TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Skipjacks files for bankruptcy

Sorry, I'm not getting anything when I click on that?

If this is to a closed group, people will NOT be able to see anything unless they are a member of that group. From what I can tell, this was posted in a CLOSED/PRIVATE group. Did you seek permission prior to posting the link?

Saw it and wow so sad . Have known the Owner for many years.

Lexwell Attorney's are who Towers Owners were using to push Ansary into some action . ....

BeachKitten--since I can't see whatever it was that Scubaman linked to, please tell me how your comment relates?

They are listed as the bankruptcy trustee on the notice posted of who to contact. Nothing really other than the posting stating the "Notice of Bankruptcy and the Notice to Creditors" that states anything worth noting.

Todd--OK, thanks. Sorry to hear that about Skipjacks. I know nothing about BK in SXM. Is is a chapter 7 liquidation type case, or a reorganization? Anyone know?

This became our go-to restaurant when we wanted grilled local lobsters and wanted a step up from Lee’s more casual atmosphere. (But for the record, their pan sautéed grouper was also delicious!) We always experienced good food and service at reasonable prices and will miss them if they’re not allowed or planning on doing a reorganizational bankruptcy.

This whole St Maarten/St Martin island experience has really "lost it's luster" since the mid-90's, back-to-back hurricanes (Luis and ?) that destroyed so much. Then of course Maria/Irma? pretty much "sealed the deal" wiping out Dreams, Cheri's, Mr Busby's etc...etc. Our last visit a year ago was pretty depressing....I think the hey-day of "the Friendly Island" is history. It's been what, three years and the airport is barely open. So sad...was a favorite destination for us for many years.....sigh

We agree

To each his own. We still love the island and will continue to go whenever we can. There is no other island that has the same vibe. I feel you are wrong with the statement that the friendly island is no more.

I'm so very sorry to hear this sad news. Skipjack's was a favourite of ours on the island. It was often the site of our first meal on the island upon arrival. We were there on our last visit in March this year. The open-air location overlooking the lagoon in mid-winter let us know and feel we had arrived in the Caribbean.

The food and service were always good. My personal favourite was their tuna carpaccio!! It will be missed. Hopefully they might be able to reopen at some point, even if under a different name. It has got to be very difficult to run any business on the island right now, let alone one that really depends upon tourists, with the quick double-whammy of Irma and Covid-19!

Thank you Sir for standing up for our Island . Things happen .

And I am with you on this as well.

Our last two visits post-Irma were wonderful. Great to see the way the island people are building back better than ever!

Us too!

I agree! We’ve been several times since Irma. We love St Maarten and feel it’s our “home away from home”. It’s a shame when businesses fail but that’s happening everywhere. We will continue to visit as much as we can.

Thanks...Cathy

Thanks for your kind words.

Restaurants come and go. Of course there are things that upset me. Lack of I infrastructure and over building especially on the beaches. But it won’t keep us from not going! I’d be there right now if it wasn’t for my stupid hip! Trip booked for new years and if physically I can I’m going down first week of December (hubby doesn’t know yet haha). We bought a condo there for a reason. Are there issues yes, but there are issues everywhere!!!!

St Maarten has and always will be a FAVORITE vacation spot for many people. Yes Hurricanes have come and once gone; the destroyed places are rebuilt with higher building standards.
We have been coming to St Maarten since 1971 and have seen many changes over the years. One very positive thing we have seen is the fantastic amount and quality of restaurants on Island now. Back in the early 1970's very few good choices of restaurants on Island. Back then only a few quality resorts to stay at. We stayed at Mullet Bay Resort back then and hardly left the property in 1971-1976.
So when you say the Island has lost it's luster ; maybe you should move on and try and find a more lustrous place to visit. For us; we not only love St Maarten but also the wonderful people who live there.
We came right after Hurricane Irma and saw first hand just how wonderful the residents ( Islanders) who lost everything reacted toward what they had experienced at that time. All ; I MEAN ALL were WONDERFUL and full of LOVE and just happy to have survived.

Hoping for the best .

SkipJacks is one of our favorite restaurants. I ate their monster 4 lb plus lobster on two occasions and was grinning from ear to ear the entire time. I shared a little with David (just a little!).
We have shared our dinner table with many friends over the years enjoying other meals there overlooking the marina. Such a beautiful spot at night.

I will always associate SkipJacks with Bigdenx. We arrived on opening night and while having a drink at the bar waiting for a table, we struck up a conversation with a gentlemen and his wife who were seated next to us. After conversing for a while something clicked in my head when he had spoken about his photography of the island so I asked if he was Bigdenx? He was and there started our friendship. The four of us dined together that evening and the rest as they say is history. We went on to become "island" friends having attended and hosted many Halloween parties with him. When I think of SkipJacks, I think of him.

Hoping that the restaurant is just reorganizing.

While I can see how you may come to that conclusion, there is still so much "island experience" to be had if you just look!!

Yvette's, Emilio's in an old estate, Marks Place, NoWhereSpecial....open air, island food dining on the lagoon..by a Wathey! Nothing more "islandy" than that. French Lo-Lo's, the restaurants around the square in Orient, Telegraphe', visiting Parotte Ville and having him give you a tour of his personal little museum of SXM salt-life artifacts. The ORIGINAL salt life! lol......Mary's Boon, eating with the glorious Simpson Bay at your feet, going to Pinel! Those are just the ones off of the top of my head, but that's enough for a week!!

I have a list still of so many places that I want to try and visit. Hopefully they will be there when I return. As has been said, that is the nature of life...change. And certainly in the restaurant business! Just look at the streets of our country....empty malls, abandonded strip malls, closed stores, closed restaurants. We have no room to talk.

Thanks Dear.

From what I "heard" like Sherri's in Maho the unrealistic demands of the employees helped push another company that might have had a chance into closing or bankruptcy. The crazy labor laws on SXM and employees just seem to shoot themselves in the foot over and over again. nobody wins everybody loses. Sad for everybody.

Very sad! Skipjacks has been one of our must dine places for a long time! As I saw another poster opine, the Tuna Carpaccio was fabulous! Never had a bad meal there.

ditto Rural

Truly very sad. It is my wife's favorite, she loves the seared tuna, everywhere we go in the states, if she orders it here, it's always "well it was good, but not as good as Skipjacks". And over the years, I think I have tried everything else on the menu, never a complaint. I have to find the right time this weekend to break the news to her.

I have to agree with others. The island is still the wonderful, friendly place I remember. Sure there are changes--there are plenty here at home too!!

We have been coming since the early 80's and only missed trips, before health and virus, when we weren't allowed
in after the hurricanes. We were so impressed with the people after Irma, and were happy we went
as soon as we could schedule.

We had favorites places, that are gone, and found new ones to enjoy.

We miss the island and the great staff, where we stay, and if it wasn't for our age and health issues, we would have been back in a couple of weeks.

Praying for this virus to end, and help all the people in sxm and here at home.

Bless you my Dear .

Sad to think that we will not be able to have SkipJacks to have a great meal always enjoyed the service and food ., we have been going to SXM since 1985 over the last 30 years for at least 2 week some times we found a way for another week never a letdown, excited to arrive sad to leave, but always in our minds the return . Over the years many places have gone and new ones alway Pop up the island has a special draw which we have never found on other islands . The first time we stayed we were at the St Tropez on the French side for a week it was $ 399.00 each for air (Eastern airline ) hotel transportation and breakfast, we received a call form the travel rep telling us we were the only Americans staying there they wanted to change the hotel ,we stayed and had a great time . We can’t wait to get back