email notifications
Enter your email address to recieve the "St. Barth News Bytes" e-mail newsletter by Candee Duensing and alerts when this site is updated:
Antoine Questel, who will be 24 in September, has made waves in international windsurfing competitions over the last couple of years. Now, Jimmy Buffet has decided to sponsor him. Questel ranks among the top French windsurfers and has been part of the Funboard team at Pôle France for the past three years. During the first round of the French Funboard championships, held April 5-10 in southern France, he came in third. There are two more rounds to go. He is currently competing in the Euro-Cup Mondial du Vent, which attracts the top windsurfers and kite surfers in the world. Questel is also sponsored by the Collectivity of St Barth, Eden Rock Hotel and Sooruz, a surf and skate apparel company. For more information on this talented young man, visit www.centrehautniveaufunboard.com or www.sailingnews.tv.
Since January 1, 2008, St Barth has collected almost 3.5 million euros between the new business tax, the vehicle tax and the accommodations tax. The business tax has earned the Collectivity 925,120 euros. Each business on the island must pay 300 euros plus 100 euros per employee up to a maximum of 5000 euros. The vehicle tax, called a vignette for the sticker that must be placed on the windshield, varies depending on the size of the vehicle. A total of 7154 owners have already paid, bringing in almost 1 million euros. The newly instituted accommodation tax of 5% per daily rental fee of villas and hotels has brought in almost 1.5 million euros. The Collectivity projected 2.5 million euros for the year for the accommodation tax, so this sounds like a good start, but they are afraid that it may fall short by the end of the year.
Newport, RI (April 4, 2008) The 13th Annual St Barths Bucket was once again blessed with perfect sailing weather which provided some of the most spectacular sailing on the most spectacular yachts in the most spectacular sailing neighborhood. With a consistent 15-22 knot trade wind, the fleet was fully powered up and the racing was startlingly close. Some of the finishes were described by participants as "closer than Farr 40 finishes"! This was previously unheard of in the superyacht world and this year's St Barths Bucket was declared the "best ever".
The ninth edition of the Transat AG2R will begin on April 20 when the boats will set sail from France to St Barth, where they will arrive about three weeks later. Those of you who are supporting the St Barth entry, Concarneau-St Barth, can buy a T-shirt in the colors of their mascot team at Loulou's Marina in Gustavia.
FEMUR, the St Barth's Foundation for Emergency Medical Equipment, was founded by a group of French, American and native St Barth residents 25 years ago with the purpose to raise money to purchase equipment for the local hospital. Each year the Hospital Director provides a list of items needed to improve service and care. Over the years, FEMUR has made great headway. Four years ago, they raised 140,000 euros to build a new Dialysis Center. In 2007, they raised 240,000 euros for a new Radiation Center, which should be opening any day. Their current, and largest, project is to raise 600,000 euros to purchase a CT scanner to be installed in the new Radiation Center. Each week injured or sick residents or tourists must be evacuated to St Martin for scans.
Seven years ago, FEMUR established an American 501 C Charitable Foundation so that contributions from Americans to the hospital are tax deductible under IRS rules. If you would like to contribute to this worthy cause, make your check out to St. Barth Medical Equipment Foundation and mail it to SBMEF, c/o Mr. Lawrence O'Donnell, 32 South Church Street, West Chester, PA 19382.
Be the first on your block to know the latest fashion and lifestyle trends in the tropics. Every December, Nikki Style releases their annual guide to St Barth. Five thousand copies, available in French and English, will be distributed at Nikki Beach in St Jean and other establishments on the island. If you want to reserve a copy, the deadline is November 15, 2008.
Electric cars manufactured by Miles are starting to arrive! In 2007, Miles, a company based in Santa Monica, California, was recognized as “the electric car company of the year.” Three small models are currently being imported, ranging in price from $19,500 to $24,500: the ZX40, the ZX40S and the ZX40AD. These cars can go about 50 miles at their top speed of 40 mph before it’s necessary to recharge the battery, which takes from four to six hours. The six batteries have an expected life span of four years or 30,000 miles and can be replaced for $350. (With the current exchange rate between the euro and the US dollar, this is a bargain!) Currently, because of the lack of an engine rating, these cars are not subject to the tax on vehicles instituted in St Barth at the start of 2008. That will most likely occur, but perhaps the COM will encourage these environmentally friendly cars by charging a lower annual tax.
