Around the World in 106 Days with

Ray & Claire!!

Part 36– Philipsburg, St Maartin

St Maartin is a tiny island with an area of just 37 square miles in one of the most developed corners of the Caribbean

There are approx 74,000 inhabitants on the island. – 38,000 French and 36,000 Dutch and St Maarten is the world’s smallest land mass divided

between two governments

The northern part of the island (approx 60% of the island) is a dependency of Guadaloupe - an overseas department of France.

The Southern 40% is part of the Netherlands Antilles - an autonomous part of The Netherlands.

The French/Dutch division of the island dates back from 1648. Local lore has it that a Frenchman and a Dutchman set off in different directions around the

island, respectively armed with a bottle of brandy and a bottle of gin. The dividing line would be drawn between the point of their departure and where they met up. The Frenchman fared rather better, gaining a 21 square mile

portion of the island for la belle France {The Dutch muttered darkly about wily French tactics (especially the

strategic deployment of a nubile French maiden to delay their man!) but eventually accepted the lesser portion}

We docked on the Dutch side of the island– at Philipsburg

Within easy reach of the Ship was a lovely bay (called Great

Bay Beach) with cafes, bars and restaurants looking out to the

sea over soft, white sand.

We didn't have enough time to go and sun bathe on the beach as our time in St Maartin was

fairly limited and we had already booked on a

“Round The Island” trip

Water taxis were available to take people to town and as you can see from the above picture (taken by someone previous to our arrival) the Port can get

pretty busy at times. When we arrived we were the only ship in Port but when we got back from

our tour, we found ourselves hemmed in by two whacking great floating blocks of flats (one belonging to the Costa Chain – say no more!)

Philipsburg has four main streets intersected by narrow alleys, the front street is a 16 block open air shopping

centre with a few fine old houses such as the lovely Pasangghran Royal Inn, a 19th century former Governor’s

residence and the St Maarten museum

The Courthouse located next to the Wathey Square was built in 1793 and during its

lifetime has also served as a fire station and a

jail

200 meters west of the Square is the little

Methodist church which was built in 1851

There are a huge variety of shops in Philipsburg selling everything

from alcohol and cigars to jewellery, perfumes, clothes and souvenirs and electronics. It may

not be as cheap as it used to be in comparison to European prices, but there are still bargains to be

had..

There are also many bars and eateries including a few

very elegant restaurants and the pedestrian area is

the heart of the main shopping centre.

After they had named the front street, they just ran out of ideas and so called the next street the Back

Street!

Departing from Philipsburg we travelled along the great salt pond (now virtually unused) up Mount William’s Hill

Due to its short runway (2,180 metres, 7,200 ft), airplanes on approach for Runway 09 have to fly at unusual low altitudes, overflying mere 10-20 metres

(30-60 ft.) over nearby Maho Beach.

World famous for its close-proximity photograp

hs of landing aircraft, Princess Juliana

Inernational Airport (just west

of Philipsbur

g) has become a reason for

many people to

visit St Maarten.

The Princess Juliana International airport warning sign is world famous

Although jet blasts from departing aircraft can be an ”attraction” (as it creates artificial waves) the jet blast is an actual hazard and local authorities have placed a warning on the airport's fence to allert people of the dangers

of jet blast.

However, for those who want to take a real close look at planes while on the beach, this is the only location that springs to mind with such a proximity to

planes landing and taking off

(Scribes Note – Google is full of some really interesting pictures of this place)

The Hospital

The Island's University

...and a reminder

that we are going to miss this year’s

Kaar-nee-vaal again

Football is beginning to gain popularity

...and a new 18 hole Golf Course is planned

From this particular stopping point we had a panoramic view of Simpson Bay

Lagoon

Simpson Bay Lagoon

Somewhere along this part of the road (The Scribe was checking his camera and so didn't notice where we were!) we passed the monument that marks

the Dutch/French border.

Cotton

We then had an hours stop at

Marigot, capital of the French

part of the island

This Town is much more laid back (but far more “tatty”) than its Dutch counterpart, with sidewalk cafés, faded colonial buildings and a colourful

morning market on the waterfront

....”You made me walk all

this way – only to find that the bar is closed!!”

....”Now that really would be a lovely Cruise

Liner to go on...and

environmentally friendly!

This boat apparently grounded several years ago and (typical French) has been left to rot. They are probably looking for an EU grant to renovate it

A little way further along the coast (and a bit inland was a

Butterfly Farm

After the butterfly farm we then passed by Orient Bay Beach

..and Palm Beach

Which overlooks Pinel Island

We passed the French side’s, local airport

(ideal for Clive’s Prostar to land at perhaps?!)

..and so back to the Dutch side

We passed lots of interesting roundabouts

(incidentally, there is only one set of traffic lights on the Island – and they don't work!)

We also passed the odd wayside stall

Before arriving back at the Port

.....and........

MORE SHOPS ON THE QUAYSIDE!!

Peter Stuyvesant was the last governor of New Netherlands (New York) and was sent to

Curacao to retake St Maartin from the Spanish

He landed with 13 Ships and quickly beat the Spanish into

submission

Except for one Spanish Galleon who fired some cannon balls at

his fort and by pure chance, one of the cannon balls blew

off the poor mans leg.

Fame at Last!!

We got back to the Port only to find that we were

completely hemmed in by two blocks of floating flats one belonging to the Costa

Company!

Claire quickly had a conference with some of

the other passengers and the Safety Officer and was able to advise the Captain

the best was to tell the other Ships to make way

for the Black Watch!

..and so we Buckled Up and set sail for Antigua – and that night...

Cat introduced the Black

Watch Show Companies

“Tropical Fiesta”