By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We’re back in Gustavia, the capital and principal city of Saint Barts. It’s one of our favorite places: French culture with a set of fine beaches, a small Caribbean mirror to places like Cannes or Saint-Tropez.

We are the handsomest large yacht in the harbor, although not the only one. The port of Gustavia is filled with overt displays of great wealth tied up at the docks and prowling the streets, shops, and bistrots.

Saint Barts is very French…in a Swedish kind of way.

Its European history began, as much of this region did, with Christopher Columbus. On his second voyage, he sailed past—he did not land—an island he named Saint Bartholomew, one of the twelve Apostles.

In 1648, the French were on the prowl in the Caribbean and they claimed the island. They renamed the place with a Gallic version: Saint Barthélemy.

For much of the next century, the principal industry of Saint Barts was piracy. French privateers (or buccaneers, as they were known) would set sail from the island’s natural harbor to prey on Spanish galleons.

In 1784, as France began to totter toward Revolution, the French crown gave Saint Barts to Sweden in exchange for the right to engage in trade with the developing port of Gothenburg in the Baltic.

The Swedes wanted a foothold in the Americas as a place to sell iron ore and products. They renamed the village at the harbor Gustavia after King Gustav III and they founded the Swedish West India Company. That brought Swedish governors and Swedish merchants and Swedish slave traders to the Caribbean. That’s right: Swedish slavery.

In 1878 Sweden sold Saint Barts back to the French.

Which bring us to today: tourists, pirates, oligarchs, and . . . us.

Text and images copyright 2017 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

The tiny island of Saint Bart’s is an overseas collectivity, part of France but not fully ruled by the mother country.

It is, though, included in the European Union, and the official currency is the Euro.

That has worked out pretty well for the locals, as Saint Bart’s has become one of the essential party islands of the yachting and jet set. in the company of places like Saint-Tropez, Monte Carlo, and Nantucket.

There are lots of places to spend your Euros. The local merchants are also fully fluent in MasterCard, Visa, and American Express.

You will find all of the usual suspects for jewelry, clothing, and nicknacks. What you’re not likely to find are bargains.

Alas, we are just missing Carnaval on Saint Bart’s, which ran from February 7 to 10. It’s not a huge event, but the island’s unusual mix of cultures makes it a lot of fun; we’ve been here for the burning of Vaval, a straw man who represents–depending on who is doing the telling and how much wine has been consumed–moments to be forgotten from the previous year, or sins to be avoided (or sought) in the coming one.

We are arriving in Saint Barts on Silver Wind, which is one of the most luxurious ships afloat. We are, though, not alone.

There are megayachts in the harbor: some of the most magnificent and costly in the world. We have seen floating real estate owned by (among others) Russian oligarchs, Middle Eastern sheikhs, and American car dealership owners.

If you want to see some of them in a hurry, the 2016 Bucket Regatta is scheduled to take place March 17 to March 20. The first Bucket regatta was organized in Nantucket in August 1986.

There are fourteen significant beaches on the island, all free to the public. Nude bathing is prohibited, but your eyes may tell you otherwise. For better or for worse.

We tend to hide out at Shell Beach, within walking distance of town. There are more than enough bistros between the beach and the tender landing if one happens to develop a thirst.

We’re visiting Saint Bart’s three times this season, first on February 3 and again on February 13. I’ll be posting more commentary and photos about Tortola on those days, and you can check back for more details.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We’re back in Saint Barts, encore une fois, one more time. (And we’ll be here again in a week.)

Not complaining, mind you: the island is tres charmant (very charming) although the shops and bistrots are tres cher (quite expensive).

Saint Barts lies immediately southeast of Saint Martin and Anguilla, northeast of Saba and St Eustatius, and north of St Kitts.

The island is quite small, only 8 square miles or 21 square kilometers, with 8,500 inhabitants.

More than half of full-time residents are white, some of them distant relatives of the French colonizers and others more recent arrivals from France. Less than half are of African descent or mixed blood. The Swedish influence, which came after the original French settlement, all but disappeared after the French returned in 1878.

Until 2007, Saint Barths was a French commune and part of Guadeloupe, which is an overseas région and overseas département of France.

Islanders voted to break their ties with Guadeloupe and form a separate overseas collectivity or COM that took effect in both Saint Barts and nearby Saint Martin.

Saint Barts is thus part of France but not fully ruled by the mother country.

It is, though, included in the European Union, and the official currency is the Euro.

In my post for our next visit, on February 13, I’ll explore some of the extreme examples of the expenditure of Euros and Dollars on the island.

We’re visiting Saint Bart’s three times this season, first on February 3 and again on February 13. I’ll be posting more commentary and photos about Tortola on those days, and you can check back for more details.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Saint Barts is tres, tres French…in a Swedish kind of way.

That’s right: Swedish. That’s why the capital town and port is called Gustavia, as in King Gustav III of Sweden.

Its European history began, as much of this region did, with Christopher Columbus, sailing for the Spanish. On his second voyage to what he called the West Indies, Columbus sailed past—not landing—at an island he named Saint Bartholomew, one of the twelve Apostles.

