slightly less favorably for the skipper if necessary; the more takers, the less per person...simple concept. Six is an ideal crew size. Three can manage also with a little more per person cost, and ten is probably the max any sane person would care to share such limited quarters with. The larger the group, the larger the yacht rental. For preliminary budgeting, figure $1200 per person for the week to cover all charter expenses including provisioning/drinks and sightseeing. Add another $800 for round trip airfare.
Now the fun part, signing up. The blogging newbie that I am, let's keep it simple and shoot me a quick email ( c_hunke@hotmail.com ) whenever you are ready to commit. I'll assume shortly afterward that you will mail me a check for your share of the deposit. Oh yeah, that's right, a deposit. Sunsail (the charter company) requires a yacht deposit of roughly $800 which applies toward the total bill. As a baseline assumption, we'll start with four of us...that divides out to $200 per person for the deposit. If more commit, no worries...your $200 will be applied to your total share of the expenses. A couple of months before departure, Sunsail will request the balance of funds.
What can you expect during this week long sailing adventure? For starters, exhilarating sailing and breathtaking scenery; just ask any seasoned veteran that you know who has spent half a dozen seasons crewing aboard multi-masted schooners throughout the Caribbean! What, don't know any? Then allow me to paraphrase their comments: warm, crystalline waters to snorkel and dive in with abundant coral and wildlife to satisfy your fix for at least the next several months. A couple of the islands offer a bustling urban life with some of the tastiest French cuisine this side of the Atlantic, while a couple of the other islands offer relative peace and solitude. It's a balanced mix really. Accommodations aboard are sufficient, with head, shower, refrigerator, stove, and sleeping berths, but by no means qualify as swanky. If you're expecting a week long pampering, this isn't the trip for you. Don't get me wrong, your skipper (that's me) will do everything within reason to make your trip a safe, comfortable, and memorable one, but the line stops somewhat shy of daily massages, personal fanning and feeding! Think of it as a generous camping vacation afloat in the middle of paradise.
Your planner/cook/skipper,
Chris
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