I absolutely love Anse du Colombier, pronounced Colombia apparently, at the north end of St Barts. This well protected bay has the best beach on St Barts, but the only…
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Saint Barthélemy (known as St Barts) is an island in the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean with a total area of less than 10 square miles and a population below 10,000. It is known as an island for the rich and famous and the small harbor host many, many mega yachts through the winter months.
Christopher Columbus discovered the island on his second voyage and named it after his brother, Bartolomeo, but it would not be settled until 1648 by the French.
Helpful Info
Population – 9,600
Money – Euro (as of Aug 2018 US$1 = €0.85; current rate available at XE.com)
Language – French, some English
Religion – Christian
When to go – Dec-June is most popular. Summer is nice also, but a little hotter and more humid. Hurricanes most active Aug-Oct.
World Heritage Sites – 0 – None
Country formed – Settled by France in 1648 and is still a French territory
The capital of Gustavia from Fort Gustav. See more Swedish influence
Even then the first attempt was wiped out by Caribe Indians. In 1784 the island was traded to Sweden who traded it back in 1878. During this 100 year ownership Sweden established the island as a free port, which is still effect today.
One thing that is very different in St Barts verse the rest of the Caribbean is the population is almost exclusively of European descent instead of African. This is due to the lack of arable land meaning few slaves were brought to St Barts.
My Visit
The beach at Anse de Colombier
During my six week cruise through the Leeward Islands in 2017 the first island I spent significant time in was St Barts. We spent time anchored off the capital, Gustavia, for a couple days before venturing over to the island of Ile Fourchue and then the northern cove of Anse de Colombier.
Likes, Dislikes, and Recommendations
If you sail here on your boat you will be happy to know checking in could not be easier. Simply go to the Harbor Master office located on the left side as you enter the inner harbor. The fees are a little more for the days you are around Gustavia, so keep that in mind when you plan your time here.
Another view of Gustavia
My favorite anchorage was Ile Fourchue and Anse de Colombier was nice as well. Both provide good shelter during weather and mooring balls are provided (just make sure you check them). Snorkeling is good, but not if the winds and seas are high as everything is churned up.
The only dislike I have for St Barts is how crowded the main anchorage is. This makes it tough to find a spot that does not have a roll to it. We were here in late April when it is less busy, so I can only imagine it during the holidays and January & February.
You can get even more helpful hints by watching the travel video I made for St Barts. Also, you can read what all I did there in my blog posts located below the video.
All Blogs From St Barts
When my friends joined me for a week and a half the kids wanted to go to a beach, so I suggested we check out Shell Beach on St Barts….
Gustavia is the main town of the island of St. Barthelemy (also known as Saint Barths or St Barts). It was named after King Gustav III of Sweden. Originally a…
Back in the begining of August I shared an article I wrote and submitted to several sailing magazines. Well turns out Multihull Sailor chose to publish it in thier fall…
[Shane – this week I broke up an article I wrote summarizing our cruise for some sailing magazines. The first part was on Sunday, the second part was on Tuesday, and…
[Shane – this is an article I wrote and submitted to several sailing magazines to see if they would be interested in publishing it. Of course, my readers do not…
Because this sunset photo brings an end to our St Barts blogs. Starting tomorrow we will be writting about the island of Barbuda, which is so low key we had…
As you approach St Barts from St Martin the first anchorage you come to is Anse du Colombier on the northwest corner of the island (Ile Fourchue is before this,…
This was my favorite anchorage in St Barts and I hope you come back tomorrow to read all about the bay and beach. Plus I will tell you all you…
Today’s photo of the day is a bit different because I usually do not have pictures of myself, but when you have such a pretty partner and an incredible backdrop…
On the third day of our time in St Barts we anchored to an island called Ile Fourchue, which was about an hour north of St. Barts. It was a…
When we did our tour through Gustavia on St Barts we visited Fort Karl and found this guy. I got down at his level hoping to get a cool photo in…
Our first official stop on our six-week cruise through the Leeward Islands was at St Barthelemy (known as St Barts) and checking in could not have been any easier. All…
Today’s photo of the day is from the fort over looking the town and harbor. Come back tomorrow and I will tell you all about this perfect little town.