 Sint Maarten : Profile
One of the northern Leeward Islands, this small island is shared between two nations. The southern third (Sint Maarten), is now an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the northern part (St Martin), belongs to the French départment of Guadeloupe. Sint Maarten has become one of the leading yachting centres in the Caribbean, with excellent docking and a wide range of repair facilities. Unfortunately the island is in an area prone to be hit by hurricanes. Facilities are concentrated in Simpson Lagoon. Most repair work can be dealt with here. NOTE: Both sides of the island use the IALA-B (green to port) buoyage system.
Based on reports to noonsite from cruisers, petty theft from yachts is on the rise in the Caribbean in general. Cruisers should take basic safety precautions and use common sense when leaving the boat or going ashore at night. Dinghy thieves operate throughout the Caribbean and best advice is to place your dinghy on deck and chain it overnight.
Check the noonsite Piracy Pages and the Caribbean Safety & Security Net for information on the current island situation.
The Caribbean Safety and Security Net (safetyandsecuritynet@gmail.com) gather information by anchorage or by island, so sailors can plan their cruising in the Caribbean with an eye to appropriate behaviour and precautions wherever they decide to go. Please forward details of this incident to them, as theirs is the most comprehensive source of Caribbean security incidents against sailors on the net. Please be sure to include boat name, date of incident and anchorage/port where the incident took place.
Sint Maarten has a mild tropical climate, with steady easterly trade winds. July to November is the rainy season, while December to June is dry, although conditions vary little, June to November being the hurricane season.
The St Maarten Cruiser's Net can be heard at 0730 on VHF Channel 14 Mon-Sat begin transmission with a marine weather report.
At 0900 Island 92 (91.9 FM) broadcasts a comprehensive marine weather forecast and overall synopsis, repeated at 12 noon.
www.caribwx.com for concise Caribbean meteorological information updated daily at 0800 Mon-Sat.
Daily weather forecast in St Maarten Daily newspaper
Sint Maarten Weather Forecast.
Cole Bay
, Philipsburg
*
, Simpson Bay
*
*Indicates a port of entry.
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Related ReportsRoutes and Waypoints - Book Review (16 Dec 2011) Using the ESeaClear System (05 Dec 2011) New Free Caribbean Cruising Guide - A Thinking Mans Guide to Voyages South (23 Jul 2011) Fees for Simpson Bay Lagoon (Dutch Side) - Update (08 Jul 2010) Sint Maarten - Cost of Anchoring (30 Jun 2009) Anchorage Fees for Marigot Bay – A Justification (02 Mar 2009) Snake Pipe at Sint Maarten, Philipsburg (11 Feb 2009) Immigration Requirements for Russian Citizens (19 Jan 2009) St.Maarten-St.Martin Classic Yacht Regatta (20 Nov 2008) Caribbean: Reported Crime Incidents Against Yachts, 2005-2008 (26 Aug 2008) Grenada to the Virgin Islands, A Cruising Guide to the Lesser Antilles: Book Review (23 May 2008) Credit Card Fraud In Caribbean Alert (29 Apr 2008) Related NewsNew Webcast Service for Caribbean Weather (20 Oct 2010) Cruising Guide To The Leeward Islands (27 Nov 2007) Book Review: Cruising Guide to the Leeward Islands (12 Feb 2007)
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