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Flash Nautique, Les Nouvelles de la Mer dans les Iles du Nord, (news of the sea for the northern Antilles) published its second issue on July 6. This two-sided, one-page publication is devoted to nautical news in the region and includes such information as the hours for the raising and lowering of the bridges from the sea to the lagoons in St. Maarten and St. Martin, emergency numbers in St. Maarten and St. Martin and useful information regarding the port of Gustavia. It also publishes ads for boats that are for sale, cruising information, and other ads of interest to boaters (such as insurance, boat rental agencies and boat yards in the region). You can visit their web site at www.saintbarth.blogspot.com.
On Sunday evening, August 6, the Rapid Explorer left Gustavia at 7:30 p.m. headed for Oyster Pond. Not far into the crossing, the crew discovered a leak and issued a “May Day” call for help. The Voyager altered its course to come to the rescue and tried to transfer the 24 passengers from the Rapid Explorer to the Voyager; however, the seas were too rough. A short time later, the rescue boat SNS280 arrived, and the decision was made to tow the Rapid Explorer back to Gustavia, where it arrived around 9:45 p.m. Meanwhile, the Voyager altered its schedule to go to Oyster Pond to pick up the passengers who were waiting to return to St Barth. As a result of the problem, the Rapid Explorer’s crossings have been temporarily suspended while they are awaiting mechanical pieces.
And, finally, finishing out the week will be the festival of Gustavia, August 18 through August 20. Again, there will be tournaments of basketball, belote, pétanque, dominoes, and fishing, along with a regatta of the traditional wooden sailboats and a regatta of Laser and Optimist sailboats. Music and dancing on the quai will occur nightly. And, don’t worry – there’s more to come! August 24 is Saint Barthélémy Day with more festivities throughout the day and night in Gustvia, followed by Saint Louis Feast Day on August 25 in the lovely, quaint, seaside village of Corossol.
Right on the heels of the festival at Lorient was the festival that was held in Public on August 14 and 15 to celebrate Pitea Day. Pitea Day is a public holiday commemorating the special relationship between St. Barth and Pitea, Sweden, which was established in 1977 as the sister city of St. Barth. Most of the activities occurred on August 15, starting with a fishing tournament at 5:00 a.m. The fishing boats returned to the dock at Public between 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. loaded with wahoo, dorade (mahi-mahi) and the winning 48-kg tuna shown in the photo. The other tournaments included pétanque and dominoes. A BBQ on the beach offered many local specialties including stuffed crab, ragout of cabri (goat), chicken Colombo and accras (codfish fritters) as well as grilled chicken and ribs.
The two-day festival of Lorient, held August 12 and 13, kicked off a week of festivals. Saturday was the day for the tournaments: ping pong, belote (a French card game) and pétanque. On Sunday, after mass at the Catholic church, balloons were released on the beach, followed by numerous games, a regatta and the arrival of the fishing boats. The drawing of the raffle tickets was held Sunday night, with first prize being a new car. Both nights concluded with music and dancing on the tennis courts of A.J.O.E.
