Day Trips to St Barth

There are several options for making a trip to St Barth from St Maarten. All the ferries arrive at Gustavia, St Barth.

The Rapid Explorer Sea Shuttle is a 73.8’ semi-planing, hydro-supported foil catamaran with a capacity for 86 passengers. The Sea Shuttle departs Captain Oliver’s Marina, Oyster Bay at 8:30 am and 5:00 pm on Monday-Saturday and at 9:30 am on Sunday. It departs St Barth at 9:30 am and 6:00 pm on Monday-Saturday and at 10:30 am on Sunday. The crossing takes a short 40 minutes. The enclosed, air conditioned vessel features on board snack and beverage services, as well as audio and video entertainment, Round-trip fare is $125 for adults and $86 for children between 3 and 12 years. Please visit www.rapidexplorer.com for all details and to make reservations.
The Voyager is a high-speed catamaran that departs from Marigot, St Martin and from Captain Oliver’s Marina at Oyster Bay three to four times a day, depending on the day. The crossing from Marigot takes 1 hour 15 minutes; the crossing from Oyster Bay takes 45 minutes. The fares are comparable to those of the Rapid Explorer. Visit their web site at http://www.voyager-st-barths.com/ for full details.


The Edge is a 62' motorized catamaran, wave-piercer high-speed ferry that departs Pelican Key (the Simpson Bay area on the Dutch side of the island) every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Edge leaves at 9:00 am and returns at 5:00 pm; check-in time is 8:00 am. The crossing time is 45 minutes. Round-trip fare for adults is $60 and $33 for children between 2 and 12 years.

The Swalgia II is a motorized catamaran that departs from Great Bay Marina – Chesterfield in Philipsburg, St Maarten on Wednesday and Friday. The ferry leaves at 9:00 am and returns at 5:00 pm, with check-in at 8:40 am. Sailing time is one hour. The round-trip fare for adults is $92 and $56 for children between 2 and 12 years. In addition, a $15 port fee will be charged per person at check-in. The Swalgia II has a free bar and snacks and offers complimentary use of snorkel gear. The trip includes a stop on the return trip for a relaxing swim and snorkeling in the clear waters of Ile Fourche off of St Barth.

Want Jet Blue to Fly to SXM?

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St. Maarten Prepares for Genesis Class Ships

European dockyards are beginning to turn out the new Genesis class of ships. As a result, St Maarten is implementing plans to cater to these gigantic cruise ships. These behemoths weigh 220,000 tons as compared to the 160,000-ton Liberty of the Seas, which recently made its inaugural visit to St Maarten, and is currently one of the two largest cruise ships in the world. The island plans to be ready to accommodate the Genesis class ships in 2009.

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Fireman at Airport Ordered Back to Work

As reported by the St Maarten Daily Herald, 18 firefighters have called in sick and have not reported to work at the airport since Monday. It is thought that this is in protest against a fireman who was recently fired for not carrying out an instruction. The court ordered the firefighters to return to work today, June 22, or face a fine. If they do not return, the airport may be forced to close until the issue is resolved.

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Video: Near Miss -- Two 747s Nearly Collide at Princess Juliana Airport

Late last year, many people at the Sunset Beach Bar watched as a Corsair Airlines 747, ready to take off from Princess Juliana Airport, almost collided with a KLM 747 that was ready to land. The Corsair pilot didn’t see the approaching KLM 747 and taxied the fully loaded plane onto the runway. Meanwhile, several hundred yards behind him, the KLM 747 was getting ready to land. Fortunately, the KLM pilot saw the Corsair jet sitting on the runway, gunned the plane’s engines, and banked sharply right over the airport.

Due to the following video, taken by a tourist, a full investigation will take place.

Watch the video here.

Get Ready to Buckle Up

The following new traffic laws will become effective on August 1, 2007.

• All motorists will have to use seat belts.
• Use of a cell phone while driving is forbidden unless you are using a hands-free mobile phone device.
• All children will have to be secured in child-restraint safety seats.
• Vehicles must stop at marked pedestrian crossings to give pedestrians the right of way.
• Riders of motorcycles, quads and three-wheelers will be “strongly advised” to wear helmets. (Don’t be surprised if this soon becomes required.)
  
  In St. Martin, the French side of the island, it is already required that you wear a seat belt, and use of cell phones by the driver is forbidden. When these two laws recently went into effect in St Barth, the gendarme (French National Police) were parked at the busiest traffic areas to enforce the new requirements. And, the fines were quite hefty! For example, 90 euros for failure to wear a seat belt!
  

Direct Flights To and From St Maarten

To see at a glance direct flights to and from St Maarten, including airlines and frequency, check out the two following web sites. Direct flights to St Maarten's Princess Julianna International Airport are at http://www.airsxm.com/directflightstosxm.html , while flights from St Maarten to various places are at http://www.airsxm.com/directflightsfromsxm.html .