Exploring Tall Ships in French Saint Martin

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Saint Martin is an island with plenty to do! There are often fun activities to participate it, when you know how to find them. This weekend’s activity was a free tour of three tall ships in Galis Bay!

After Coach Tom told me about this excursion, I decided to take R and head over to Marigot to tour the ships. Ben couldn’t come because he had to study, but Dan, another med school spouse at American University of the Caribbean, joined us with his two girls.

The Ships

We got to tour three ships during our Sunday afternoon excursion. The first was a big, green pirate-looking vessel from Germany called Alexander von Humboldt II. The four-year-old was entirely convinced it was an actual pirate ship, although she made sure the rest of us understood that there’s no such thing as a real pirate anymore.

Living on a ship sounds rather restrictive, but I could actually envision surviving a long trip on this boat. The crew’s quarters below were pretty tiny, but it didn’t look too terrible. Plus, the view from the deck is fantastic– I could totally look at that every day. An unobstructed view the the ocean is just unbeatable. R, of course, is all about that ship life. He’s excited about a future in the Coast Guard. I think he’d do it even without the view. Of course, it doesn’t hurt…

The other two ships, Frederick Chopin and the Wylde Swan, were a bit smaller, but no less impressive. They also had more interesting steering wheels, which was all that mattered the the four-year-old.

The Wylde Swan also had a great kitchen area, and whatever they were cooking down in the galley smelled delicious.

The Wheels

The most important part of the entire tour, according to the four-year-old, was the steering wheel on each ship. I think she would have stayed there all day if her dad had let her!

Each wheel was a bit different. I was surprised that the wheels still looked like old-fashioned wooden wheels. I wonder if that is standard, or if most ships (even sailing ships) have more modern wheels.

I have to say that I was pretty thrilled to see the typical old wheels still in use! They have a distinctly nautical beauty about them.

Other Instruments

There were other interesting ship’s instruments, too, beside the wheels. The baby loved the compasses, which were pretty cool.

I really liked the ropes. There were so many of them! I’ve read a lot of books about ships, but I haven’t been on too many of them. I’m always surprised at how much rope holds the ships together.

I really wanted to climb up into the rigging. Of course, I didn’t (seriously) consider it. We estimated that I’d get about halfway up before somebody dragged me down. You know, they did say that we could go anywhere on the ship, and they never said the rigging was off limits…. ah, if only I didn’t have a reputation to worry about!

These are the kind of days when I wish I could stay here forever. I want to spend my whole life wandering around ships and looking at the view!

The island life is a wonderful life, and the sea is a glorious place to be! If my adventures have taken me to the deck of a ship in the Caribbean, where else will they take me? Only God knows. Too bad he’s not spilling the beans yet!

For now, I’m loving every moment of this Caribbean life. What a fun afternoon! Ships are pretty cool. Thanks to everyone who made it possible for us to explore these ships for free!

 

 

 

 

Baseball Birthdays

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Every now and then, we have birthday parties on the baseball field! Last week, it was A’s turn to have a surprise party.

His birthday was during the week, but for some reason he told me it was Saturday. So I arrived on Saturday armed with a cake (covered in sprinkles, of course), much to his delight and surprise! 

We also had fun games, since Coach Tom had recently ordered some new toys that had just arrived! Our favorite was this cool game– you have to maneuver a wire hook over a metal contraption without touching the metal at all.

Lisa brought food, too! She made spider spaghetti for the kids.

These are the kind of days I’ll never forget. What a wonderful life this is!

Salines d’Orient: Come Explore the French Salt Pond

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Visit a pond on Saint Martin and find out how beautiful they are! There are plenty of beaches in Saint Martin, but many people forget to appreciate the ponds. The ponds are just as significant to the well-being of the island; while they don’t draw in tourists to sustain the island financially, they do sustain much of the island’s wildlife. The Salt Pond on the French side– better known as Salines d’Orient– is a wonderful place to visit. Here’s how to get there and why you should go.

