Exploring St. Maarten and Embarkation on MSY Wind Surf

 "Tonight I leave familiar for the great unknown..."

Michael Shynes, California in the Spring

Morning on St. Maarten

Yesterday’s long travel day had ended with us settling into the island’s warmth. This morning began with roosters calling and iguanas basking in the sun. With each moment, St. Maarten revealed more of itself before we boarded the ship that would carry us across the ocean.

After a restful and rejuvenating sleep last night, today began before sunrise with the first crowing of a rooster. The same rooster and its friends kept calling back and forth until we got up at 6:00 AM, ready to explore. There seem to be chickens, stray dogs, goats, and the occasional horse roaming wild on the island, and as we explored, we saw more than one place where large bowls of water had been left out for the wildlife.

During the night, Windstar’s sailing ship Wind Surf had arrived in port, docking alongside a large Viking Sea cruise ship. We caught our first glimpse of Wind Surf when we spotted her five tall masts as we stepped out onto the covered terrace of our apartment to have breakfast. She looked dwarfed by the larger cruise ship, but even from a distance, she holds the promise of further adventures and great elegance.

After a quick breakfast of coffee and muffins in our room, we walked back down towards town. As we passed the cruise terminal, crowds of workers were walking in to begin their day. On the opposite side of the road, a large herd of Domestic Goats was foraging on the nearly vertical face of the yellowish sandy cliffs beside the road. Again, we spotted some of the same bird species that we had seen yesterday, including Bananaquit, Carib Grackles, and Zenaida Doves, in addition to an American Kestrel soaring above the hill. Oddly (at least for us), we also caught sight of several more Green Iguanas ....draped in the shrubs of the hillside.

Soon we were making our way along Great Bay Beach, saying hello to the locals who were also out enjoying the cooler temperatures and quiet of the early morning. Lots of people were out jogging, walking, and sitting in the shade of the palms along the boardwalk. Although the place will likely become much livelier with tourists as the day unfolds, the shops, restaurants, and cafés were still shuttered, and it was very peaceful. We are both sorry that we don’t have more time here in St. Maarten to explore and enjoy this wonderful oasis. This is our first time here, and unfortunately, we will spend slightly less than 24 hours on the island.

Birding St.  Maarten Island

When we reached the far end of the long, white sandy beach, we cut inland into the downtown area, following several narrow streets and alleyways lined by colourful buildings. Soon we came to the Great Salt Pond, a small and extremely green body of water bordered by a dense wall of shrubs and small trees. We followed the hard-packed white sand track around the edge, stopping whenever we could to get a glimpse of the water.

St. Maarten and the location of the Great Salt Pond are part of the Caribbean Birding Trail. As avid birders and photographers, visiting a designated birding trail makes the possibility of spending some time here particularly wonderful for us!

The track had a bit of a dodgy feel, and it was strewn with garbage, including everything from discarded mattresses and furniture to plastic water bottles and food packaging. 

No effort had been made to attract attention to the large pond, and when we got our first view across its waters, we realized why - on the far side was the island's garbage dump. However, as is often the case, dodgy areas turn out to be birding paradises!

As we walked, the skies overhead were filled with birds, including Black-faced Grassquit, Black-Crowned Night Heron and even a Peregrine Falcon! Closer to the land, the shore had several Least Sandpipers amid which Mudflat fiddler Crabs scurried about, while the waters were filled with turtles!

 

Continuing on, we followed the track until it all but disappeared, at which point we ran into two fellow birders. They were very friendly and stopped to tell us about a bird viewing platform that was at the far end of the pond, nearer to the town. Apparently, it offered the opportunity to see herons, ducks, pelicans, and turtles. When we arrived at the spot they had described, we weren’t disappointed! 

There was a long wooden boardwalk stretching out into the water, a viewing platform, and several large interpretive plaques featuring information on local birds.

Here we spotted mallards, more Black-crowned Night Herons, a Snowy Egret and a Grey Kingbird. Above flocks of wondrous and large West Indian Brown Pelicans soared in the skies!

Repacking and Preparing to Board

By around 10 AM, it was beginning to get hot, so we headed back through town, stopping to pick up a bottle of cold water on the way. Our checkout time was at 11 AM, so we returned to our room, packed everything up, and moved out onto the terrace outside. We sat in the shade, enjoying the breeze, and watching as three large iguanas walked slowly up the drive, pausing to bask on the hot brick and climbing up onto the rocks lining the laneway as if to pose.

