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Update on Capt. Bob / Soualiga Destinations in St. Maarten


JLMoran

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Quick update on at least one part of St. Maarten. I sent a short email to Capt. Bob of Soualiga Destinations, to ask if the lunch place they traditionally would stop at (an on-the-beach cafe in Grand Case) had been rebuilt after being totally destroyed by hurricane Irma. I was hoping it had been restored so we could give the owner our business and further help the local economy when we're there in a month, but it's not to be. Here is his exact reply:

Quote

The restaurant has not been rebuilt. There are some very difficult problems with government and the fact that there is a severe shortage of building materials and labor. Everything is going toward rebuilding for those that lost their homes.

In the meantime we are serving a variety of sandwiches on the boat. Since Christmas we have been doing the sandwiches and everyone is loving it. The rest of the tour is the same.

I'm of two minds about this. On the one hand, I think it's good that people who lost their homes are getting those restored as fast as possible around the constraints on available supplies and labor. On the other hand, what good is having your house back if you don't have anywhere to go to resume earning the income that paid for that house and the groceries and all the rest? Never mind the point previously mentioned in other topics here that being able to go to work and provide for themselves and their families gives a welcome sense of returning normality.

Hopefully people like the cafe owner have found another place to work and are getting at least some of that feeling of getting back to normal. As our trip with Capt. Bob is all day and we're getting back to the dock only just in time to make it back for All Aboard call without being one of those runners, we won't have a chance to do any more for the locals than what we've paid to Capt. Bob and his crew. I'll just have to tip extra well and hope they spread it around that way.

Edited by JLMoran
Corrected the tag and post to reference the correct hurricane
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On 2/26/2018 at 10:03 AM, JLMoran said:

Hopefully people like the cafe owner have found another place to work and are getting at least some of that feeling of getting back to normal. As our trip with Capt. Bob is all day and we're getting back to the dock only just in time to make it back for All Aboard call without being one of those runners, we won't have a chance to do any more for the locals than what we've paid to Capt. Bob and his crew. I'll just have to tip extra well and hope they spread it around that way.

It reminds me of Cayman after Ivan. We focused on Utilities and Homes. A lot of people were doing work outside their normal scope just to help get things back the way they were. We didn't have any tourism for probably around 4 months. The only thing that saved us is the buildings on the water are mostly new, hurricane cat3 rated so most of the work was more cosmetic then complete rebuilds. We did lose some good places (some still are waiting on insurance claims and some just processed a year or so ago and this was 2004). I am sure they would be working maybe just not how they were, for all we know the cafe owners/cooks could be the ones making those sandwiches.  

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On 2/26/2018 at 10:03 AM, JLMoran said:

Hopefully people like the cafe owner have found another place to work and are getting at least some of that feeling of getting back to normal. As our trip with Capt. Bob is all day and we're getting back to the dock only just in time to make it back for All Aboard call without being one of those runners, we won't have a chance to do any more for the locals than what we've paid to Capt. Bob and his crew. I'll just have to tip extra well and hope they spread it around that way.

Per the recommendation of the fine folks here, we're doing the Captain Bob trip when we're down there next week too.  The Allure's itinerary says it's there 8am - 5pm, all aboard at 4:30.  Getting back to the dock at 4pm makes me nervous beyond all belief, but it's not all clear to me which time zone the Allure's sticking too.  I'm hoping the Allure is 8 - 5 eastern, which would be 9-6 local time which makes me infinitely more comfortable.  I will let you know how it really shakes out though.

One way or another, Bob's email clearly states it's 10 to 4 Atlantic time, show up by 9:30 at the dock.  So whichever time zone the Allure is using means there will be a tiny bit of time to walk around the port area either before or after the trip.  I figure we'll grab a coffee or a cocktail, whichever it is. :27_sunglasses:

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@Orange Crush, Daylight Savings Time kicks in March 11, which should mean it's in effect for your sailing as of Day 2. At that point, there is no difference if the ship stays on Eastern Time, since Atlantic Time doesn't follow daylight savings. I got a confirmation of that from Capt. Bob himself.

 

EDIT: Sorry, realized that when you said "next week", that probably means you're on the sailing leaving this Saturday. So then you'll definitely have to check what the captain has set the ship's time to when you're in St. Maarten.

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16 hours ago, JLMoran said:

EDIT: Sorry, realized that when you said "next week", that probably means you're on the sailing leaving this Saturday. So then you'll definitely have to check what the captain has set the ship's time to when you're in St. Maarten.

We leave Sunday and will be in St. Maarten on the 8th, but I wouldn't have even thought about daylight savings!  Either way, we're there before the change, so I'll still keep a close eye out for "ship time" vs "local time" and make sure I'm absolutely clear on when the big ship leaves!

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