St Barts - where the rich are just richer

We have now been in the Caribbean nearly a year and have seen everything from the tourist cruising grounds of the BVI (which are fantastic) to the high mountains of Dominica to the oil and gas mecca of Trinidad.  After our 10-hour sail from Barbuda, drifting in to St Barts and heading to customs, we are again at awe of the amount of money that an island only 5nm long can attract.

The small harbour of Gustavia, St Barts is able to take super yachts up to 200ft.  Currently, as we sit at a retro café listening to French jazz funk music, there are three super yachts in the harbour.  The largest being 187 ft long and almost as wide as Toodles is long.  But these magnificent vessels do not define the richness that this island attracts.  Anchored out in the bay are two vessels that are TOO LARGE to come in to port, and not by a little, but by a lot.  The cruise liner, also in for the day, is only marginally bigger than the private super yachts.  Here, for some, money is endless. 

We love the lifestyle here too, not just the super yachts.  Old and young get around on Vespers, sporting an array of different coloured and upholstered helmets.   The women have big hats and even bigger handbags.  The men wear aviators and style their hair.  Everyone congregates at the local cafes in the morning for their coffee and croissant, and go past the bakery on their way home to pick up a baguette.  I image the population goes back to their mansion holiday homes for lunch, when the shops close, to sit by the pool, sip Bordeaux wine and munch on their baguette and brie.

But for us, as we sip on our shared coffee, juice and croissant, and watch the rich go by, we are still contented with our “little” 50 ft yacht.