Have You Ever Sailed Around St. Barth?

I first discovered St. Barth and fell in love with it in 1986. Can you believe it has taken me 25 years to finally sail around the island? It was certainly worth the wait.

We are fortunate to have so many wonderful clients and even more fortunate that lots of them return to St. Barts time and again and have become good friends. Two such people, Tim and Cathy who usually stay at Villa Crystal Dream over Christmas, came back here for The Bucket. They stayed at Villa Datcha while their friends stayed at Villa The View (what a great spot for Bucket viewing!). This time Tim and Cathy decided to also charter a sailboat as they love boating and they thought it would be fun to be in the water while the sailing yachts were in the heat of the race. SBP VP Tom Smyth was thrilled to be able to go out with them twice while he was here and Tom, who is a motorboat person, was amazed at how much fun sailing can be.

Last week Tim and Cathy called the office and invited the SBP staff to go for an afternoon sail on the Cookielicious (love the name!). As we need to keep the office open and ready for our clients, only Magda, our Concierge, Maï, one of our Villa Specialists, Steve and I were able to go. We met Tim and Captain Mike by the Wall House dock at precisely 1:00 pm and, much to my dismay, we had to get into a dinghy to head out to the boat. When we got there, there were swells. It took me at least 4 attempts to get myself out of that dinghy and onto Cookielicious (not at all gracefully either!). It was worth it. She is a 72 foot Oyster and very beautiful; she features a living area, great kitchen, 3 cabins and 3 baths.

Charlotte, the first mate, had prepared some wonderful munchies which we enjoyed along with a Carib and a sumptuous glass of Sancerre blanc. Time to set sail; we headed out of the harbor past Public, Corossol and Colombier. The wind was just right and the day was perfect. We sailed clockwise and as we rounded the point of Colombier, the boat began to heel; we assumed our positions and held on to our seats. We sailed by Flamands, St. Jean, Lorient, Pointe Milou, Mont Jean, Marigot, Grand Cul de Sac and Petit Cul de Sac. Then we made a turn and headed towards Toiny before passing Grand Fond, Saline and Gouverneur. Just after that we made another turn and suddenly we had the wind at our backs and it was smooth sailing from there. We passed Shell Beach and the next thing we knew we were back at our mooring. It took a little less than three hours.

We sipped a farewell glass of wine and enjoyed a few hors d’oeuvres before (reluctantly) heading back to dry land. (My exit from Cookielicious to the dinghy was a little more refined, I might add.) Thank you for a wonderful afternoon, Tim and Cathy!

I had never seen the island from this perspective and it is amazing to marvel at just how much of St. Barth remains unspoiled and undeveloped. Being on a sailboat is so relaxing. No noise or fumes makes for a very pleasant ride. If you would like to try it, we have several options available for you. A private full day charter can be arranged by motor yacht, catamaran or sailboat. If you prefer a shorter trip, half day charters are also available. You can also join a group for a full day, half day or sunset cruise. Our Concierges Julia and Magda make all the arrangements for guests Of St. Barth Properties. Email [email protected].