Seems like several posters are chartering in St. Martin and wanted to know more about the sailing. I chartered for 2 weeks in 1999 in late June/early July.

The sailing in much more challenging. A mistake in navigation can really get you in trouble here. You have to be vigilant!

On the windward side of St. Martin the waves can get pretty large. We were heading into Orient Bay with the waves dead astern and the wind off the quarter. I was standing at the helm and looking up at the bottom of the dinghy surfing a wave. (yes I said I was looking up) Shortly after that the dinghy tried to climb into the boat and landed on the stern rail.
When I asked at the charter company the next day how big the waves were the guy said oh at least 15 feet. They were big!

We had a tropical wave pass through one day and we had wind gusts to 45. Most of the day it blew 30-35. The motto of the story here is to reef deep and reef early. It is a lot easier to reef before the weather really gets bad. Luckily the day when we had the day with the big waves I had reefeed the main early. I knew I didn't want to have to go forward if I could avoid it. I would rather give up a knot of speed for comfort and safety. It is a vacation <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Banana.gif" alt="" />

Don't expect moorings. We didn't use one. I always put out at least 10:1 scope. I figured....Hey I've got an electric windless to pull it all in, I might as well not have to worry about dragging anchor. We always had plenty of swinging room so too much scope was not an issue.

For me, I enjoy the longer sails between islands. I find it very relaxing to be on one tack for hours at a time. Being a lake sailor sometimes I'm lucky at home to get 30 min. It really gives you time to relax and enjoy the ride.

If you have any further questions I'd be happy to try and answer them.

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" /> Have a great charter. When my wife is healthy we hope to charter there again.