The year 2008 has already brought many changes to St Barth as it assumes its new political status of an Overseas Collectivity (COM). One of these changes has been the institution of an accommodation tax of 5% on all seasonal rentals: hotels, villas, apartments, etc. The goal of this tax is to raise money to meet the budget of the COM since funding from France has greatly decreased. For the month of January, the COM has collected 580,000 €. However, President Bruno Magras is concerned that individuals who rent their villas directly to clients without the assistance of a villa rental agency may not be reporting these rentals, and, hence, not paying the required tax. Members of the COM are currently doing research in an attempt to identify any such cases. As President Magras states, “We need these taxes in order to meet the budget for the COM. It is in the interest of everybody on the island, since the more we can collect, the less risk there is of creating new taxes.”
All new vehicles registered on St Barth as of March 3, 2008 will have newly designed license plates. These license plates are a result of St Barth's evolution to a French Overseas Collectivity and will be specific to St Barth with the letters SBH, rather than the FR on the existing French plates. The Territorial Council also discussed the possibility of allowing personalized license plates, but this is yet to be decided. That would be another way to raise money for the Collectivity, assuming one would have to pay extra. Additional information is available in French on the COM's website: www.comstbarth.fr and a special email has been set up for questions: immatriculation@comstbarth.fr.
The Oasis grocery store in Lorient has started food and beverage delivery. You give them your shopping list and they'll deliver. Email bruno-oasispro@orange.fr or call at 06 90 71 89 02 for more information.
The Rotary Club is holding a "yard sale" at a villa in Camaruche from Monday, March 3 to Saturday, March 8 between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm. Camaruche is the area past Lorient just before you get to the turn for Vitet. To help find the way, the road will be marked with signs displaying the logo of the Rotary Club. Proceeds will be used to purchase defibrillators in collaboration with the Red Cross and the Collectivity. For more information, contact the Rotary Club at 05 90 27 73 38.
Looks like they are raising money for Senator Obama on St. Barts:
The St. Bart's Cocktail Fundraiser (Fundraising)
Pleas join Richard Branson and Lucy Salenger and the Members of St. Barts for Barack Obama for The St. Bart's Cocktail Fundraiser,Wednesday, February 27 from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM at Eddy's Restaurant, Rue du Centaire, Gustavia, St. Barthelemy, French West Indies.
Marvin Zonis, Professor, International Political Economy and Leadership, University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business, will speak on "Leadership and Barack Obama"
American Citizens and Green Card Holders may contribute by check or internet. Suggested Donation Payable to Obama for America: $100, $250, $500
All are Welcome
The dollar's demise is affecting travel all over the globe in different ways according to this article, which includes a mention of how the Hotel Carl Gustaf is dealing with it:
"The high-end Hotel Carl Gustaf on St. Barts, for example, is guaranteeing winter rates for travel through April 19 in dollars. While the listed rates begin at 1,100 euros, or $1,672 at $1.52 to the euro, the hotel is offering rates beginning at $1,300 a room a night with a three-night minimum to travelers who ask for the U.S. dollar rate."
France's telecoms regulator, ARCEP has announced plans to award 3G licenses in the French Overseas départements and collectivities. The affected areas are: Martinique, Guadeloupe, Guyana, the cities of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy, Réunion, Mayotte and Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Because of their new status as territorial units since 9th July 2007, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy are considered separately from Guadeloupe.
EXCLUSIVE TO SAINT BARTHELEMY, SATURDAY 23RD OF FEBRUARY 2008 UNIQUE SHOWING OF JB BAGS AND PRE-LAUNCH OF BOOK GUSTAVIA BY JENNY STENING
Swedish Design Centre of Saint Barthelemy is pleased to announce this special vernissage on the 23rd of February between 4-8pm.
