Motored the 80 odd miles to St. Maartin on a relatively calm sea, passing an aluminum catamaran on the way and arriving in this jointly-owned Island shared between France and the Netherlands ............... On which people transit from every corner of the World ................ The same goes for yachts ........... All shapes, all sizes, all types of construction and configurations, and in some instances it has become the " Graveyard of journeys and dreams " .............. There is an air of despondency that hangs over the Dutch side as though those that came and stayed, never really unpacked their bags, and those that have businesses, never really re-invested when the money was being made ............. Nor made an effort to establish an orderly community ............... The majority of traders have their origins in the Middle East and the Far East ............ Having said all that, let me quickly tell you 'tongue-in-cheek' that I have a Ph. D. in "NON-JUDGEMENTALISM" ..............The French side on the other hand, is terribly French .............Quaint, colorful and aromatic and occasionally pungent .............. That could also be because being water-bound we haven't experienced this close human living in quite a while .............. But nothing invades the senses more than "French Bread" and some multi-grained baguettes ............. WE ARE DEFINITELY IN THE CARIBBEAN ............
We checked in on the French side in the inner harbour ...................There, in the office of the CAPITAINERIE we were instructed to go upstairs, where would find a computer and to go ahead and fill out our information ............... Then print the form, hand over $ 6.00 and " AU REVOIR " ...................... If only it could be this easy in all the islands that still lie ahead ................ First though, we stopped off at a flea-market .................Never wait to come back later, if a flea market is in progress ............... This was being held in the "Graveyard of ships" ................Bits and pieces of boat stuff everywhere ............... Including a lifeboat with some unusual ropework around its edge to act as a fender ................
Now most of us come ashore in our inflatable dinghies, but some people in the past came ashore in this converted bath tub ................. The pointed end has been added but the back of it still seems round ............ Then again, it may not have been a bath tub at all, but a flat-bottom cauldron for boiling the sugar to make molasses and rum ....................
Not just rum and molasses, were on sale in the market but also hundreds of spices ................... To be bought by the gram or by the pound ..................No wonder the colorful market place smells of such 'exotics' ..................
The history of the island is just as colorful (that's 'colourful' if you are from down-under) First the French settlers, and then followed the Dutch at the other end of the island ........ The French occupy the mountainous end, and the Dutch on the flat parts, now isn't that true to form .............. The French settlers, fearful of being raided by 'Pirates and Privateers' asked the French Government for help but failed to get it, whereupon the settlers under the auspices of the 'Garrison Commander' built a fort on top of the hill, "FORT LOUIS " ......... The Commander praised the settlers for their generosity back in the 1700s for " giving generously of their slaves " ................. And most of the walls built with that 'ignominious' hard labor are still evident today ........................ This is where there should be a real HARD-ROCK Cafe ............ The fort did successfully repel at least one attack ................. Although the canons were never used in that defense ............. Double-click on the photos to enlarge and sharpen them ..................
And today, you may be lucky enough to spot these interesting faces in St. MAARTIN/ St. Martin
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