David Rockwell is such a sailing enthusiast that he often telecommutes between his Fairfax office and his sailboat in Annapolis. So he grabbed the chance to race a million-dollar America’s Cup yacht in St. Maarten during his December vacation. “I had to do this excursion,” he said dockside at Bobby’s Marina on the Caribbean island’s Great Bay.
For $85 including t-shirt and refreshments, Rockwell signed up for the St. Maarten 12 Metre Challenge, a business that turns tourists into sail-trimming, winch-grinding crew members of refurbished America’s Cup-winning boats. Assigned to the helm of True North, Rockwell steered for two hours in a race against Stars & Stripes, then out into open aquamarine waters.
“This is terrific,” said the aerospace marketing analyst, noting the experience was more doable than joining a “girlfriend who quit her job to sail boats around the world.”
Besides racing America’s Cup boats, multi-cultural St. Maarten’s attractions include crystal blue waters, soft-sand beaches (some like Orient frequented by au naturel sunbathers), heaping plates of savory international cuisine, colorful architecture and grazing goats dotting steep hillsides, tax-free shopping and tradewinds that temper year-round 85-ish subtropical temperatures. “The diversity makes this island the best value in the Caribbean,” said tourism promoter and 30-year resident Fabian Badejo.
Originally settled by Arawak Indians from South America, the island’s salt deposits drew European traders. The Dutch and French governments peacefully divided the land in 1648.
“There’s always a festival,” said Badejo, a 30-year resident. The Dutch side Carnival in February, Heineken Regatta in March, the French side’s April Carnaval, the May “Mas” Philipsburg boardwalk masquerade parade, and July’s “I Love my Ram” billy goat beauty pageant.
Bobby’s Marina anchors a bustling corner of Philipsburg, capital of the Dutch, or south, side. A narrow road winds through neighborhoods and natural beauty. On the French side’s Le Galion beach, 21 species of butterflies flutter among blooms and fountains at Butterfly Farm. When resting, morphos’ closed wings display camouflage tones; when open they flash iridescent blue. Owl butterflies, said guide Beverly Matthew, are named for their intricate, glowing eyespots.
After hurricanes destroyed the netted canopy, butterflies returned on their own “because they know their flowers are there,” said Matthew. Hint: Rub orange juice on your fingers to attract butterflies.
To lure shoppers, merchants offer duty- and tax-free bargains from big-ticket gadgets to $1 bags of homemade plantain chips – perfect snacks for boat-watching.
Reach Robin Tierney at [email protected]