G U S T A V I A
S a i n t B a r t h e l e m y
Promenade architectural historique • Architectural historic walk • Arkitekturhistorisk promenad
Jenny Stening will personally come to the island with an exclusive pre-print
version of her firstbook about the Swedish buildings in Gustavia. In addition you will be able to enjoy an extended show of her current collection of JB design bags featured exclusively at Swedish Design Center.
Starting at 5:00 am on Monday, December 17, about thirty fishermen blocked entry to the port of Gustavia with their boats to protest the high price of gas. The blockade prevented cargo ships, cruise ships and the ferry between St Barth and St Martin from entering or leaving the port. The airport was also shut down for a few hours in the afternoon. President Bruno Magras visited the port at 8:00 am and told the fishermen that he would discuss the issue after they opened the port. After an unsuccessful attempt at negotiation at the port, some of the fisherman went to the airport around 10:30 am and blocked the entrance to the departure lounge and the check-in counters. At 1:30 pm, President Magras agreed to organize a meeting with the Executive Council, which took place at 3:00 pm. The port was reopened a little after 5:00 pm, at the conclusion of the meeting, results of which are not yet known.
St. Barth was once under Swedish rule, and that history is still present in many forms, such as architecture, street names and celebrations such as Pitea Day. Now, that presence is represented in the Swedish Design Centre, which recently opened in St. Jean. The boutique showcases a unique collection of contemporary and classic objects of Swedish design, heritage and origin designed by established and up-and-coming designers. You'll find jewelry, glassware, furniture, home accessories and other items. The boutique is located in the Les Amandiers mall on the Route de Saline, across from Le Glacier. They are open Monday-Saturday from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm. If you visit their web site at http://www.swedishdesigncentre.com, you can view a list of their guest designers along with short bios and subscribe to their newsletter.
With the holiday celebrations in full swing, be careful of drinking and driving. The penalties are stiff. Recently, an American citizen was stopped for an alcohol test while driving a rental car. She tested positive with 0.50 mg of alcohol per liter of air exhaled. The penalty? She was asked to pay the fine of 800 euros and to leave the island if she didn't want to go before a judge. That's one fast way to ruin your vacation! Under French law, the legal level of alcohol in the blood is 0.5 grams per liter of blood. If you have up to 0.8 grams, you risk a fine of 135 euros. Higher than that level, if there hasn't been an accident, you must pay a fine immediately. If there has been an accident, you must go before the judge. The sentence for drunk driving can be up to two years in prison and up to 4500 euros in fines. Think before you drink!
A diver's paradise, "Peaceful Fish", has been anchored in Gustavia for about a week, with plans to stay there until February. You can't miss it: there's a 35-ton crane on its back deck! Originally a provisioning ship for oil platforms at sea, the ship was completely renovated in 2006 and has six cabins. But, comfortable sleeping quarters is far from the main purpose of this ship. It carries a 37' speed boat, a 34' fishing boat, a 50' dive boat, six jet skis, two Harley-Davidson motorcycles, many knee and wake boards, and the latest high-tech, high-performance diving equipment, including a decompression chamber, diving gear for at least 20 people, and equipment to mix nitrogen, oxygen and helium for extremely long or deep dives.
Any locals have more info on what the gossip pages are reporting:
"But spies on St. Barts, the ship's home port, say that a strike called there yesterday was causing havoc for wealthy vacationers. A source on the island said, "There is a huge fuel strike. The local fishermen are blocking all boats, including fuel tankers, from getting to or from the island. No one can come to St. Barts or leave. All the boats are lined up in the harbor with nowhere to go."
On January 1, 2008, the postal code of Saint Barth will change. The new postal code will start with "977", but the remaining two numbers are still unknown. This change is a result of the recent vote for Saint Barth to become an Overseas Collectivity, autonomous from the administration of Guadeloupe. Now's the time to buy those T-shirts and other momentos with the original 97133 postal code.
