Mixing it with the Glitterati
Stream
Darrell Jackson and Sarah Barnes
Thu 6 Mar 2014 18:09
A clear, sunny morning greeted us after a not very good night due to a swell working into the bay after the tide had turned and producing an uncomfortable roll. We were consequently up early and so straight after breakfast it was out with the snorkelling gear for a swim around the bay. The water was the clearest we have experienced so far with fantastic visibility so that it was quite easy to see the large barracuda swimming towards us and then serenely past us with only a slight sideways glance. The corals were not particularly good or varied, but there was a good variety of fish in large numbers and some large sizes as well.
A short motor sail from Ile Fourchue and on Sunday morning we anchored amidst a throng of other yachts in the approaches to Gustavia, the Capital of St Bartholomew, usually known as St Barths by the assorted glitterati that frequent it's streets. St Barths has an interesting history. On his second trip, Columbus, whilst following charts acquired from the Italian map maker Toscanelli and his knowledge of the Mappae Mundi, arrived in the Caribbean in 1493 and "discovered", along with a few other islands, an island he named after his brother, Bartolomeo. The original inhabitants of the island, the Arawak Indians named the island "Quanalao" and the Carib Indians who inhabited it when Columbus was around, remained there for nearly two centuries before settlers arrived in 1648. A Mr Longvilliers Poincy, Commander of the Order of Malta lived there until the island was acquired from the Order of Malta by the West India Company in 1665. After 1674 when the island was attached to the royal domain of Guadaloupe, the island was the lair of pirates for 100 years. In 1784 Louis XVI traded the island to King Gustaf III of Sweden for a warehouse in Gothenbourg. The island prospered under the Swedes and their influence is still visible on the island today. After several natural disasters and a fire which destroyed much of Gustavia, the Swedes gave St Bart's back to France and, since 2007, it has been an "overseas collectivity" of France, with tax free status and a growing popularity since the early 1960s when development of the harbour began.
The pirates that made their base at St Barths were particularly ferocious in their campaign against the Spanish ships. The most famous was Montbar the Exterminator, an excellent name for a pirate. His dislike of the Spanish came from watching them kill his uncle. He was also extracting revenge for the treatment of the indigenous populations by the Spanish, which made him very popular with the locals. He was also very successful, and his booty was perhaps the start of all the wealth and gems on St Barths today. His treasure is still said to be buried somewhere on the island, not that most of the people here would need the extra money!
History lesson over and on to a favourite topic, clearing customs. Sadly not much to say really. We dinghied in and moored in a very busy dinghy dock next to the Capitainerie, which was open at lunchtime on a Sunday; completed an online form on one of the 4 computers available; signed it; presented it; paid our harbour fees and that was it. The only slight problem in filling in the form in French was deciding which nationality we were from the drop down list. Had we been fans of the Eurovision Song Contest, Royaume Uni would have jumped out at us immediately, but we're not, and it didn't!
Customs and Immigration may have been open, but the rest of Gustavia certainly wasn't. On a day when Oceana, the cruise ship carrying our friends, was anchored off, we, along with all the passengers ferried ashore for a visit, would have thought some shops may have opened, but no. We wanted to find out details about the Mardi Gras celebrations that St Barths is famous for, but even the Tourist Information was closed. We counted three bar/restaurants open and that was it, so after a quick orientation walk around and an unsuccessful search for ice cream, we headed back to Stream for some R and R in the cooler breeze of the bay. As we dangled our feet in the water from the stern of the boat, we were joined by two large green turtles, who swam happily around our moored dinghy just under the surface, occasionally surfacing for a gulp of air. What a treat!
Monday we dinghied in early to Gustavia to have breakfast in a bar, catch up on wifi and find out about the Carnival. Luckily the tourist office was open and Darrell could plan an itinerary for the day. We strolled around the streets as the shops began to open, looking at the historic buildings and appreciating the style, not only of the building but of the people too. St Barths is definitely French in feel, think riviera and add more panache and sunshine. It is very European and every high end retailer has an outlet in very smart but often quaint buildings. Also there is a lot of smoking, cigarettes, cigars and French cigarette in the street, in bars and at every table in the restaurant we stopped at.
We walked up the hill and over to Shell beach for a swim. It is a beautiful bay with grey sand and lots of shells, hence the name. The sea was a deep Caribbean blue and the water crystal clear. The only hazard to the swimming was the stern lines from all the boats anchored. We had our picnic and then went to the bar/restaurant for a drink, where we people watched. We were surprised by the attractive lady who wandered through the tables, made eye contact and gave a twirl; it took us a few moments to work out that she was modelling the latest fashions in beach wear. This proved right when five minutes later she returned in another outfit. These outfits consisted of crocheted short floaty dresses, a bag and ankle boots with scarf material around them. Just what Sarah always wears to the beach! All the outfits were available at a price at the boutique next to the bar. At least hers clothes were tasteful and understated unlike some of the fluorescent, multicoloured pant suits the beautiful people appeared in as they came for lunch.
We then wandered back into the port, Darrell looking for the chandlers, Sarah searching for icecream. Only Sarah was in luck, homemade Italian icecream in her favourite hazelnut flavour was found in a small shop on the front, where as Darrell's chandlers had been demolished and was just a big hole in the ground!
We returned just after six in the evening to search out the pyjama parade, and it did require searching out. It was meant to start at 7, behind the Treasury but we couldn't find the Treasury or any sign of a parade. So we wandered around the posh shops and then had a drink in a bar. At about 8pm we decided to go back to the boat for something to eat. As we wandered along the street Sarah was adamant that she could hear drums and set off in the direction of the noise. The parade, an hour late, was wending its way down the hill. Yes they were in pyjamas, if you think hot country and rich people, although the men seemed to all wear nighties and they were playing their drums with skill and vigour. The conch blowing added to the atmosphere as they danced their way through the narrow streets stopping now and again to play the intricate bits for the bars and yachts. As we came along the front we met up with the other half of the parade going in the opposite direction, perhaps they had started on time and no one had noticed. They played together for a while and then split off to complete their different routes. As they paraded the traffic was still making its way around them directed by a boy in the ubiquitous yellow coat and a pair of drumsticks!
Then it was back to Stream for a late tea. Just a s we were going to bed there was a loud bang from nearby and then lots of shouting. So sticking his head through the hatch Darrell was able to make out what had happened. A dinghy had hit another boat and it's crew had ended up in the water with the dinghy going around in circles, someone hadn't thought to wear the kill cord. Other dinghies to the rescue and all went quiet. It is probably best not to be too drunk in charge of a dinghy at night in a bay full of expensive boats!
Tomorrow it's the big Mardi Gras parade. Will we manage to see it? Will it start on time? Find out in next weeks exciting(?) web update!