1999

No sooner had St Barth finished mopping up from the heavy rains of hurricane Jose than it was flooded with people, an unusual combination of Swedes, sailors and Jimmy Buffett fans who had come from far and near for the weekend of November 6 & 7 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Le Select, the island's oldest (and still best) bar. Located in the heart of Gustavia, just steps from the port, Le Select has long been a haven for old salts and landlubbers alike...

Most residents take a certain satisfaction in the fact that while most of the world suffers overcast skies, rain, and cold during large portions of the year, the islands of the eastern Caribbean get their annual portion of bad weather all at once, in brief concentrated chunks, usually in the fall...

The non-profit association, St Barth Multihulls, organized the second annual St Barth Cata Cup (after an earlier version of the race was cancelled in 1995 after hurricane Luis) on November 20-22, 2009, with activities based on St Jean beach. The event attracted participants from Belgium, Holland, France, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Martin, St Maarten, and of course St Barth...

While most of the civilized world is lying low, avoiding the dog days of August, the local population in Saint-Barth inexplicably springs into action. Not only is it the hottest time of the year, but it is also the beginning of hurricane season and the weather cannot be counted on to be very cooperative...

The superlative has become such an abused form of expression that it is now very difficult to simply and directly convey the matchless fury of a mature hurricane. Sir Francis Beaufort was not so burdened with the echo of today's clamoring salesmen...

Le Select, the most popular bar in town, will celebrate its 50th anniversary during the first weekend in November. This is not another promotional hustle. Everyone - including Jimmy Buffet, who will arrive to perform a free congratulatory concert on the 6th - loves the place, and welcomes an opportunity to show appreciation for a venue that has seen, and continues to see, the best and the worst that flutters through Gustavia, from the King of Sweden to the perennial drunken nitwit...

The high point of the summer social season on an island like this is a big family wedding, especially if the bride and groom are part of the big St Barth "family" that stretches back to the original French settlers that eked out an existence here in the 17th and 18h centuries...

June is usually a pretty quiet month in St Barth, with the winter season long over and the summer one waiting to get into full swing when the schools let out. But there are always a few tourists on the loose and a few of them had a pretty exciting time of it last Saturday when gale force winds up to 90 kilometers an hour whipped up suddenly around the island...