By day, A.J.O.E., in Lorient, offers tennis courts. But several evenings, it turns into an outdoor cinema (this is also the locale of the St Barth Film Festival). A.J.O.E. has been working to improve its capabilities for showing movies. Over the last three years, they have increased the projection area (the back wall) to 75 m2. Last year they added a new Dolby stereo sound system as well as new speakers and have decided to ban smoking as of December 1. For the past two years, they have presented a film every 15 days. The largest remaining obstacle is the selection of films, which the association does not completely control. For the most part, they are subject to the choices of Cinésogar, which is the single distributor of films in the French West Indies. Often, they do not know which film they are getting in advance – sometimes not until the reels actually arrive. Despite their lack of control, many popular films have been presented. So, for a change of pace, how about an outdoor, fresh-air movie on a Friday night?
The stadium complex in St Jean already has facilities for soccer, rugby, archery, judo, tae kwon do and volleyball. Soon, you can add tennis to that already impressive list of activities. The Collectivity has been hard at work building four tennis courts with latticework to stop those stray balls and lighting. In addition, they have provided another court to be used for training purposes. The courts are scheduled to open in mid-December and will be open to everyone. On Friday, the Collectivity signed a five-year renewable contract with the Saint-Barth Tennis Club, an association that was created especially for this event and is chaired by Dany Brin, a founder of A.J.O.E., the tennis association in Lorient. The contract includes the provision of free equipment and maintenance of the courts. Future plans include a club house.
The work of Jeanne Susplugas, who was born in Montpelier, France, will be exhibited at b.art Gallery in Gustavia and at the Tom Beach Hotel in St Jean until December 15. Having grown up in a family of pharmacists and having been seriously poisoned, the theme of "Borderline", the name of the exhibit, is based on the role of medicine in our daily lives. This exhibit uses videos, photographs and drawings to ask the questions: Alluring or dangerous? Necessary or dependent? The work of Jeanne Susplugas travels throughout the world and is particularly represented in New York in the Florence Lynch Gallery, in Tokyo in the Mizuma Art Gallery and in Brussels in the Charles de Jonghe Gallery.
The work of artist Emmanuelle Podgaietsky, from Guadeloupe, will be on display at Portal 34 in Gustavia from November 30 starting at 6:30 pm until December 6. You can visit the artist's web site at www.emmanuelle-galerie.com
If you've ever walked the goat path from Flamands to Colombier beach, you know that it can be a bit challenging at times. Improvements have begun. Thus far, they have carved steps into the rock at the cave-like area as well as steps in another rocky area. The path is also quite overgrown at the moment, and men are out there with chain saws to clear the passage.
For better or for worse, the long-rumored restricted parking in Gustavia is scheduled to become a reality at the beginning of 2008. The objective is to prevent people from leaving their cars in the same spot all day. In certain restricted zones, the maximum amount of time that you will be able to park is 1 ½ hours. This time limit will apply to parking along the harbor from the pharmacy to the restaurant La Route des Boucaniers. While parking will initially be free, parking meters may be installed in the future; the necessary equipment was ordered on October 29. The Collectivity will conduct an information campaign before initiating the restricted parking to educate the local residents of the change. One hope is that people will start car-pooling and that some system of public transportation will emerge. The 1 ½-hour limit will be in effect during peak hours during weekdays. The restriction will not be enforced from noon to 2:00 pm, after 5:00 pm or on weekends. Exceeding the 1 ½-hour limit will cost you 11 euros. Initially, a parking disk will be given to all residents and will be present in all rental cars. This disk will note the arrival and departure time of all cars that are parked in the restricted areas during the restricted time periods. We'll have to wait a bit to see how this is actually implemented.
The St Barts Music Festival 2008 runs for two weeks this year, from January 11 through January 23, 2008. Advanced tickets to performances are not necessary, just come to the island and pay at the door — the old-fashioned way!
Since 1984, St. Barts has hosted a performing arts festival unlike any other in the world. Each year during January St Barts offers more than a dozen nights of the finest live music and dance performances in an informal, island setting.
