I'm chartering a 44' cat out of SXM for 2 weeks in early June.

I've got plenty of pre-Irma and Maria experience throughout all the Leewards down to Guadeloupe but would appreciate some insight from charter sailors (more so than live aboards) about any recent experience in places like St Martin but more so the less visited islands of Anguilla, Saba, St Barts, Statia and Saba - all of which I've spent a fair amount of time sailing a charter boat into and out of over the years, but none since the hurricanes.

If you give me the heads up here, maybe I could pose some more specific questions.

Thanks in advance if there's anyone that can help!

Best,

Kevin

I can help a little bit with St Barth. I haven’t been on the salt since Irma, but I’ve been there on the hard. Saying that, my info is more from a land/liveaboard viewpoint than charter. St Barth has almost completely recovered from Irma. 3 beachfront/waterfront restaurants may never reopen. 2 beachfront hotels won’t reopen until late-Fall, and 1 won’t reopen for 2 more years. Just about everything else is back to pre-Irma conditions.

Colombier is still the same, use the mooring balls.

In Gustavia, Le Select is still the same, as is Oubli across the street (still cash only for both, $ and € both accepted). La Cantina has changed hands, and is only open afternoon/night. Boulangerie Choisy, the bakery near the port, has changed hands, but is otherwise the same. Le Vietnam, the wallet-friendly Vietnamese restaurant, has closed. Côté Port, one of the 2 restaurants closest to the port was destroyed, but the owner had opened a new restaurant, QG, at the back end of the port, across from the Post Office. The other restaurant closest to the port, which I remember as La Route des Boucaniers, has gone through multiple name changes, and has reopened as upscale Victoria’s, associated with the soon-to-reopen Carl Gustaf hotel.

Anchoring and mooring haven’t changed since Irma, and clearing in/out haven’t changed, but I can’t speak to mooring fees. If you’re there long enough to rent a car, the parking lot near the ferry terminal may be back to being a pay lot, and may have 90-minute Blue Disc time restrictions during the day. The parking lot on the opposite side of the harbor, near the Hôtel de la Collectivité, is still free and has no time restrictions. The free showers and toilets at the west end of that lot are still free and are maintained. If you need a few grocery/booze supplies, the AMC Libre Service grocery, across the street from the port and near the ferry terminal parking lot and the Capitainerie is still the place to go to, and they should have ice too.

We spent two weeks on Anguilla and loved it. Maybe 50% of the restaurants in road bay are up and running. The Italian one is really good. Most Things on the island are back to normal. The only rub is the cost to stay overnight anywhere except road bay. For a Lagoon 450 cat the cost was $120 a day and an overnight was 2 days worth. We stayed in road bay and rented a car and took the water shuttle out to sandy and prickly pear island.

We also just spent two weeks in st Martin anchored mainly in the harbor at Marigot. Marigot was hard hit by the hurricane and probably less than 25-30% of restaurants and stores are open. A couple of the big grocery stores are well stocked and the big carrefore store by the lagoon causeway is about to open. We spent a couple of days at grand case and again a lot of damage but enough open to make do. Drove to orient bay and lot of the hotels not open but the beach and a number of bar and chairs rentals are running. Simpson Bay Area looks to be in good shape. Saw only one sailboat anchored in Philipsburg. The channels in the lagoon are cleared but still some sunken boat and the water quality looked bad. I would not go into the lagoon. I had never been there before and I bet it looked really nice but not so much now. Dutch side has recovered faster than the French side.


We’re in st Barth’s right now but that was covered above. Heading to Saba after the weekend.

Thanks to all for the great help and advice - its very helpful!

DCareri - question re Saba. If possible, following your visit I'd love to know whether you just pick up a ball outside the port like we did years ago though I recall the swell made the dinghy ride into the small harbor a bit challenging. Or, did you just dingy around from the west side of the island where I recall multiple mooring balls or the ability to anchor in Ladder or Wells Bay, sand and swell permitting. In any case, would love any particular information as a cruiser re Saba! I've visited once on a charter sailboat and had a great time and loved the island. All that was pre Irma/Maria.

Much thanks!

Kevin

You have to go to the port and pick one of the 3 yellow balls about 400 yards east of the break wall. The quarantine ball by the breakwater is no longer there. The swell here made it really difficult to launch and board the dinghy. I came around the north side of the island and when we turned the SE corner the current was so bad we had to motor tack and we’re still only going 2.5 knots. I’d recommend coming in to the south.

There are only 4 yellow balls left in the ladder /wells bay anchorage ang they are all in the northern Wells Bay area.

Only been here a day and have seen no remaining damage from Irma/Maria.

Thanks - that’s pretty much as I recall from my last trip there in ‘17...the swell at the ball a few hundred meters east of harbor entry had our cat’s sugar scoop heaving up and down and flooding with water over a step or 2 during each heave, plus a relatively strong current that made the dinghy transfer somewhat challenging - not to mention the dinghy ride to the boat from port...

Though I love Saba it’s got me thinking about whether I endure that pain/challenge on my upcoming trip. Thanks for the update -we shall see!