Back in Saint Martin / Sint Maarten, the smallest island in the world shared by two nations, for the first time in 14 years. We sailed here on our new-to-us boat from the BVIs in early 2009. Some things have changed since then. In September 2017 cat 5 hurricane Irma swept over the island causing major damage, sinking boats and changing the landscape.
Our landfall yesterday was Marigot Bay on the west side of the island which is the French side. We anchored and took the dinghy through the channel to the inner lagoon. We were immediately struck by the still visible signs of the 2017 hurricane seven years on. There are abandoned yachts without masts in the boatyards, yachts grounded in the shallow obviously abandoned for many year, swathes of land without buildings, ruined buildings and in the main French harbour shops are boarded up. Here restoration is a very s-l-o-w process.
In complete contrast the Dutch side of the lagoon is looks like the wealthy side of the family. In St Martin you can check into which side you prefer, Dutch with fees of free French, and move freely between the two on land or by dinghy in the connected inner lagoon. We're in the French side commuting to the big, well stocked chandleries on the Dutch side.
We came here to shop for boat bits and aren't disappointed. It has the biggest, best stocked Budget Marine in the Caribbean and an equally impressive Island Water World. David has a long list and manages to find everything on it. I add a few impulse buys.
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