Audiences are treated to intimate concerts by some of the world’s most prominent classical, opera, ballet, and jazz stars. These performers have the level of artistry that one would normally have to attend Carnegie Hall in New York or the Opera Garnier in Paris to experience. Imagine hearing them with the added advantage of island breezes and the fragrance of flowering hibiscus.
At the web site www.mmvideo.fr/video/video, you can take a look at clips from four videos of St Barth. Les côtes de St Barth is particularly good for a view of the scenery around the island.
The Territorial Council was scheduled to meet on October 30 to vote on the contents of a 42-page document containing 100 articles of proposed law, which if approved, would become effective January 1, 2008. At the forefront of everyone's concerns is, of course, the future of taxation on St Barth.
Have you ever wondered how the postal workers can possibly remember where everyone lives in order to deliver their mail?! Letters are addressed with the name of the person and the town where they live. Giving and following directions can be just as confusing. Turn right by the yellow mailbox at the top of the hill just over the little bridge and right past the goats on the left. The Collectivity has adopted a plan to assign numbers to the houses and buildings on St Barth and will begin with the buildings in Gustavia. 1140 numbers have been allocated for all of the houses and commercial buildings in town. To maintain a sense of uniformity, the Collectivity has budgeted between 30,000 and 40,000 euros to fabricate stainless steel signs for the street numbers. The hope is that the numbers will be in place in Gustavia by the end of the year. After having gone through the process to assign house numbers in Gustavia, assigning house numbers throughout the island should go faster. Colombier and Flamands will be the next two areas to be assigned house numbers.
The Saint B’Art Association is organizing its sixth annual painting competition. The theme, as always, remains St Barthélémy: landscapes, scenery or people and all media is allowable. The paintings must be available at the beginning of December in order to be exhibited on December 8. As with last year, the winning painting will be used as a stamp on 10,000 pre-stamped envelopes. For more information, please call Véronique Vander Noot at 06 90 39 92 74 or Jean-Pierre Ballagny at 06 90 83 84 00.
The Golden Rock Regatta will make a stop in St. Barts:
After leaving St. Martin on the first day of racing, the first port of call is Gustavia, St. Barths, the culinary capital of the Caribbean. Rather than plan a function, organizers have opted to give the sailors the opportunity to explore the many restaurants for themselves.
A reader of this site is looking for a house sitting situation or apartment swap:
Interested in winter swap (my Manhattan apt.) or house sitting at the beach in St Barth this winter on or after 12/31/07 for 7 to 12 weeks. Clean bright studio apartment in Chelsea neighborhood, 2 short floors up. West 19th Street near 7th Ave. (Google the zip
code 10011) Neighbors include Janet Jackson, Ethan Hawke and Anderson Cooper! Apt. fits 2 nicely - not more than 4. Fully furnished... High speed internet DSL/Cable/TV/Telephone, microwave, 2 huge windows, light wood floors, etc. The area has a starbucks on every corner, plenty of dining, Chelsea Piers, yacht club, the Village, Lincoln Center, Ballet and opera. Bergdorf Goodman, Apple store open 24/7, Saks, Bloomingdales, Macys, Carnegie Hall, Subways on every other corner, NBC Ctudios, CNN Tours, St Pats, Grand Central Shops, Ice skating in Rock or Bryant Park. Buses to Atlantic city, Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, bus to skiing in Vermiont, Montreal. Please contact Greg at gregcurcio76@hotmail.com if you have a place on the beach you would like to swap or need house sitting. I have a small dog, trained 6 yrs old pure bred.
The Caribbean radio station, Radio Transat, features mainly French and English language pop music. On St Barts tune into 95.5 FM - 100.3 FM, (and 106.1 FM on St. Martin). For their streaming live radio over the internet, go to the Radio Transat website and click on the "Winamp" link. It's not your traditional island music, but it will certainly get you in the French mood...Bonne écoute!
