The island of St. Maarten is located in a beautiful part of the Caribbean ocean, the azure water turns to a turquoise color that defies imagination. While visiting the island on a previous cruise I had rented a Jeep and drove around the entire island…that was fun, but to see the island from the bow of a 54 foot traditional sailboat is one of the best experiences I have ever had. In April we were in St. Maarten. As an early cruise booking bonus we, Crown Poker Cruises, charted a sailboat named the Random Wind and took a group of cruisers out for a wonderful day of sailing around the island. Our terrific experience started out with the crew of the boat. The owner of the boat Diane walked to the cruise terminal and picked us up. The sailboat was a short walk down the bustling highway that encompasses the island. I say a short walk, but if you are elderly or unable to walk long distances I would not recommend the walk, instead hop on the water taxi, it is located close to the cruise pier exit and the water taxi will deliver you a short distance from where the sailboat picks you up. When we made it to the sailboat awaiting us there was Trevor, a tan salty dog with a charming British accent, he fit the role of boat captain to a “T”. He helped everyone board the boat and he and Di made us all feel welcome aboard the vessel. After our safety briefing we were off to sail the high seas, well maybe the low seas around the island… The view of the island was breath taking! Our cruise ship happen to be in port on a day like no other, there were 7 other cruise ships in St. Maarten that day, that is a huge population increase for an island that is 36 square miles and has a population of 75,000 people. We found ourselves the lucky ones, only 18 of us on a beautiful sailboat with only the amazing views of the sea and ocean surrounding us. We had wonderful sail and tossed anchor in a little cove where we were able to swim and snorkel. Unfortunately this is where we ran into the masses…or rather they ran into us. We were the first boat to anchor in the cove and along came another half dozen catamarans loaded with enthusiastic passengers who were just dying to get into the same water we were leisurely snorkeling in. Saved from the schooling humans by the conch horn blow, we all made our way back to the boat for a fabulous chicken curry rice dish, salad and fruit. Di our hostess made sure that we were all plied with the beverages of our choice; I being a rum girl, on a sail boat with Jimmy playing in the back ground was all too happy to consume boat drinks! After our “scrum-delicious” lunch Trevor and Di had a surprise for us, they called it the Tarzan swing; we all just called it a really good time! Almost all of the cruisers tried their trapeze skills, many of us got a bit crazy with attempts of flips off the swing, but not this girl! I saw the ways those guys belly flopped and face flopped – they looked like a freight train crashing into a wall, I saw all the pink, it looked painful! I did enjoy flying through the air and free falling into the water. It is amazing to be able to swim in water that you can see 20 to 30 feet below you and is as warm as bath water. After our circus show was complete we had to make our way back to the dock, toss our crazy group off the boat and watch the Random Wind sail off into the horizon. It really was a day of pure happiness and joy for this pirate girl who is getting way too close to turning forty!
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