KevinS
Senior Insider
I've been visiting St Barth for a long time, over 30 years, gotta be close to 35. I love the island and I love the people. A lot.
I visit at least twice each year, in November and April. I add on a day here and there, as conditions permit, so at present, in total, I spend a bit over a month each year on my favorite island.
Hurricane Irma presented me with a problem. Do I visit over Thanksgiving as usual, or do I stay away and let the island recover?
Information is limited. The Tourism Board and the Villa Rental Agencies say Come, the island is ready after November 1. At the same time, I read of locals who have no roofs on their houses, and lines at the grocery stores for limited items. Also, the usual gateways to St Barth, St Maarten, San Juan, and St Thomas, are dealing with their own hurricane-related issues.
I think back 22 years ago, to the day, when Hurricane Luis devastated the island, and I'm using that as my guide today. 22 years ago, in the days leading up to Luis, I was FAXing updates from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to my friend Michel Ledee at the Marigot Bay Club (not Michel Ledee, former night bartender at Le Select, but his uncle). He said at the time that I might be sending him better information than the local government was getting.
When Luis hit, and Luis hit HARD, the island was devastated. Michel told me of sitting in his house above Marigot Bay, and watching a sailboat which had broken free from its mooring slam into his restaurant. And slam it again, again, and again, destroying part of it.
I let things settle for a month before I telephoned Michel. After spending some time catching up, I said “Michel, I have one question for you. Should I come in November as usual, or should I stay away and let the island recover.” His immediate response, this from a friend whose restaurant was out of business and who would not make a centime off of my visit, was “Come, we need your money”.
So we came. And it was a wonderful visit. I actually had dinner at Le Rivage with my friend Michel and his wife Therese, because with a destroyed restaurant, their nights were free. Not all of the restaurants on the island were open, but we did just fine. Not all of the beaches were in good condition, but we spend more time at the villa than at the beach anyway. The sun was the same as usual. The people were as welcoming as usual, and all of our friends were happy to see us. What I remember most is that most of the vegetation was gone, and that I discovered clusters of houses, almost small villages, which I never knew existed.
That was 22 years ago, after Luis, and I'm not as young as I was then. And as bad as Luis was, Irma was worse. I look at the good news, and I look at the bad news, it's a tough decision to make, but I've made a decision which works for me.
The villa which I usually rent in November, BAS, is offline for a year. However, Rosita has a place for me to stay. Her guests at EMM, which I usually rent in April, have canceled, and the villa will be ready. So we'll stay there.
I think that, again, St Barth needs my money. The island is not ready for everyone to return, but I think that it is ready for some people to return. So I'm going. I know some people who could use a hug. And some shops and restaurants who could use a few clients. And some waitstaff who could use a tip. And perhaps there's a Private Chef who could use a night's work. Etc., etc.
Wi-Fi permitting, I'll let y'all know how it works out. It won't be the same, but in some ways it will be better.
Now, on to the next problem - what to do about Thanksgiving... (I'll work it out, and in recent years, I've often ordered the Mahi instead of the special Dinde menu).
I visit at least twice each year, in November and April. I add on a day here and there, as conditions permit, so at present, in total, I spend a bit over a month each year on my favorite island.
Hurricane Irma presented me with a problem. Do I visit over Thanksgiving as usual, or do I stay away and let the island recover?
Information is limited. The Tourism Board and the Villa Rental Agencies say Come, the island is ready after November 1. At the same time, I read of locals who have no roofs on their houses, and lines at the grocery stores for limited items. Also, the usual gateways to St Barth, St Maarten, San Juan, and St Thomas, are dealing with their own hurricane-related issues.
I think back 22 years ago, to the day, when Hurricane Luis devastated the island, and I'm using that as my guide today. 22 years ago, in the days leading up to Luis, I was FAXing updates from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to my friend Michel Ledee at the Marigot Bay Club (not Michel Ledee, former night bartender at Le Select, but his uncle). He said at the time that I might be sending him better information than the local government was getting.
When Luis hit, and Luis hit HARD, the island was devastated. Michel told me of sitting in his house above Marigot Bay, and watching a sailboat which had broken free from its mooring slam into his restaurant. And slam it again, again, and again, destroying part of it.
I let things settle for a month before I telephoned Michel. After spending some time catching up, I said “Michel, I have one question for you. Should I come in November as usual, or should I stay away and let the island recover.” His immediate response, this from a friend whose restaurant was out of business and who would not make a centime off of my visit, was “Come, we need your money”.
So we came. And it was a wonderful visit. I actually had dinner at Le Rivage with my friend Michel and his wife Therese, because with a destroyed restaurant, their nights were free. Not all of the restaurants on the island were open, but we did just fine. Not all of the beaches were in good condition, but we spend more time at the villa than at the beach anyway. The sun was the same as usual. The people were as welcoming as usual, and all of our friends were happy to see us. What I remember most is that most of the vegetation was gone, and that I discovered clusters of houses, almost small villages, which I never knew existed.
That was 22 years ago, after Luis, and I'm not as young as I was then. And as bad as Luis was, Irma was worse. I look at the good news, and I look at the bad news, it's a tough decision to make, but I've made a decision which works for me.
The villa which I usually rent in November, BAS, is offline for a year. However, Rosita has a place for me to stay. Her guests at EMM, which I usually rent in April, have canceled, and the villa will be ready. So we'll stay there.
I think that, again, St Barth needs my money. The island is not ready for everyone to return, but I think that it is ready for some people to return. So I'm going. I know some people who could use a hug. And some shops and restaurants who could use a few clients. And some waitstaff who could use a tip. And perhaps there's a Private Chef who could use a night's work. Etc., etc.
Wi-Fi permitting, I'll let y'all know how it works out. It won't be the same, but in some ways it will be better.
Now, on to the next problem - what to do about Thanksgiving... (I'll work it out, and in recent years, I've often ordered the Mahi instead of the special Dinde menu).