The bronze statue of the Arawak was erected on August 20 at La Tourmente, the circle at the top of the hill in St Jean that leads to Gustavia, Colombier or Flamands. In 2004, St Barth invited all residents to submit ideas for some type of artwork to grace this spot. In June, 2005, the winner was selected from among 53 submissions. And the winner was a 1.7-meter bronze sculpture of an Arawak Indian, the original inhabitants of St Barth. At the base of the sculpture are an iguana and a pelican – two symbols of the island. The Arawak holds a spear in his right hand and is blowing a conch shell with his left hand. A popular St Barth forum is having a "Name the Arawak" contest, and one suggestion is an Arawak word: "kas-se-qua" meaning "Chief of the Hill or Tribe." What could be more perfect?
In addition to De Mémoire d’Anciens, which premiered at the St Barth Film Festival in April 2007, and the new DVD Saint Barthélémy: Cap Paradis by Pierre Brouwers, word of another DVD about St Barth has surfaced: L’Ile Amicale – Den Vanliga On. This DVD is actually a home movie taken by a Swedish baron who visited St Barth in the winter of 1951-1952. There is no verbal audio, only background music, but the scenery from 55 years ago will show you a different island. The DVD can be purchased at Nils Dufau's shop, which is a standalone building next to the gas station in St Jean.
A pirogue, similar to a canoe, has been used since the arrival of the first St Barths. However, this traditional canoe was at risk of disappearing. Fortunately, the Unesco club is involved in the building of a true St Barth pirogue, following the traditional methods. The pirogue is 18 feet long and is made from the trunk of a gommier tree that arrived from Dominica last April 26. The gommier is native to St Barth, but most were destroyed by Hurricane Luis in 1995. The pirogue is awaiting its last coat of paint and will be inaugurated on August 15. It will be on display, but will also be put into the water for events such as the arrival of the Transat Ag2r, the summer beach festivals and regattas, to name a few.
Premium IV, whose office is located in St Jean, provides VIP concierge services including assistance with arrival and departure, yacht and villa provisioning and special events. They have contracted over 120 companies to provide the best products and services available.
Now, in addition to their already broad array of services, they are offering assistance with planning a wedding and/or honeymoon on beautiful St Barth. Assistance is available with catering, decorations, fireworks, flowers, musicians, photographers, transportation, hotels, lighting, and more. For a complete list of their wedding planning services, including required legal documentation, visit their web site at http://www.premiumiv.com or call them at 011 590 590 290 007. (Please note that 011 is required when calling from the United States.) Since Premium IV’s very amiable management comes from Canada, Britain and France, you’ll be able to communicate easily in English or French. Bon mariage!
June 23 marked the last weekend of operation for Cocoloba and La Gloriette in Grand Cul de Sac before closing for renovations. Although they’ll be greatly missed, the bonus is that they are selling everything before the work begins: tables, chairs, kitchen supplies, dishes, etc. This is a great opportunity to pick up items at a good price.
Le Shuttle has temporarily suspended its services since June 21 due to concerns about the regulation of the service and issues of free competition. The service will resume after a professional group meets to discuss these issues and a supervisory administration is formed as guarantors. Those who have already purchased tickets can be reimbursed at Le Shuttle’s office in St Jean every Friday between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
You know summer has arrived in St Barth when the roadwork begins in earnest! Road repairs and improvements began in Gustavia on June 5 and are expected to last for about one month. The commune takes advantage of this lower tourist season to repair the roads, maintain the water pipes, bury the electric and telephone lines, improve sanitary conditions and lay fiber optic cable. So, be prepared for traffic jams and allow yourself a little more time than normal!
On July 1, 2007, St Barth will elect the first president and Territorial Council of the Overseas Collectivity of Saint Barthélémy, which is part of the French Republic. Bruno Magras, mayor of St Barth for the past 12 years, recently announced his candidacy for this position on Radio Saint Barth. The new president and the Territorial Council will govern St Barth for the next five years. The Mayor wrote a formal letter to the population, stating the following main points of his platform.
