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We got up at about 7 am. Coffee on the balcony. Pancakes and eggs for breakfast. The balcony view is picture-perfect! We Drove to Captain Alain’s for our snorkel trip. All Captain Alain does is take your money. The couple that was our crew was Cisco and Debbie. Cisco is originally from Venezuela and has lived in many places including Spain, the Netherlands, North Carolina, and others. He speaks four languages. Debbie is Dutch and has lived in Sint Maarten for ten years. They were both friendly, fun, and helpful. The plan was to snorkel at two sites and then lunch at Pinel Island.
There is a constant wind from the east and it was blowing pretty hard. There were sizable swells as we headed out and we rode them like a bucking bronco all the way to our first site. It was rough and wet. Cisco informed us that they had been shorebound the previous week due to high winds. Glad I wasn't here for that!
The first stop was Tintamarre Island to hopefully see turtles. We anchored about 150 yards from shore in an area of seagrass. Apparently, the turtles graze on the seagrass, surfacing every five minutes or so for air. Clay spotted one almost immediately. I was right next to him but didn’t see it. My mask kept fogging up. We snorkeled around for a long time but didn’t see much. Closer to shore it was just a sand bottom. There was not great clarity either. Swam back to the boat and Clay then spotted a small stingray. Again I missed it. At least he got his money’s worth.
Susan’s comment: Cisco has a Jack Russell Terrier named Kiara that goes everywhere with him, so on all the snorkel outings. Kiara has good sea legs but didn't like the rough waves when we first started out so she sheltered herself under our feet. Once we were in smoother water she moved all over the boat making friends and when we were stopped to snorkel often walked on the edge of the boat.
Cisco and Debbie told us that we could snorkel near the boat and go ashore if we wanted to. Snorkeling we weren’t seeing much so Jean and I tried to head for the shore to see what was there. Once we got near shore, we literally could not stand up. The waves were coming in and out so much it kept washing us back out. Eventually, I gave up but not without getting a ton of sand in my suit!
After Tintamarre, we motored north to the tip of the St. Martin which is now a wildlife sanctuary. We anchored off of a small rock island called Creole Rock and putzed around for about an hour. Again it was quite rough. Saw a lot of small fish: sergeant majors, wrasses, whole schools of baloos, butterfly fish, and an interesting small hogfish.
For our final stop, we anchored just off Pinel Island (named for the former penal colony there) for lunch and a chance to go ashore. Debbie had made French bread sandwiches with ham or turkey, cheese, and a slice of apple. They really hit the spot.
Pinel Island is just pretty much two giant beach bars side by side on the beach, a real made-for-tourist setup. The whole scene at Pinel is that tourists shuttle over in droves, rent a palapa and chaise lounge on the beach, and order food and beverages while moving as little as possible. The beach is packed with bodies. We were anchored in about 4 feet of water so were able to wade easily to shore. There was a pet tortoise who was enjoying a leaf of lettuce from a tourist in the adjacent restaurant and a pack of friendly iguanas to whom I fed apple slices. They cause quite a stir.
The bar has placed heavy bar tables out in waist-deep water where they will serve you as well. They have a trap full of live lobsters just off the sand in shallow water where you can pick out your lunch. Lots and lots of elderly Dutch and Frenchies livin’ the pampered life.
It was time to leave at 1:30 so we waded back to the boat and headed back to the pier. Came back to the condo, got cleaned up, and chilled out for the rest of the afternoon.
For dinner, we chose Skipjack’s way down in Simpson Bay, the popular nightlife strip. Tonight we decided to eat early after a couple of long waits for dinner on previous nights. It was a good choice. It’s not a long drive miles-wise but a slow grind through bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic. Fortunately, we arrived early, about 5 pm. That way we beat the dinner crowd and got served relatively promptly. Skipjack’s had been recommended and did not disappoint. It is right on the water and open to the air. It is large and spacious. The waiter was excellent, friendly, prompt, and efficient. I had my go-to tropical drink, a frozen margarita. We got some conch fritters that were excellent with spicy mayo. I had fried red snapper which was amazing. It was well over a pound of fish.
It was such a good experience that I will go back if Susan lets me. She is determined not to repeat the same place while we are here. The benefit of eating early is that even with a long, slow drive, we were back at our place by 8 pm. Everybody was full and pooped and turned in early.
Susan's Comment: Before we left for dinner, Jim set up a time-lapse recording of the sunset. Enjoy!