The Spanish did not linger; they concentrated much more on places that might hold silver or gold or other treasure they could expropriate relatively easily.

The Carib Indians were still in control on the island, and were still there in 1648 when the French were on the prowl in the Caribbean and staked a claim.

They Gallicized the Spanish name to Saint Barthélemy.

It was not, though, one of the most important French possessions. They focused instead on other more significant holdings: New France which stretched from Quebec all the way down to New Orleans on the American mainland from roughly 1534 to 1763 and in the Caribbean their more profitable possessions of Martinique and Guadeloupe.

The French also had other islands: Saint Kitts for a while, Saint Martin, and a few others.

In 1784, as France tottered toward Revolution, the French crown gave Saint Barts to Sweden in exchange for the right to engage in trade with the developing port of Gothenburg in the Baltic.

The Swedes wanted a foothold in the Americas as a place to sell iron ore and products. That brought Swedish governors and Swedish merchants and Swedish slave traders to the Caribbean.

Some of the products sold by the Swedes included the hardware of slavery: chains and anklets and weapons.

The Swedes sold the place back to the French in 1878, and the place began an inexorable march toward a party place in the Caribbean, a role it very successfully holds onto today.

Although Saint Bart’s still has significant elements of African culture, mostly in the remote villages away from Gustavia, it is now very French and a place where a party may break out at almost any moment. There’s not much left of the Swedish presence, although most street signs are marked in French and Swedish.

To our guests leaving us tomorrow in San Juan,  we wish arrivederci: until we see you again.

We’re going to be visiting Saint Bart’s three times this season, coming back again on February 6 and again on February 13. I’ll be posting more commentary and photos about Tortola on those days, and you can check back for more details.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises 

We are once again returned to Gustavia, the lovely capital of the tres chic island of St. Barts.

This is probably the most sophisticated and attractive small island of the Caribbean.  We have been here twice already this season;  sometime has to do it.

Today we went for a leisurely stroll in the morning light.

A bit of old Gustavia,  hidden in plain sight just part the Cartier, Hermes, and Versace shops

Some high-end shops, not at all hidden

An airplane descends for a landing at the infamous airport of St. Barts: usually carrying 19 frightened passengers and one terrified pilot. 

The previous two times this season we were here for the beach,  and then for the strange post-Carnival ceremonial immolation of Vaval.

You can read about those visits in previous posts: http://blog.sandlerbooks.com/?p=2926    and  http://blog.sandlerbooks.com/?p=2718

All photos copyright Corey Sandler, all rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Saint Barts lies immediately southeast of Saint Martin and Anguilla, northeast of Saba and St Eustatius, and north of St. Kitts.

It is quite small, only 8 square miles or 21 square kilometers, with 8,500 inhabitants.

In 2007, St. Barts broke their ties with Guadeloupe and formed a separate overseas collectivity of France.

Now, they do not need much excuse for a party on Saint Barts.

Carnaval begins on Sunday, February 15 and ends on Ash Wednesday, February 18.

Silver Cloud came over from St. Maarten in late afternoon, just in time for the very end of the Carnival in St. Barts.

A small but very loud and boisterous parade winds through the streets to Shell Beach, culminating with the ceremonial burning of a straw statue of Vaval, the King of Carnaval.

Téwé Vaval, held on Ash Wednesday, is meant to symbolically bury or burn the spirit of Carnival. The burning of Vaval dates from early Christian Europe.

Vaval is made ready for his big (and last) moment in town.

With the end of Carnival come the start of Lent, which does not seem much observed in St. Barts.

And then there is drinking and eating and drinking and more drinking, with live music.

I wrote more about the history of St. Barts when we visited a few weeks ago. You can read that at: http://blog.sandlerbooks.com/?p=2718

All photos copyright Corey Sandler, all rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

————————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Saint Barts is tres, tres French…in a Swedish kind of way.

Its European history began, as much of this region did, with Christopher Columbus. On his second voyage, he sailed past—he did not land—an island he named Saint Bartholomew, one of the twelve Apostles.

In 1648, the French were on the prowl in the Caribbean and they claimed the island. They renamed the place with a Gallic version: Saint Barthélemy.

For much of the next century, the principal industry of Saint Barts was piracy. French privateers (or buccaneers, as they were known) would set sail from the island’s natural harbor to prey on Spanish galleons.

In 1784, as France began to totter toward Revolution, the French crown gave Saint Barts to Sweden in exchange for the right to engage in trade with the developing port of Gothenburg in the Baltic.

The Swedes wanted a foothold in the Americas as a place to sell iron ore and products. They renamed the village at the harbor Gustavia after King Gustav III and they founded the Swedish West India Company. That brought Swedish governors and Swedish merchants and Swedish slave traders to the Caribbean. That’s right: Swedish slavery.

In 1878 Sweden sold Saint Barts back to the French.

And today, the narrow lanes and handsome harbor are patrolled by tourists, oligarchs, and those that make a handsome living indulging them quite well.

All photos copyright Corey Sandler, all rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution copy of any image, please contact me.

————–

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)