First, he summarized the current state of affairs:
· A population of 8,200, with more than 12,000 in high season
· A building boom with more than 250 permits requested and approximately 120 allowed (I assume this is per year…)
· Unrestrained speculation due to large influx of foreign investment
· Property priced beyond the means of young people
· A saturated industrial zone faced with growing needs
· Traffic congestion because of an increasing number of cars being brought onto the island
· Overloaded public equipment and services
The Mayor went on to present five fundamental actions necessary to maintain the reputation and quality of life of St Barth.
· Protect the environment
· Control development
· Guarantee safety for persons and property
· Provide professional training for young people
· Create stable employment with adequate salaries
On the subject of taxes, Mr. Magras somewhat joked that the primary role of the new government was not to invent all kinds of new taxes. While not specifically addressing the future of taxation, he did say, “The truth is that the fiscal pressure will also be in response to the quality of public services required by the population and the ability of the government to control unnecessary expenditures.”
It’s a mystery. Last Sunday evening, a man jumped from the Voyager when it was about 15 feet from the dock and swam the rest of the way. No one knows why he did it, but is it that hard to understand?! I’d guess that after a long, arduous day of traveling, he saw St Barth within his reach and just couldn’t wait any longer!
Elaine Davidson, a former Brazilian nurse, recently visited St Barth, where she did NOT blend into the crowd! In 2001, Davidson made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the most pierced woman in the world with 720 piercings, 192 of which were on her face. Today, she has a total of 3902 tattoos and body piercings, for a total weight of over six pounds. Davidson, who holds a black belt in judo, now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland where she is a fortune-teller and owner of the boutique Tropical Rainbow. I hope the man who has the body-piercing and tattoo store in St Jean had an opportunity to meet her!
InfoValue Computing, Inc. (InfoValue), along with its partner Concierge Express and its regional subsidiary Sun Media Network of Simpson Bay Yacht Club in St Maarten, has just completed the first installation of a digital video-on-demand (VOD) system on St Barth. The system, InfoValue SuiteTV, was installed at the luxurious, beachfront Emeraude Plage Hotel in St Jean and offers VOD, an information portal and Internet access over the television in all of the hotel’s suites, tropical bungalows and villas. Hotel guests can access VOD content interactively on their 32” HDTVs, view local attractions and hotel amenities via the information portal and take advantage of high-speed Internet access provided by the save HDTV screen with a wireless keyboard input. But, let’s hope the guests don’t forget that the best video-on-demand is just steps from their room – in full, living color!
A lot of people sailing the Caribbean have started blogs and post something new whenever they make port. There is some interesting stuff out there - here is one example:
"It was yet another great sail to St. Barthelemy (better known as St. Barts) and we anchored outside of Gustavia harbor (N17 54.045 W62 51.375) with enough time for a grocery shopping trip before dinner. When we were here with the catamaran, we were moored nicely within the harbor, we were surprised with the amount of rolling going on outside of the harbor, so on Tuesday after a pastry run, we headed a few miles north to the beautiful anchorage at Anse du Columbier and picked up a mooring at (N17 55.520 W62 52.260). It is really neat to be anchored right in the city of Gustavia, but Reinhart and I really prefer the setting of Columbier with its isolated beach and crystal clear dark turquoise water; and with a decent dinghy engine, you can motor into Gustavia anytime you want a more metropolitan existence. There was plenty to do with swimming, snorkeling, and a hiking trail to the town of Flamands on the north side of the island, and we ended up spending two nights moored securely in the bay while the winds kicked-up outside."
On Sunday, April 29, Le Centre Nautique of St Barth organized an around-the-island race for catamarans and windsurfers. They departed from St Jean Bay at 10:00 am, with an estimated arrival time of 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm. A barbecue, bar, music by BRH (Blues, Rock and Harmony) and the awarding of prizes awaited their return. The current record for windsurfers is 1 hour 14 minutes by Ricardi Maricel from St Martin and 1 hour 52 minutes for catamarans, set by Jeff Lédée and Vincent Jordil of St Barth. The weather couldn’t have been more accommodating with blue, sunny skies and a strong wind.
