Feb 26 Off to the Races
I didn’t think I was going to attend the regatta this year, I didn’t want to race the whole series so I wouldn’t be staying on a boat and when I checked on rooms I couldn’t find anything near Simpson Bay for under $200 a night and that is out of my budget. When we were in St. Lucia after the holiday charter our friend Ken, who bareboats his Bene 40.7 for the Caribbean regattas, stopped by and as we were talking he said his wife, Kay, wouldn’t be going to the race this time because she had a previous commitment in the UK and would be flying there from Antigua after the Caribbean 600. He mentioned that he had a room at the Travel Inn but was thinking of canceling it and just finding a boat to sleep on, since it didn’t make sense to rent a room just for himself so I said I would be willing to split the room with him. I checked flights and cleared it with Kim as that would mean she would have to fly home from St. Lucia alone; and the plan was in place. St, Martin is a world apart from the Windwards, and quite honestly the hustle and bustle can sometimes be a bit much for this simple country boy. The island is part Dutch and part French, there are many beautiful beaches including my favorite, the clothing optional section of Orient Beach; I’ll never understand the attraction of the textile section of the beach since they pile you in there side by each 5 rows deep like you’re at an amphitheater or something, but to each his own. There is a plethora of dining options ranging from roadside BBQ stands, called Lolos in Grand Case to the finest in French cuisine; for nightlife the bars are seemingly endless, especially in the Simpson Bay area. If your vision of a Caribbean paradise includes spending the day on a beautiful beach, having a fab meal, and then dancing the night away at one of the many clubs, you would be hard pressed to find a better place to do it then St. Martin. My older brother is a city boy, born and raised on the old Westside of Buffalo, and if he visited here I doubt he would ever leave, surly he would think he had died and gone to heaven. The regatta itself is great fun with boats and crews from all around the world; hats off to the small army of volunteers who devote an enormous amount of time to keep everything running smoothly, each and everyone makes a special effort to ensure a good time for all. There are parties after the racing and they are quite fantastic really, located at a different venue each; the entertainment is first class and there are plenty of food and drink stands, and just as importantly portable restrooms to get rid of all that beer. If you are a sailor who’s dreamed of competing in a world class regatta many opportunities abound from chartering a bareboat, to a whole boat charter on a crewed yacht or just booking a berth on one of the many boats available.
My flight was scheduled to leave at 8:00 am so I packed all my stuff into my duffle bag and headed for the bus stop by the hotel. I got dropped off just outside the airport; I gave the driver 5 EC ($2 US) which is a lot better than the $25 US a taxi would cost. As I was dragging my bag up the gravel road that parallels the runway a car stopped and offered me a ride, I just love the friendliness of the Lucian people. Liat is back in my good graces, the flight left about 20 minutes late but they got me here with my luggage all in one piece; we had a 15 minute stopover on Dominica, and flying into the nature Island I was disappointed that I decided to skip that portion of my originally planned trip. Customs was a breeze in St. Maarten, I inquired about a taxi to the hotel but they quoted me $10, I had only paid $8 in December so I told them forget it and walked across the street to the bus stop; $3 later ($1.5 each for me and my bag) is was at the hotel. Ken was catching up on e-mails when I got there so I dropped off my bags and headed over to the Simpson Bay Marina to see the kids and pay my deposit for the first two legs of the world ARC. We chatted a bit to catch up on the last month and they asked how Kim was doing and expressed their sympathy for the loss of her Uncle Mo, I left just as their clients from Germany arrived. As I walked back down the dock I stopped and talked with the crews from the other boats I’m familiar with, six entered in the race this year. We all met up at Jimbos for happy hour and then finished the evening off at La Bomba where it was Latin Night; the bar was packed and everyone was kicking it up like they were finalist on Dancing With The Stars. Having had such a full day I walked back to the hotel for some much needed sleep.
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