St Barthelemy is a lovely French island with many beautiful beaches and harbors. It history tells of pirates and their treasures. It is colorful and prosperous. At the present time its very much en vogue as a vacation destination. And, it deserves all the attention it gets.

We had a great holiday exploring the island. In Gustavia, the main port, we enjoyed several delicious meals at the open air restaurants at the docks. Stu discovered the best ice cream in the islands at La Route des Boucaniers.

We rented a motor scooter for the day and explored. The terrain is mountainous with windy roads that climb high and then plummet you down into beautiful bays with white sandy beaches and aquamarine waters.

  We watched airplanes land at the tiny airport. The runway is only a few hundred yards long. At one end is a large mountain and on the other a craggy reef. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place! We heard plane crashes are a recurring event here. We suggest coming by water.

On the afternoon of March 31 we cleared out of St Barth and headed toward Simpson Bay, Snt Maarten only twelve miles away. We stopped for dinner and a short nap. A couple of hours after sundown we hoisted sails and headed north west toward the BVI about 80 miles away. We arrive by sun up.