The sound of the blowing of lambis (conch shells) announced the arrival of Le Francis Garnier in Flamands last week. Everyone wondered, “Why is this military ship right on the beach?!” It turned out that the naval ship, based in Martinique, was on a mission to find accessible beaches in St Barth in case the island suffers a natural catastrophe, such as an earthquake or a hurricane, that destroys the docks in Gustavia and Public and forces the airport to close. The goal was to find beaches that the flat-bottomed boat could access in order to unload men, equipment and supplies necessary for a rescue operation. The two beaches deemed the most accessible are Flamands and Shell Beach in Gustavia. With a maximum speed of 13 knots per hour, it would take the better part of a morning for the ship to reach St Barth The lambis sounded again as they departed, and the ship’s crew responded with the ship’s horn and a message with it’s signal light.
April 23 Conference on the Flora and Fauna of St Barth at the Capitainerie on the quai in Gustavia at 6:00 pm.
April 22, May 20 Future races of the traditional sailboats for the 2007 season
April 29 Race around the island for catamarans and kite-surfers. Organized by Le Centre Nautique of St Barth. Departs from St Jean Bay at 10:00 am. Barbecue, bar and music by BRH (Blues, Rock and Harmony) on the beach beginning at noon.
All new vehicles registered on St Barth as of March 3, 2008 will have newly designed license plates. These license plates are a result of St Barth's evolution to a French Overseas Collectivity and will be specific to St Barth with the letters SBH, rather than the FR on the existing French plates. The Territorial Council also discussed the possibility of allowing personalized license plates, but this is yet to be decided. That would be another way to raise money for the Collectivity, assuming one would have to pay extra. Additional information is available in French on the COM's website: 
The work of Jeanne Susplugas, who was born in Montpelier, France, will be exhibited at b.art Gallery in Gustavia and at the Tom Beach Hotel in St Jean until December 15. Having grown up in a family of pharmacists and having been seriously poisoned, the theme of "Borderline", the name of the exhibit, is based on the role of medicine in our daily lives. This exhibit uses videos, photographs and drawings to ask the questions: Alluring or dangerous? Necessary or dependent? The work of Jeanne Susplugas travels throughout the world and is particularly represented in New York in the Florence Lynch Gallery, in Tokyo in the Mizuma Art Gallery and in Brussels in the Charles de Jonghe Gallery.
At the web site 
Interested in winter swap (my Manhattan apt.) or house sitting at the beach in St Barth this winter on or after 12/31/07 for 7 to 12 weeks. Clean bright studio apartment in Chelsea neighborhood, 2 short floors up. West 19th Street near 7th Ave. (Google the zip
code 10011) Neighbors include Janet Jackson, Ethan Hawke and Anderson Cooper! Apt. fits 2 nicely - not more than 4. Fully furnished... High speed internet DSL/Cable/TV/Telephone, microwave, 2 huge windows, light wood floors, etc. The area has a starbucks on every corner, plenty of dining, Chelsea Piers, yacht club, the Village, Lincoln Center, Ballet and opera. Bergdorf Goodman, Apple store open 24/7, Saks, Bloomingdales, Macys, Carnegie Hall, Subways on every other corner, NBC Ctudios, CNN Tours, St Pats, Grand Central Shops, Ice skating in Rock or Bryant Park. Buses to Atlantic city, Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, bus to skiing in Vermiont, Montreal. Please contact Greg at 
You know summer has arrived in St Barth when the roadwork begins in earnest! Road repairs and improvements began in Gustavia on June 5 and are expected to last for about one month. The commune takes advantage of this lower tourist season to repair the roads, maintain the water pipes, bury the electric and telephone lines, improve sanitary conditions and lay fiber optic cable. So, be prepared for traffic jams and allow yourself a little more time than normal!
It’s a mystery. Last Sunday evening, a man jumped from the Voyager when it was about 15 feet from the dock and swam the rest of the way. No one knows why he did it, but is it that hard to understand?! I’d guess that after a long, arduous day of traveling, he saw St Barth within his reach and just couldn’t wait any longer! 
