St. Maarten Vacation, Day 7

Happy birthday to Suzanna! In lieu of a birthday cake, Suzanna had a birthday pastry ... back to Jule's, the French pastry shop near Abigail's apartment.

Then we went to Simpson Bay (the Dutch side of the island) and the Sint Maarten Yacht Club there, where we boarded a boat with Boomerang Boat Charters. From 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., our captain and crew took us into the Caribbean Sea to voyage along the west, north, and east coasts of the main island with a few stops along the way (all on the French side of the island):

• at Creole Rock (a small island) to snorkel and explore the reef
• at Tintamarre Island to snorkel and swim with the green turtles
• at Pinel Island to feed the giant iguanas
• at Long Bay to jump off the roof of the boat and play in the water

Throughout the day, they served us tropical cocktails. Midday they grilled shrimp skewers and chicken kebabs for our meal (and for dessert served birthday brownies!). And we lay out on the front of the boat for the long ride back from Pinel Island to Long Bay, drowsing in the sun and blinking the occasional sprays of salt water out of our eyes. So relaxing!

In the evening, we went into Maho (adjacent to Cupecoy, where Abigail lives on the Dutch side) and had Mexican food for supper at Three Amigos. Then we enjoyed some of the nightlife of that area (albeit a little quieter than usual with the university students out of town for winter break), including drinks at a karaoke place called The Saint Dive Bar and at another place called the Hole in the Wall, where a musician performed an Elton John song and got the girls to join several other women on stage to sing backup!

(Click on any photo to enlarge it.)

A French pastry made by a pastry chef who actually is French? Magnifique!

The girls snorkeling at Creole Rock.

Abigail snorkeling out where we saw green turtles surfacing for air while Suzanna and Hillary hang out with me (a non-swimmer) near the boat.

Suzanna with a bite of her birthday brownie!

The requisite family photo in the elevator at Abigail's apartment. Off to supper!

Tasty food and a cool vibe with the decor ... and a fitting backdrop for these three! 💗💗💗

Suzanna did not actually know the song that the girls were called onstage to help sing ... so note her conferring with her sisters for a crash course on the lyrics!