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Dutch Side
Saint Martin is a 34 square mile island that sits at the north end of the Leeward Island in the Caribbean. Since 1648 the island has been divided 60/40 between the French and Dutch. West Indian lore says that a Frenchman and Dutchman started walking in opposite directions with the idea of where they met would be the border.
French side
The Frenchman drank wine from his flask while the Dutchman drank gin from his. Gin will get you a little drunker and slowed the Dutchman down, thus the slightly more area on the French side. 🙂
Helpful Info
Population – 76,400 (40,100 on Dutch side & 36,300 on the French side)
Money – Dutch side has the Guider (pegged at 1.79 to 1USD) but US$ works everywhere. French side uses Euro, but you may be ok with US$ here also (as of Aug 2018 US$1 = €0.85; current rate available at XE.com)
Language – Dutch, French, and English
Religion – 80% 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 The Netherlands and France in 1631 the current divide was established in 1648. Both sides are still part of their respective countries
St Martin is a cruiser mecca and you can find any resource, part, expertise, etc that you need for you boat. Most of the yachting facilities are found within Simpson Lagoon, a 12 square mile enclosed body of water. The lagoon is accessible through lift bridges on the north side (French) and south side (Dutch). Both are easy enough to pass through and have a set schedule of opening times, but the French side of the lagoon is shallower. Once inside the Lagoon there is plenty of room to anchor or you can dock in one of the many facilities.
My Visit
I have been to St Martin several times while traveling up and down the Caribbean. I have usually chosen the Dutch side to anchor my boat, but that is strictly out of familiarity. Both sides have their charm and issues.
Likes, Dislikes, and Recommendations
Besides Simpson Lagoon, which is wonderful, there are really only seven other anchorages on the whole island. Three are on the Dutch side and four on the French. Each has its own charm and worth checking out, but the problem is when you sail your boat from one side to the other you are suppose to check out and then into the other, which can be a pain (on the other hand, crossing the border by land is no problem and you are allowed anywhere on the island). Also, all services are run as two separate countries so power, telephone, etc are not compatible.
You can get even more helpful hints in each of the blogs below and soon I will be making a helpful travel video of St Martin.
All Blogs From St Martin
Rockland Estate Adventures is found in the middle of the Dutch side of St Martin and has four different ways to find your adrenaline rush. First is the chair lift…
If you are ever on St Martin and find yourself driving along A.J.C Brouwer Road, which connects Phillipsburg and the Simpson Bay Lagoon area, make sure you pull over at…
Orient Beach is a fun place to visit and is a great beach with waves crashing onto it all the time. If you visit you will find yourself driving along…
Crossing from the French side to the Dutch side of St Martin is as simple as driving down the road. The only way you even know you crossed over is…
Anse Marcel is a little bay on the northeast corner of St Martin that offers boaters a little getaway on a busy boating island. The anchorage is fairly protected, but…
As I was driving back down Pic Paradis mountain that I wrote about yesterday, I saw a platform in a tree with a monkey bridge connecting it to another tree….
Pic Paradis is the tallest point on the island of St Martin, but is a bit out of the way from what everyone visiting the island does. To get there…
While the Dutch side of St Martin has experienced the most growth, the French side has been able to keep the French Caribbean charm that lured so many in the…
As your read yesterday, I was anchored in Grand Case on the French side of St Martin. The bay is beautiful, the food wonderful, and the experience fantastic. That is…
Grand Case is small community on the north side of St Martin. It sits in a wide sweeping bay that has a great beach that seems to go on for…
A mile away from Ile Pinel is Tintemarre Island. Both small islands are off the east coast of the French side of St Martin. They both have wonderful beaches, but…
As I was telling you yesterday, Ile Pinel has dozens on iguanas on it and they all scurry down from the rocks and onto the beach area whenever someone starts…
At the north end of Orient Bay, on the French side of St Martin, there is an amazing little island called Ile Pinel. While Orient Bay is choppy and exposed…
When my best friend, his brother (another close friend), his brother’s family, and I did the short hike up Fife Hill at the entrance to Oyster Pond we found some…
Oyster Pond, on the east coast of St Martin, has a tricky entrance and is on a lee shore. Once you get inside the bay it is flat calm and…
Earlier this week I wrote about walking to Fort Amsterdam and how I did not think it was worth the effort. Well what is worth the effort is to take…
St Martin is one of the easiest places to check into and out of, but there are only three places to do this. The first place is at the bridge…
Fort Amsterdam was built by the Dutch in 1631 and is located on the peninsula separating Great Bay and Little Bay. Two years later the Spanish captured, and occupied, the…
Over 400 years ago the Dutch settled on the south side of St Martin in order to harvest salt from the large salt pond across from a narrow strip of…
Would you come down to the Caribbean with the expectation of finding a Star Wars and movie makeup museum? No? Well that is exactly what you will find in Phillipsburg…
This small little capital on the south side of St Martin was founded in 1763 by John Philips, a Scottish captain in the Dutch navy. Philipsburg soon became a bustling…
During my dinghy tour of Simpson Lagoon on St Martin that I told you about yesterday I came across this old pirate ship anchored in the middle of the large…
As you read in the last blog, I made it to St Martin and anchored the boat in Simpson Bay lagoon. Now that I am here I was excited to…
After leaving Red Hook in St Thomas at noon in mid May I motored across the Anegada Passage after reaching the southern tip of Virgin Gorda. The trip across was…