Clem Labega Square Philipsburg, St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles ...

Traditional
Sail Boats
St Maarten has one tradition that we have recently
seen a resurgence of sorts and that is with traditional
sailboats. While today, we see the traditional boats
being used for friendly sailing competitions, the history
of these vessels goes back much farther.
SAILBOATS FOR DAILY SUBSISTENCE
Traditional sailboats on St Maarten were most prominent in
the early part of the 20th century with the St. Martiners
making use of the vessels for daily subsistence. In fact, several
men became adept at building the small boats and
made use of them to provide seafood for the island’s inhabitants.
With little means besides breeding cattle and other
livestock, the surrounding waters provided an abundance of
seafood for the community. In the early morning hours,
men would go down to the waterfront, haul down the boats
into the water, load the ballast, put in the mast, sails and
rudder and then set sail for the fishing grounds. Bad weather
or good weather, the fish pots had to be hauled and the
fish had to be sold.
It was a high-risk profession; just imagine standing in a
cranky, bouncing boat hauling up a heavy fish pot from a
depth of some 300 feet all in rough seas with the risk of
falling overboard or being sunk by a wave. It is understandable
that the men took great pride in being able to build
these small boats and create a viable commerce out of them.
Not only on the French side, but also in
the area of Simpsonbay inhabitants made
use of these small traditional boats as a
way of making a living. The boats were
also used as a means of transportation
from one village to another. The skill in
building the boats was passed on from
one generation to the next. As time progressed,
the fishermen turned what was a
simple means of making a living into a
commercial activity .
LAYOUT OF A TRADITIONAL
THE WINDWARD ISLANDS BANK LTD. • ANNUAL REPORT 2006 • PAGE 9
SAILBOAT
Ballast: Sea Rocks-Were found at Friars Bay Beach and Pointe
Blanche. They were placed in the center of the boat bottom.
Iron- Most ships/schooners carried weight to stabilize the vessel
a sea.
At times when they picked up cargo they often lighten up by
disembarking some of the weight. Most boats in St. Martin
dove their irons from a shipwreck that was near Red Pond.
These irons already had two holes at each end that a rope went
through with a knot to act as a carrying handle.
Sand Bags: Flour bags filled with beach sand were
layed on top of the sea rocks. In light wind conditions
they were often opened and sand was dumped out to
lessen the weight load.
Sails: These were cloth sails in the early days sewn
often by hand by the people of Simpson Bay. Today
sales are fabricated at St. Maarten Sails.
Boom: In the early days the boom was made from bamboo
trees. Today they are made out of aluminum by FKG
Marine Rigging.
Timber: White cedar trees were used.
SAILBOAT RACING
Wherever you find an activity for men, it is expected that some
sort of rivalry will develop. Stories are told of how the men used
to boast about the craftmanship of their sailboat and the speed
at which they could maneuver the boats. Out of this grew what
is today referred to as traditional sailboat races. By the middle
of the twentieth century with the island developing to a stage
where the boats were not necessarily needed for daily subsistence,
boat racing became a favorite
past time. The traditionally sleepy
villages of Marigot, Grand Case and
Simpsonbay came alive with weekly
friendly competitions between the
sailboats.
Eventually, the capital of Philipsburg
also got involved in the sailboat races
and during the Holidays of July 14th,
November 11th and December 15th
the bays of Marigot, Simpsonbay,
Grand Case and Great Bay. Many
captains became famous on the island
THE WINDWARD ISLANDS BANK LTD. • ANNUAL REPORT 2006 • PAGE 10