We were tired after nearly 12 hours of travel, so we dropped the hook in Marigot Bay, St. Martin at 5:30pm. Marigot Bay is on the northern (French) side of St. Martin, and there were quite a number of boats in the harbour here. We considered going into the marina here, but elected to simply stay the night at anchor, and move to the Dutch side of the island the next morning. We didn’t go ashore on the French side of the island at all. Marigot Bay was comfortable overnight, since it is protected from the prevailing easterly winds, and from the southeastern swell.
We called ahead to Bobby’s Marina and Boatyard for space. Next morning, Thursday June 12, we motored the 12 miles around the island to Bobby’s Marina.
Bobby's Marina and Boatyard
Bobby’s is located in Phillipsburg Bay, on the southern (Dutch) side of the island, which is officially called Sint Maarten, Nederlands Antilles. We spent two days here, having their diesel mechanic and electrician check out our fuel and electrical fuel systems. They did a great job at reasonable prices.
View of the beach from Bobby's docks
Once our work was completed, Bobby's docks were full, so we spent the night of June 13 at anchor in the bay. Unfortunately for us, the bay was open to the incoming swell from the southeast, and the wind was directly out of the east/northeast, which left us broadside to the incoming waves. The combination of wind direction and wave direction resulted in our rolling from side to side all night long. While neither of us became seasick, we had to lie absolutely flat on our backs to avoid rolling off our bed! It was the most miserable night we have had to date!
View of the beach at Phillipsburg from our boat, at anchor in the bay
Phillipsburg itself is a nice little resort town, with many restaurants and small hotels along the beachfront. We had an excellent meal ashore the second night in this port, overlooking the bay. As we had to be aboard the boat while the workmen were aboard, we didn’t get to do much in the way of exploring the rest of the island.
There is a company here that has built replicas of several of the America's Cup racing sailboats. They take groups of tourists aboard, teach them the rudiments of sailing, and then conduct actual races with the boats competing against each other. This is a very popular shore activity among the visitors arriving on the numerous cruise ships that arrive here each week.
America's Cup replica boats
View of the harbour
St. Martin has a somewhat unique feature. There is an inland lagoon, accessible via canals from both the French (north) and Dutch (south) sides of the island. The only problem is that boats can only enter or depart the lagoon at specific bridge-opening times. We were unsure if the bridges would open when we wanted to leave, so we elected not to enter the lagoon on this trip. When we come back to St. Martin, we will definitely anchor in the lagoon, which is totally protected from the effects of wind and wave. Much more comfortable!
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