We took a break during our boat repair time at FKG, to become boat watchers, if but for just a moment we were one with live in action photo-shoots as we watched the very large cargo ship, the
Marietje Andrea navigate its way through the very narrow channel, a much anticipated arrival for this country.
Tight squeeze as the boat measures a whopping 413 feet in length by 49 feet across. I don't think there were even inches to spare at either sides of the bridge, and she is carrying part of Sint Maarten's new causeway bridge (the only part of the bridge built in the Netherlands) so a precious cargo indeed !
The bridge itself is 220 feet long and weighs 450 tons! It was loaded onto the ship on April 17th and she left for the trans-Atlantic voyage on April 18th, arriving here today.
(If you would like to see more pictures of this, we posted a photo album of the event on our Sailing Banyan Facebook Page).
Then it was back to FKG, admire their handiwork with the end result shiny and new and sturdier than before, and then lines were dropped and were once again anchored back in Simpson Bay, wondering what we were going to do next.
We heard Saba Island screaming out our name but alas, the weather was just not cooperating.
Having been a boat watcher the day before, we decided to spice things up just for a moment... live on the wild side... go where the danger lies...
But first, on a side note, I love the catch phrase "
Toi là! Je t'aime! "... loosely translated means "
Hey You There ! I love you" and you can see it everywhere around this island. On billboards, graffiti like scribbled under the bridges... kind of like - stay safe, be careful, you are loved... Makes me smile everytime I see it !
And just like there are hobbies like bird (or any animal) watching, there are also hobbies such as bus spotters and satellite watchers and of course, our vocation for the day: plane spotters. Who would'a thunk ?
I think, although I may be wrong, having had no knowledge of this activity until we were sitting at the Sunset Bar in Maho Bay, having one of these,
and man, were they good, refreshing and all that,
and just how much did they actually cost ?
But back to veritable hobby of plane spotting... an activity that became popular during WWII (and maybe even before?) when many people became plane spotters for espionage reasons. The British had their Royal Observer Corps, and there was a journal called "The Aeroplane Spotter" published in the 1940's.
"
First issue dated 2 January 1941, and ceased publication with the 10 July 1948 edition after 217 issues in 9 volumes. Initially published weekly, but became fortnightly during late 1941, circa issue 50, due to newsprint shortages. Launched with official support just after the end of the London Blitz, this magazine quickly became the focus for all the aircraft enthusiasts in the UK. It's official function was to help improve the standard of aircraft recognition among civilian air defence volunteers, but it effectively launched the hobby of 'spotting'.
With 12 pages in each issue, it contained features, photos and silhouettes of the major aircraft types (both friend and foe), and news of the latest types. It was also the first magazine to cover military serial number and civil registration changes. Naturally, some information was ommitted for security reasons, but generally this magazine was the best informed and best written of the war years. After the demise of the magazine, many 'spotters' set up their own organisations to carry on their interest - one of which was Air-Britain. As this title was printed on ordinary newsprint paper, surviving copies experience a progressive discolouration of the pages and the edges often become browned."
Nowadays aircraft spotters travel the world over looking for whatever it is that they need to fulfill their plane spotting requirements (engine, speed, cockpit, colour, silhouette of the aircraft) all to provide clues as to the identity of the plane in question
"Dave, dave, look, in the sky, it's a plane... it's a, oh... a Boeing 747?"
"Yes, dear" he says,
and Maho Beach is a world-renowned place to visit if one were into such a hobby. Again, who would'a thunk ?
Once our work was done (charging of the batteries and general housekeeping) we lathered on the sunscreen and landed our dinghy at
Barnacles, walked to the road, flagged a bus and within moments were on our way to Maho Beach. Gotta love island time!
Maho Beach is a small stretch of white sand beach, right next to the road, right next to the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM).
So not only can you work on your tan (tan lines optional), or go for a swim, but you can watch incoming/outgoing planes taking off/landing seemingly feet above your head...
and if you feel the need, a sandblasting experience can easily be arranged by holding and then desperately hanging onto the fence for dear life (despite DANGER signs), as the plane accelerates and the force easily propels you backwards into the water...
And this is how Dave, private pilot extraordinaire, after having a second one of these refreshingly outstanding drinks, at the Sunset Bar and Grill,
ended up in the water, directing traffic,
I think I saw the pilots waving back at him.
What a day !!
And then it was time to head home but first we stopped at Barnacles for Happy Hour and ordered one plate of Chicken Souvlaki, (yes, folks, ONE plate: WE shared!)
Yumm... and
Toi Là! Je t'aime!