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La Playa - staff leaving? tomp 33 minutes ago Rumor has it that Alexandrea, GP, the head waiter and chef are leaving to open their own place!
Can any one confirm this or is it fake news.
Spend a lot of time there.

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Marigot ...Sandy Ground TOWZERONE 2 hours ago Been coming here for nearly 30 yrs
Things I have really noticed this trip

Kids on bikes with no helmets driving like imbeciles with no respect.for others

Sirens around town
At least 4 a day since we got here 10 days ago
A few yrs back we were lucky to hear one

The weather ...3 days of cloud and rain the past 10 days
Have never ever seen that many off days

Police in Marigot standing on streets with semi automatics

Never ever saw that before

Guaranteed the tourism here is going to be declining if this manageable stuff above isn't fixed
Feel sorry for the island

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Anegada Car Rental or Taxi DaveF 2 hours ago We plan 2 nights in Anegada, first weekend of June. There are 5 adults.

On day 1 I am guessing we would take off for "a beach" after lunch.
Day 2...out all day and then back for dinner out.

Would it make more sense to rent a car for 2 days? Or just Taxi back and forth.

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Last 2 Days on Island May 20-21 jomarc 5 hours ago The last two days of this trip were great (except for the part of going home).

On our last full day (Wednesday), the winds had picked up a bit. I really wanted to visit Orient Beach, but didn’t want to get sandblasted. So we ended up spending a few peaceful hours on the chairs at Friar’s Bay Beach Club. It was a pleasant visit, with mostly cloudy skies and calm water.

Marc had his heart set on having lunch at Le Bistro Nu in Marigot. We sat inside, enjoying the cool air conditioning. Marc ordered beef cheeks, and I ordered sea bass. Both meals were very delicious, and the service was great. It’s one of our favorite restaurants for lunch.

We met friends for one last Happy Hour at Skipjacks, and a fun time was had by all. We then drove to Driftwood for dinner, arriving shortly before 8pm, but were told they were closing for the day. Plan B was a visit to Topper’s. The bartender there is an absolute sweetheart! The coconut shrimp appetizer was fantastic, as was the fried chicken sandwich.

Thursday morning was spent packing and soaking in the beautiful pool at Simpson Bay Yacht Club. The owner of the condo kindly allowed us to stay until 1:30, as no guests were checking in that day. At around 7:30 am Marc left to fill the car with gas, and got stopped at a police checkpoint at the French/ Dutch border. For some unknown reason, all cars were being stopped. Lunch was at Cappuccino. The location isn’t great, but the food is usually good and reasonably priced. We ordered Spaghetti Bolognese and a Chicken Shawarma wrap. The bolognese was excellent, but the chicken wrap, while flavorful and plentiful, was a little dry. But for a very reasonable price of $10, one can’t complain. We each had a $3 Red Stripe, served nice and cold. Service charge was on the bill, but again, the service was great, and we tipped extra.

We returned the rental car to Empress, which is located right across from the airport. The red VFW served us well all week. We got to the airport, in the rain, at 2:30 pm for an American Airlines flight to Miami at 4:30. It was the easiest check-in process to date. Virtually no lines, no waiting, and a jetway! It was an interesting flight, with a couple sitting in front of us arguing pretty much the entire flight. I really felt bad for the husband. So much for a peaceful first class experience…

Our flight from Miami to Boston was delayed about an hour and we arrived in Boston at about 1:45 am, and home shortly after 3 am.

It was a great trip, filled with meeting old and new friends, plenty of relaxation and nearly perfect weather! We plan on being back next year.

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La Rosa last night SXMScubaman 10 hours ago Approached from the back for valet parking. Valet turns out to be our server too. Had great service and food was very good. We went with another couple to celebrate their anniversary. Nice setting with comfortable high back chairs.

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If a US citizen passes away on SXM TJTrippe 14 hours ago Just curious have no plans in this regard

1) is it easy enough to be cremated on island?
2) is it easy for companion to bring “you” back on a regularly scheduled flight?
3) Can ashes be carried on
4) is customs or TSA an issue on connecting flight?

Friends just lost a spouse in Europe. Died playing golf. She said it was an ordeal to ship him home in belly of plane via Atlanta.

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AMEX Premium Car Rental Protection (PCRP) MotownTim Yesterday at 04:30 PM AMEX’s Premium Car Rental Program charges a flat fee of $24.95 per rental period up to 42 days. What does this program provide that AMEX’s normal rental car coverage does not? What does the $24.95 get you. I’m going to dig deeper into it but I’m wondering if someone has already checked into this.