 A little after 11 AM, the hostess stopped by and generously said we could sit inside if we wanted to, or stay an extra hour if we needed. 

We were happy on the covered terrace watching the small birds in hedges nearby, the iguanas slowly munching on grass, the birds hopping along the drive, and a container ship pulling into port and getting ready to be loaded.

Terminal Greeting and Questions

Around noon, we strapped on our backpacks and walked down to the cruise terminal with our luggage and backpacks. We had worried that we would be too early, but when we arrived, there were already about 50 people seated on the chairs inside the large metal building, waiting to check in. Many of the other passengers knew each other and the staff from previous voyages, and soon everyone was chatting away happily and hugging familiar friends.

Amid this welcoming atmosphere, it soon became apparent that we were the focus of many people’s attention – whether it was because we seemed to be 10-20 years younger than most others, or the fact that we had tired backpacks covered in trail patches while almost everyone else seemed to have high-end rolling luggage, we could not tell. Looking around the room, most of the passengers looked as though they had just left a high-end country club, while we had spent the morning trekking around a garbage dump.

Highlighting this was one elegant lady, who, along with her friendly husband, walked over to warn us, “I think you might be getting on the wrong ship, dears. On board Wind Surf, there are no casinos, no huge shows, and no entertainment...it is all on you.” “I hope you won’t be bored.” To which I could only smile and reply, “That is exactly what we were hoping for!” After which, a friendly conversation ensued, highlighting that, in their opinion, Wind Surf is one of the greatest vessels in the world. Within 20 minutes, they had invited us to share dinner with them one evening. How wonderful!

After chatting with other people around the room, we were called up to a desk at the front of the room to fill out our health forms, have our ID and credit cards scanned, be presented with our cruise cards, and to check through customs. While the procedure sounds arduous, in the end, it was a very easy and simple process, and soon we were making our way down the concrete pier to the tall white sailing ship. How very exciting!

Nervous Uncertainty, Boarding Wind Surf

“A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”
John A. Shedd, Salt from My Attic

As we walked down the pier, we realized that boarding Wind Surf is like stepping back in time. Wind Surf is certainly not an impersonal mega vessel; it is a sleek and beautiful sailing ship.

Deciding to cross the Atlantic on such a small craft, we had no idea what to expect of this voyage. Standing on the pier, it was immediately evident that this would be an entirely different experience than we had ever enjoyed before.

While we were both amazed by the vessel, I should also admit to being a little scared. Every previous time that we have crossed the Atlantic, it has been on a stunning but large ocean liner which was specifically built to withstand the rigours of the crossing and its unpredictable weather. 

On Queen Mary 2 we have even pushed through the edges of a vast and terrifying Atlantic Storm on one crossing that seemed vicious but which barely disrupted the ongoing activities of the vessel or its passengers at the time. We have voyaged through snow and dealt with massive waves that QM2 simply pushed through. The possibility of an Atlantic storm on a small sailing ship and the potential for sea sickness truly unnerved us.

 

When we boarded the ship, we were escorted to our room by a staff member. Our room on the Wind Surf sailing ship was much larger than the ones we’ve occupied aboard either QM2 or Queen Elizabeth, and featured two portholes, which I quickly fell in love with. We also discovered we’d been given a complimentary upgrade, having been moved from a room on the lowest deck at the very front of the ship to a room on the third deck.

Lunch on Wind Surf

After being shown our quarters and introduced to our room steward, we were immediately invited to have lunch in the restaurant upstairs. 

A lovely buffet was waiting, complete with a huge number of different vegetarian options. Given the heat, we enjoyed a plate of salad and about five glasses of water, which the staff kindly provided.

After the meal, we explored the ship, soon realizing how small it is compared to an ocean liner. It is very beautiful, with a large open space in the middle of the main deck that serves as a library, games room, and sitting area, a large lounge area adjacent to it, a fitness center on the very top of the ship, a spa one floor down, and at least two gorgeous looking restaurants, one of which (Veranda) is located on an upper deck and has more than half of its tables outside.

I'm sure there is more, but we will explore more tomorrow. Today, rather than looking around, we moved outside to the back deck of the ship, where there are two hot tubs, a pool, and a lovely-looking bar. We stood at the rail, enjoying the view of the island, and watching the boat traffic in the harbour, which was really quite busy. 

Overhead, a small and ever-changing group of Great Frigatebirds soared, their long forked tails and white bellies looking magnificent. We also spotted several Brown Boobies, a couple of Magnificent Frigatebirds, as well as a couple of Laughing Gulls.