Why go to Salines d’Orient: 

Unlike the Dutch side’s Great Salt Pond, the smaller French version has not been polluted beyond recognition. This makes it a wonderful place to explore and enjoy. You may never have known it, but there are lots of walking and jogging paths criss-crossing the area behind Le Galion Bay and Orient Bay. In fact, the Le Galion Bay area is completely filled with paths! They have recently received the excellent addition of  an obstacle course, too, but that it a post for another time.

The second reason to enjoy the Salines d’Orient is that it will give you an appreciation for nature and the ecosystems within the pond. Here, all humanity seems to melt away. There’s nothing to see but the gentle ripples of the water, nothing to hear but the crashing of the waves on the tide pools behind you and the occasional call of a marine bird. Behind the pond, mist rises off the mountains, creating the perfect backdrop. You’re nearly convinced that you’ve traveled backwards in time four hundred years, and that you may meet an Arawak gatherer at any moment. This is a beautifully untouched place.


St Martin Canoe Surfing at Le Galion Beach – $69.99
from: Viator

It’s no secret that the ponds on Saint Martin are in big trouble– just look at the Great Salt Pond and other ponds that are threatened by development. Perhaps one of the reasons that these ponds have been polluted is that not enough people recognized their value. Go and see the Salines d’Orient for yourself, and take your children so they can love it and protect it tomorrow. Maybe someday, it will be a protected wetlands area like Mullet Pond. 

I was recently informed by Seagrape Tours that this pond is already a protected wetlands area! Hive five, French side. By the way, after hearing from Seagrape tours, I checked out their website and they give bird watching tours in this area of the island. Pretty cool.

How to get to the Salines d’Orient:

It’s really easy to find the Salines d’Orient. Here’s how to get there:

  • Drive to Le Galion Beach on the French side, just south of Orient Bay Beach.

  • Park. Make sure you park within the gate, not in the sandy lot before the gate. That’s for surfers or boaters generally and it’s further away.
  • Instead of going to the beach, walk to the far end of the parking lot. You’ll see a trail going into the trees.

  • Take the trail. You should pass a sit-up bench.

 


St Martin Supsquatch Surfing at Le Galion Beach – $59.00
from: Viator

  • Turn left.
  • Follow the trail to the pond, which is just to the north of the beach. There’s a path that goes right past it. It’s so lonely and deserted!

Walk around, look for wildlife, and skip stones. Revel in the natural beauty!

Don’t forget to check out the tide pools and the waves crashing against the rocks at the coast while you’re there. It’s not exactly a beach, but it’s a wonderful way to witness the power of the sea.


St. Maarten Combo Tour: Butterfly Farm and Orient Bay – $55.99
from: Viator

As always, pack out your trash and be respectful. The ponds are the island’s heritage, and we need them for our grand children to enjoy one day.

Pin Me!

Lovers Beach: How to Find It

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If you live in or have been to the island of Saint Martin, you have surely heard of the elusive Lovers Beach. The rumor is that the beach is hidden somewhere between Galisbay and Friar’s Bay, and that it’s worth searching for. I am here to put these rumors to rest: they are true. Here is how to find Lovers Beach.


UPDATE: Thanks to a commenter for providing post-Irma information on Lovers Beach. Although the beach is still there, it’s a lot smaller than it used to be. Plan to visit at low tide. 

Why visit this dinky little beach?

There are 37 beaches on Saint Martin. What’s the point of visiting one the size of your bathroom when great, big, beautiful beaches are so much easier to get to? Well, other than achieving the goal of hitting every beach on the island, You should go to Lovers Bay because it is STUNNING. Seriously, it’s a tiny slice of Heaven nestled into the lonely cliffs. You won’t understand until you see it for yourself.


St. Martin Sunset Sail – $40.00
from: Viator

There is a serious lack of info about it this beach on the web. I have yet to find a good description of how to get there, so I thought I’d write one myself to help y’all out. You’re welcome.


How to find Lovers Beach

Drive toward Friar’s Bay. Friar’s Bay is north of Marigot, about halfway to Grand Case. You’ll see this sign at the turnoff on your left:


St Martin Kayak Rental to Pinel Island – $15.00
from: Viator

When you get to the place where the paved road takes a right turn over a bridge, go left. If you go straight, you’ll end up in a rich lady’s front yard, and she’ll think you’re a crazy trespassing tourist. So go left.