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Not Just Sandy Ground ruralcarrier Yesterday at 10:26 AM LINK

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Fat Tony's tonight SXMScubaman Yesterday at 01:04 AM After a relaxing day at Flamingo pool we decided to go to Fat Tony's. Wife had the Big [censored] medium pizza and I opted for the pork chop. Jeani said it was one of the best she's had. Brought most home for breakfast tomorrow which we'll eat with fried egg on top. My pork chop was just OK. A little overcooked, salty and dry but still edible. We are moving tomorrow a day ahead of time out of our 2 bed to a studio. Had the option to do it earlier as didn't want to do it Saturday since we booked the sunset cruise for Saturday evening and figured tomorrow would be a better move for us. Two more weeks to enjoy paradise.

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Exumas Trip Report - Moorings 403PC - May 2026 tmsxmsails 05/21/2026 08:07 PM We just got back from our charter in the Exumas on a Moorings 403PC (Power Cat) and I figured I'd post a review.

It's long.

My wife and I have chartered St. Martin and the BVI multiple times and the previous two years we took another couple with us to the BVI. We have always chartered monohulls but based on the distances involved between Nassau and the Exumas, and a strange deal that made the PC slightly less expensive (more on that later) than the sail cat, we opted for power. It took all of my pride to go over to the dark side but all-in-all I think it was a good decision for us.

I watched countless YouTube videos and poured over the Cruising Guide so I was pretty familiar with the main stops and also with the unique challenges of navigating the skinny water and tides. I was confident but I have to say I was also a little apprehensive about tackling this area.

Before I get to the day by day, I'll do a little overview.

We really enjoyed the trip. The water and the views and the scenery were just fabulous. The boat was very comfortable and had plenty of fridge space. We enjoyed the electric grill and the top flybridge area was a great place to be. On the monohulls the generator noise can be a real problem but it was pretty quiet on the cat.

There were a few things that went wrong. The biggest issue was the chart plotter. At various times it would start to get laggy and then either freeze or just re-boot. This was a serious issue. Luckily, it never happened in a critical situation but I started rebooting it every day just to try and stay ahead of any glitches. I suspect it needed a firmware update but I wasn't about to attempt it while out there.

The other thing was that the water maker quit about halfway through the trip. We called service and they walked us through some basic resets and checks but in the end determined that it needed a new membrane (or a clean) and that was that. This caused a small amount of water conservation that I would rather have not had to deal with but it wasn't terrible.

Oh, the other thing that irked me was the game to contact the base. They give you phone numbers but don't tell you that they only really use What's App. So if you have your cell on just cell and no data, you can't contact them. Some numbers "worked" but others got a "not in service" response. I left a message on the one that worked but never heard back until I realized that they were probably calling through What's App and I had my data turned off. Grrrr.

While we had a great time, I don't think I'll be back. The weather and navigation potential for disruption is just too much of a potential total disruptor for me. I know bad weather can happen anywhere/any time but the combination of needing good weather to navigate practically anywhere is just too much of a restriction given a fixed schedule.

Okay, on to the trip.

We opted for the sleep aboard the first night so we could do our own provisioning. We rented a car from the airport and had lunch on the beach and picked up booze on the way to Palm Cay. Once we got on the boat and scoped out the storage and fridge space, we drove to the nearby Solomon's and got our provisions. We figured we would only be able to eat out once or twice during the trip so we bought a lot of stuff.

The Moorings base is tiny compared to the BVI. The office is just a couple of office rooms basically. There isn't really a "Welcome desk" or anything like that. When we walked in, we wondered if we were in the right place - it looked like back office rooms. Not a big deal really, just so different from the BVI operation. In contrast, the boat briefing and the chart briefing were the best I've ever experienced. Ashter (I think that is her name) was amazingly thorough and knowledgeable - really impressed.

When we were ready to go, a pilot got on board and took us out of the marina and to the outer channel. I prompted him for the best route through the Yellow Bank and he plotted a course between the White Bank and Yellow Bank and then to Highborne. I was so thankful I chose the PC because the winds were about 15-17 knots right on the nose. It would have been a real slog of a sail. The PC had a weird motion to it though - kind of hobby-horsing through the waves. Maybe that's a cat thing in general or maybe it was exacerbated by the high profile of the PC. I got used to it but it still felt odd.