Muster Drill 

At 5:15 PM, everyone gathered on deck next to their assigned lifeboats to learn how to put on our lifejackets and what to do in the event of an emergency. At this point, we met the couple we had run into while birding this morning, and we also met Rosemarie and Pat Keough, two people who are in the Explorer's Club. In fact, Rosemarie nominated me to become a member, and we were excited to learn that she and Pat will be giving twelve talks while we're on board. We had never met them in person before, and had no idea they would be aboard the ship. What are the odds of such a random meeting?

Weather Warnings

When the muster drill was over, the ship’s Captain, Trevor Bailey, issued a request for everyone to gather in the lounge. There, he proceeded to introduce himself and the senior officers. He also mentioned that the ship was only about half full, with 159 passengers and 217 crew – far fewer than the 2000+ people that we were used to on QM2. It seemed that 125 of those passengers (79%) had been on a Windstar cruise previously. We took this as a good sign, still feeling a little nervous at the prospect of crossing the Atlantic in such a ‘small’ vessel, and hoping very much we wouldn’t get seasick.

Our apprehension didn’t lessen when, after the introductions, the Captain then went on to show us several rather alarming-looking weather maps, saying that we are expecting a very stormy crossing with 2 - 6 m (6 - 18 ft) waves for the first five days. “The colours of these maps tell the story better than me. As you can now tell, there is a huge storm in front of us.” The culmination of this briefing being the Captain’s comment: “I am not omnipotent – I cannot change or control the weather. My best advice is for each of you to stow everything very well in your rooms. We are likely going to rock and roll a lot in the coming days. However, we are also going to do our best to avoid the worst.”

Yikes! At this point, we have no idea what 6 m swells will feel like, but there is nothing much we can do except hope for the best. Then again, as Helen Keller once noted, "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." Words to live by on a journey now shaped by wind, waves, and whimsy.

Thankfully, our spirits were very much lifted, and initial fears allayed by an extremely high-energy welcome from the entertainment director, Matt O.

Delayed Departure and Dinner

Following the Captain's announcement, we went back up on deck for the 7 PM sail away, but a technical issue caused a slight delay, and in the end, we waited for the larger Viking Cruise ship to pull out of port ahead of us. As we waited, a Ponant ship with three tall masts of its own also pulled out and sailed away under now darkened skies. We could still see the lights of the larger cruise ship shining in the darkness ahead, and to our dismay, we could also see them rocking back and forth.

The last call for dinner was at 8:30 PM, so we changed clothes and went down to Amphora, the main dining room. It was a quiet, cozy atmosphere, the service was wonderful, and the food was delicious.

Both of us had the market salad and bang-bang cauliflower, which was very tasty. Just as we were finishing up the meal, we began to sail away, so we dashed back up on deck to see what was going on.

Sail Away from St.  Maarten

“There is something about being on deck, leaving a port and heading out to the open seas that makes you feel from your head to your heart that this is the moment that adventure begins....”

It was completely dark as the lines were cast off, and we pulled slowly away from the island. As our ship slipped out of the harbour, the sails were briefly unfurled as the sombre music of Vangelis' 1492 Conquest of Paradise was played. Standing in the soft, warm, humid night air and seeing the white sails lit up above us against a backdrop of brilliant white stars overhead was magical!

 

As we got further out to see the wind and the waves picked up, and we were soon covered in a thin veil of salt spray. We watched as the lights of St. Maarten grew blurry in our wake before they disappeared into the night. With dinner behind us, a faint patch of lights from the island of Saint Barthélemy appeared on the starboard side. Ahead lay nothing but a seemingly vast expanse of darkness, and it felt a little like we were sailing off into the unknown.

As we leave the harbour, we have no idea what is ahead of us, we are actively embracing slow travel as well as all of its ambiguities, challenges and potential for rewards. We were so enthralled by the entire experience that we stayed standing out on deck until around 10:30 PM. When we finally returned to our cabin, we could feel the waves crashing below, their rhythmical booming sounding like the beat from a nightclub. The ocean is still making its music as we go to sleep, and the waves are tossing us to and fro to the point where it feels like they might like to throw us out of bed.

As the ship’s sails unfurled against the starry Caribbean sky, we felt the real journey had begun. From this moment onward, we have 14 days at sea, and the skies are the limit!

Read about our First Full Day at Sea on Wind Surf →