Next, take a right. Don’t go up the ridiculously steep hill.


Drive to the end of this path. Here is a place on the seashore where millions of stones make the sound of rain on a tin roof as each wave laps at the shore. Cow paths wind through the forest, and vines with pink flowers wrap every tree, inviting the butterflies to play.

You’ll park here:


Walk to the left until you come to a gate.


Go through the gate and follow the path. It will go through a lot of tall, swishy grass.


If you find yourself here, you’re doing it wrong:


The path is beautiful. I saw a couple flowers that I have never noticed on Saint Martin before, and we saw some massive orange iguanas that don’t look like the usual green iguanas, which are actually an invasive species. I wonder if the orange ones are the indigenous iguanas.


The path turns off to the right a couple times. You can take either way, I think.


Snorkel Tour from St Martin – $54.99
from: Viator


The path will take you through some thick grass. Suddenly, you’ll burst out into the open, where the sky stretches on forever and Anguilla is a green jewel in the endless blue ocean.

Below you, you’ll see it: Lovers Beach! Maybe you’ll cheer ecstatically like I did.


It is as tiny as they say, but it’s also as beautiful as they say. You’ll be so glad you came!


Scramble down the rocks and enjoy the perfect sandy hideaway.


Welcome to paradise.

Remember, this beautiful beach can only stay nice if everyone cleans up after themselves. It’s easy to pick up and pack out your trash. Make sure Lovers Beach stays gorgeous for your kids and grandkids to visit someday.

Christmas Eve Home Run Derby

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Christmas on the island once again! This year, We’re doing things a little differently than usual. For Christmas Eve, we spent the day with Player Development Program. Coach Tom and Lisa planned a reunion home run derby for former players and a cookout for everyone. Ben brought his batting arms and I brought my (less terrible than last time but still not awesome) pasta salad, and we celebrated the Christmas holiday with plenty of fun and good food!

The home run derby guys, except for Ben, were all former players of Coach Tom’s. Some are professional players now, and others are on their way there.

Way out in the outfield, the boys on our Little League team had fun wrestling each other and running after balls. They were absolutely ecstatic whenever one of them caught a pop fly!

It’s not every day you get to hit homers while a pro pitches. Here’s Ben hitting with Denzel Richardson pitching. Ben’s never played baseball with actual baseballs before, but it turns out that he’s a natural. He hit a bunch way out into the outfield!

After Coach Tom and I read a few books to the kids, Lisa made the food, and the guys did their home run derby, it was time to eat. Kito was especially thrilled about this part of the day. She sat and guarded the hot dogs while they were on the grill, and performed every trick she knows to get some for herself during lunch! After all the food and running around, she was absolutely pooped. I’ve never seen her so sleepy and well-behaved.

This is the first time I’ve spent a Christmas away from family, which is hard. I’m thankful that we have good friends to spend the holidays with to sweeten the homesickness. It was a wonderful Christmas Eve on the island!

 

Homemade Christmas Wrapping Paper

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Pinching pennies this Christmas? Or maybe you just like putting a little extra love into wrapping your packages. Either way, you’ll have fun creating and using this practially free wrapping paper for your Christmas presents.


What You Need: 

  • Paint
  • Paper. Butcher paper is a plus.
  • A potato or a glass
  • A knife (optional)


Potato Stamping

Potato stamping is super fun, and it’s a great craft to do with kids. It’s cheap, and not too messy. You don’t have to use potatos for your stamp; you can also use the rim of a glass, a fork, your hands, or other interesting-shaped items around your home.


Instructions

  • Pour paint onto a plate
  • Cut potato in half. If you’re really creative, you can cut interesting shapes into the potato. I did stars.
  • Stamp the potato into the paint. Don’t get too much!
  • Stamp the potato all over your paper. Be creative!
  • Let it dry.
  • If you like, you can use a sharpie to draw cool designs. Maybe you can make the potato shapes into ornaments or snowmen.
  • Wrap your gifts and decorate! 


Looking for another thrify idea? Check out this homemade newpaper Christmas tree— an eco-friendly alernative to the plastic kind!

What do you do to save money or be craft this Christmas? Let us know in the comments!