The other night Bud got chatting at a Caribbean Stud table and heard about a sunset cruise in Simpson Bay Lagoon (translate--very smooth sailing, no risk of waves and seasickness). Turns out the 40' catamaran, the Celine, does a once-around the lagoon once a week.
We booked! The Celine is docked right behind Skipjacks Restaurant in Simpson Bay. Their Happy Hour margarita's kept us busy until a brief downpour passed and we could get underway. Skipjacks looks to be a great place to have Caribbean Rock Lobster--look at the size of these guys in the tank!
There were just six of us on board, so we all got primo seats.
The idea of the cruise was check out some of the megayachts and homes of the rich and famous (or not so famous). Right away we spied the Huntress, pictured below. She is 180' yacht that you (or maybe someone you know) can charter by the week. Price? $275,000/week! Don't get your hopes up right away, though--she is booked pretty much through the end of the year. Next week she's going over to St. Bart's and then on to the Bahamas. From there she'll run up to Savannah and then over to the Western Mediterranean. She stays in Turkey and Greece through the fall, then comes home to St. Maarten. If you want to check out her staterooms, salon and such click here. You'll be impressed.
Captain Neil Roebert, who built the Celine in South Africa and sailed it over, was full of facts and stories about Hurricanes Luis and Lenny and their aftermath.
A few piles of wrecked boats are still in the lagoon.
The megayacht Limitless was out to sea, so we missed her. She is owned by Les Wexner, founder of The Limited, which now includes a ton of brands that we all know, including Victoria's Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch. Limitless is 315' (the largest yacht owned by a private American citizen at the time it was built). Wexner had to pay big bucks ($1m or more) to widen the drawbridge that spans the entrance to the lagoon.
You can see what a tight fit it is on this YouTube video of the Limitless making the transit.
and now...back to the beach for our last afternoon in St. Maarten, and the last full day of our 3-month "Faux Retirement". We haven't done bodily harm to each other--great news!
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