Despite the wind, I was glad we had sunlight. One of the things that kept me up at night was the constant admonitions to "only travel in good light". Like, so if it's cloudy on our first day does that mean we have to stay at Palm Cay until the weather clears? At the end of the trip, it's even more of a conundrum. If you don't have enough clear weather to make it back over the bank (safely/confidently), you're bringing the boat back late (or you have to go back early if you see upcoming weather). There are so many different weather and scheduling permutations that it puts a real strain on how they should be handled and it put a stress on the trip that I didn't enjoy.

We were headed to Highborne but decided to detour to Allen's Cay to see if there was an opening at SW Allen's which is a little one-boat cove. Alas, there was a boat already there and the main anchoring channel was pretty full. I wasn't yet comfortable enough with the shallow water so we decided to head to the West side of Highborne. The wind was mostly SSE so we had a pretty rolly night there.

The next day we made a stop at Normans, anchoring out by the plane. We dinghied into the harbor and looked for the "new dinghy dock" but couldn't find anything that resembled a dinghy dock. Everything was way too high to get up on from a dink. Ended up going back to the boat to call them and ask where it was. Turns out you have to go to the dock that has a boat ramp in the middle of it, "beach" the dink on the ramp to get out, and then tie it up along the dock. Then, it's a long, hot walk to the store - and back. Meh.

We snorkeled on the plane for a bit and then headed to Shroud.

We got a little lost finding the proper entrance to the "Lazy River". It's not obvious on the chart in the guide - but it's clear as day on the chart plotter (which I failed to look at before setting out). We finally got to the Washing Machine and it was spectacular. Another somewhat rolly night.

Next day was a trip to Warderick Wells. I called them a little after 9:00 am to ask for a ball and they put me on the list and told me to call when I was close. When I did, they put me on the first ball inside the markers. I was really glad to have twin screws as there was another boat on the second ball and barely any maneuvering room to twist around and point back up the way I came in to catch the ball. It was also our first time catching a ball on twin hulls. Worked a charm though and we had a great time there.

Next was Brian's Cay and the Aquarium. We tried to snorkel right at the balls (where the tour boats go) but the current was so strong that we chose to go inside the "pond" and nose around the edge. It was a little overcast to the colors were a bit muted. The park rangers came by to collect the mooring fee AND the visitors fee - $76 total and that's on top of the fees I paid for Shroud and Warderick.

Next day we headed to Compas Cay and had a bit of an adventure. The Northern entrance is unbelievably shallow. We got almost all the way through and got down to 2 feet of water under the keel and I chickened out. I ended up backing up and going around the outside to the Southern entrance and even then there was a spot that looked really low so I decided to anchor kind of off to the side of the channel. We took the dinghy through the cut and into the marina to get a better feel for the way in. I was tempted to stay where I was but wasn't really comfortable that I might be blocking the channel if a really big boat tried to come through (I never saw any large boats go South so it probably wouldn't have been an issue).

We ended up going around and anchoring on the West side of Pipe Cay and had the place all to ourselves.

We had to start making our way back so the next day we did a big shot - on the outside - all the way up to Highborne. The wind was out of the East and building but we were avoiding major weather on the inside - for a little while anyway. As we got to Highborne the rains came and the winds picked up. I wanted to try Allens Cay so we came in on the Northern cut above Highborne and the seas were crazy. I guess they call it "The Rage". I couldn't see the bottom clearly enough to try to get into the Allens Cay area so I just anchored inside the big "U" of Highborne. Another rolly night.

The next day we headed to Rose Island for our last night. The Cruising Guide doesn't cover Rose so I had asked ahead of time how to get in. It's tricky. You have to do a zig-zag between a couple of reefs. The pilot gave me an overview and they told me the only place I was allowed to go is the first little "cove" on the West end. It took me several tries to get a good hold on the anchor with a couple of other boats watching me intently. No pressure.

The last day was dicey. I had to go back out of Rose, through the reefs, and then across to Palm Cay Marina through a coral head minefield (that they red-line and tell you to stay out of - except if you call them and ask them how best to get back). To top it off, it was partly cloudy and hard to see. Very stressful. You can't wait for better light because you have to get the boat back by 9:00 (to refuel and be able to get off by 10). Did I mention this was very stressful?

I'm glad I didn't wait though because it started pouring about 30 minutes after we got back. I don't know what I would have done if I'd had to come back in that weather.

Refueling was fun... Ashter had warned us that the price might come as a shock. Yep, just shy of $2k to fill er up. Gulp.

I was expecting a thorough de-brief to match the first one but it was basically nothing. I mentioned all the issues and then we left.

So, a good time but I think I'll do something else next time.

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