Travel :: Sailing St. Maarten

Today marks the last batch of my St. Maarten photos.  On the second to last day of our trip we rented a catamaran and sailed around the island.  From our early morning start to our golden hour finish, the day was absolutely perfect.  The trip started off with pastries, fresh fruit, coffee, and juice on board our boat.  From there we sailed to Île Tintamarre and went snorkeling with sea turtles!  There was one little guy in particular who I just loved and must have swam next to for five to ten minutes.  He would swim peacefully under the water and every so often stick his little head out for air...it was so cute!

Next we visited Creole Rock for some great snorkeling.  At one point we saw what we thought was a miniature {read: under 3 feet long} shark who must have followed us for twenty minutes.  I'd like to say we were brave, but the truth is there was a lot of shrieking and nervous laughing as the little shark would seemingly come out of nowhere and circle us.  Not our proudest moment :)

After our snorkeling adventure we got back on board and set sail to Anguilla.  We listened to music, drank beer, wine, cockails, and the most delicious spiced rum punch, and laid in the sunshine.  Upon arriving to the island of Anguilla we were greeted with some of the most gorgeous white sand and turquoise water I had ever laid eyes on.  We took time exploring different coves and beaches, swimming to shore every time we anchored.  I loved visiting the gorgeous five-star Cap Juluca Hotel and walking along their pristine beaches.

By this point we had worked up quite the appetite, so we got back on board and had a very long and leisurely lunch on the boat.  We started with a delicious crab and tuna salad, and afterwards had curried chicken and vegetables, a scrumptious cheese plate, baguette with the most delicious European butter, and finally we finished up with a fresh raspberry tart.  Our lunch was accompanied by as much French wine and rosé as we could drink.

Our last stop of the day was beautiful Happy Bay on St. Maarten.  The most rustic of the beaches we visited, Happy Bay felt like we were on our own private island.  It was the most incredible day on the most incredible trip, thank you Dad!!!!