Sint Maarten and St. Martin are two jurisdictions that occupy a small island in the eastern Caribbean. The former is one of the countries comprising the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the latter is geopolitically and properly the Republic of France. Carol and I were very fortunate to take a daylong tour of the island on 19 August 2019 with a wonderful local guide.

Cruise Ship Pier in Philipsburg

Our ship, Anthem of the Seas, will dock along the right pier. The Philipsburg city center is the cluster of rooftops on the far left. The city is the capital of Sint Maarten.

Saint-Barthélemy Island

Looking southeast across Saint-Barthémy Channel from Sint Maarten. Seeing places that I have only heard about fascinates me, and I was glad to get this glimpse of St. Barths as it is often called. Notice the tiny islands in the channel silhouetted against the bigger island.

Anguilla

Admittedly, this low contrast image does not grab the eye, but it was my only chance to get an image of Anguilla, a British overseas territory. This view is looking north from the city of Marigot across the Baie de Marigot and the Anguilla Channel. (19 Mar 2020. I found this recent article on Anguilla by Steve Lohr in the New York Times. You may find it interesting to learn why A.I. startups covet the the island’s “.ai” domain for their internet addresses.)

Marina on the Northside of Marigot

Water, boats, clouds, and sky! Marigot is the capital of Saint-Martin which occupies the north half of the island.

Some residences along the Baie de Marigot

A closeup from the previous photo.

Simpson Bay Lagoon

Simpson Bay Lagoon straddles Saint-Martin and Sint Maarten. The capsized boats are remnants of Hurricane Irma which wreaked catastrophic damage on the entire island in September 2017. The above scene is 23 months later. This and the following six photos were taken from an excursion boat on the lagoon.

Clouds over Simpson Bay Lagoon

Clouds and sun lined up for this money shot!

Capsized Boat in the Lagoon

I am at a loss for words.

Airliner Taking off from Princess Juliana International Airport

Just out of sight to the right is a beach at the very end of the runway. The main attraction of the beach is the jet blast from departing planes. This departing airliner is providing such thrills at the very moment. YouTube contains several videos of bathers getting sandblasted. Just search for Princess Juliana Airport take-offs. You will not be able to look away!

Simpson Bay Lagoon

Again, I am at a loss for words.

A Closeup of Simpson Bay Lagoon Shoreline

This photo is a personal favorite.

Mast Sticking out of Simpson Bay Lagoon

Both Carol and I were fascinated by the disembodied mast. Last of the photos in this gallery from the boat.

Philipsburg

From an overlook east of the city a bit before sunset.

Anthem of the Seas

The author posing at the stern of the ship. I am very grateful for the hospitality of these two nations.

Great Bay just south of Philipsburg

Another personal favorite of mine from this gallery.

Endnote: The solitude and beauty of Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin are treasures. I did feel that I was intruding as I traveled by bus, boat, and foot about this lovely place only because the destruction caused by Hurricane Irma is everywhere. It was like visiting someone at their home early on Saturday morning before they had a chance to do the weekend cleaning. Out of respect I refrained from taking photos of the damage except for the capsized boats. Philipsburg center looks to be largely rebuilt, but Marigot is decidedly still recovering. If you want to know more about this enigmatic place, take a look at the following New York Times article authored by journalist Kirk Semple: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/07/world/americas/hurricane-irma-saint-martin.html

Thank you very much letting me show you my artistic view of this unique land and culture.

Warm regards,

Dr. Mike