St Maarten

St Maarten is the provisioning engine room of the Northern Leewards, and the reason is that it is two islands' worth of supply chain on 37 square miles. The south is Sint Maarten, Dutch, USD-friendly, duty-light, with American distribution, warehouse stores, and the Simpson Bay megayacht marinas. The north is Saint-Martin, French, euros, and a supply line that runs out of France. Drive fifteen minutes across an unmarked border and the shelf flips from US beef and American deli brands to French butter, French cream and French poultry. No other base in the Caribbean gives a chef both halves of the Atlantic in one run.

That is why chefs base here. No one gets flown into St Barths; you sit in Simpson Bay Lagoon, provision the heavy load in SXM, and do the 20-mile run over to Gustavia for New Year's and the Bucket. The St Barths playbook assumes you arrive with your SXM load already aboard. This is where you build it.

The French-side dairy is the reason to cross the border: the butter, eggs and cooking cream in the Marigot supermarkets are the best in the Caribbean. Build your pastry, sauce and breakfast program around them and you will feel it on the plate.

Two things to respect. First, the Simpson Bay bridge. The lagoon is where the big marinas are, and the only way in for a megayacht is a lift bridge that opens on a fixed schedule a handful of times a day. Miss it and your delivery, your departure, and your day slide by hours. Second, the storm history: Irma flattened this island as a Category 5 in September 2017, and while it has rebuilt hard, SXM is squarely in the hurricane belt. The season (December to April, with the Heineken Regatta in early March) is built around that.

Section 0: The First Phone Calls

Two calls: your agent, and your marina. Everything here keys off which side of the bridge and which side of the border you're on.

Listen to your captain first. Many captains have a preferred agent and a relationship that goes back years. Ask before you call anyone. The names below are who to call when the captain does not have one, or when you need a second option. If your captain swears by someone who is not on this list, tell me and we will list them.

Yacht agents: - BWA Yachting. Plaza Del Lago, Simpson Bay Marina. Part of the global BWA network, with Caribbean offices in St Barths, Anguilla, Antigua, St Lucia and Puerto Rico, and an IGY strategic partner. Clearance, berthing, bunkering, provisioning, logistics, freight. BWA also runs offices across the Med and Northern Europe, so ask what they can source there and bring in with your other freight. Head office +377 93 500 277, bwayachting.com. - Dockside Management. 44 Welfare Road, 2-E, Cole Bay. Ship's agent and concierge on island since 1990, with a St Barths office too. Customs and immigration clearance, berthing, bunkering, freight and container moves, parts, provisioning. +1 721 544 4096, office@docksidemanagement.net.

Customs and the two-sided reality: Sint Maarten (Dutch) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Saint-Martin (French) is a French overseas collectivity. Neither side runs like mainland EU on duty. The Dutch side is the duty-light, USD-friendly side: ports of entry are Simpson Bay and Philipsburg, and clearance is in person on arrival (customs and immigration sit at the police station by the Simpson Bay bridge, with a free clearance dinghy dock right there). Clear on the Dutch side through your agent.

Money: The Dutch side's official currency became the Caribbean guilder on 31 March 2025, pegged at 1.79 to the dollar. Shops price in USD and you can pay in dollars anywhere on the Dutch side. The French side prices in euros, but USD is widely taken, supermarkets included. Super U converts at the daily exchange rate; some smaller shops take dollars one to one, which works in your favour, and some round the rate against you, so look at the rate on the receipt. Visa and Mastercard work at the supermarkets and established shops on both sides; Amex less so. On the French side a card charges in euros, so your bank does the conversion. Market stalls and small vendors are cash, so carry small notes for Marigot market.

The actual first calls: your agent, your marina dockmaster for the bridge slot, and Carrefour Cole Bay for the big supermarket order (see Sections 3 and 4).

Section 1: Pre-Arrival Orders to Lock In

SXM lead times are short for anything on the shelf and long for anything that has to come in from Europe:

• European volume: if the program needs serious European product (cheese wheels, charcuterie, specific producers), talk to your agent early. BWA has the Med network to source it. Give it weeks, not days.
• Center-of-plate: for charter-volume cuts, talk to the Carrefour meat department at Cole Bay or Bush Road ahead of time.
• Bread: for anything more than a few baguettes, call La Sucrière the day before for an early pickup.
• Bulk and drinks: Divico takes orders by phone, WhatsApp and online and delivers anywhere on the Dutch side. For a big event order, give it a week.
• The event crunch: the St Maarten Heineken Regatta (4 to 7 March 2027) and the run-up to the St Barths Bucket (17 to 21 March 2027, preliminary) plus Christmas to New Year's are when every provisioner on the island is slammed. Order several days ahead and lock the St Barths load before you need it.

Section 2: Dock Delivery Logistics

The geography that runs everything: Simpson Bay Lagoon sits behind two lift bridges. The Dutch-side Simpson Bay Bridge is the megayacht door; the Causeway Bridge cuts across the lagoon interior. Outside the lagoon you have Dock Maarten in Great Bay (Philipsburg) and Marina Fort Louis in Marigot.

Simpson Bay Bridge schedule (VHF 12, +1 721 545 5230): - Outbound: 0830, 1030, 1600 - Inbound: 0930, 1130, 1400, 1700 - Opening width 17.0m (55'9"), controlling depth 6.0m. The beam limit is the real constraint for big boats.

Causeway Bridge (VHF 12): 0800, 1000, 1630, both directions.

The afternoon slots shifted in December 2024 (Simpson Bay inbound moved from 1500 to 1400, Causeway from 1530 to 1630). During the Heineken Regatta the Simpson Bay Bridge adds a 0900 outbound and a 1500 inbound for the fleet. Plan delivery windows around your bridge slot, not the other way round.

The marinas: - IGY Yacht Club Isle de Sol. Just inside the Simpson Bay Bridge. 40 megayacht berths, 80ft to 320ft (97m) LOA, 18ft draft, 50ft beam, high-speed in-slip fueling. The big-boat base. Groceries and liquor are off site, about a mile away, so plan deliveries rather than a walk to the shops. Blue Flag. +1 721 544 2408. - IGY Simpson Bay Marina. Same lagoon, Plaza del Lago is right there (BWA sits in it). Guest reception building opened 2024 with gym and rooftop pool, first Blue Flag in 2026. The most walkable base for La Sucrière and the Airport Road strip. +1 721 544 2309. - Yacht Club Port de Plaisance. 155 Union Rd, Cole Bay, inside the lagoon. Up to 80m LOA, 15m beam, 4.25m draft. +1 721 544 4565. Close to Carrefour Cole Bay and the Wellington Road wholesale strip. - Dock Maarten. Great Bay, Philipsburg. Outside the lagoon, no bridge. 187m superyacht dock finished in 2024. The answer when your beam won't clear the Simpson Bay Bridge or you can't afford to be bridge-bound. Closest to Carrefour Bush Road and Cost-U-Less. +1 721 542 6100, WhatsApp +1 721 520 0225, VHF 87, info@dockmaarten.com. - Marina Fort Louis, Marigot. French side, outside the lagoon, no bridge. 150 berths, yachts to 79m, 3.5m draft, diesel on the dock. Run by the Saint-Martin port authority. The landing for Marigot market and French-side shopping by tender.

Delivery: Divico delivers anywhere on the Dutch side, free on orders over $150. PDG delivers free island-wide. Island traffic between Simpson Bay, Cole Bay, and Philipsburg can be brutal in the afternoon; a 15-minute run turns into 45. Do your driving early.

Section 3: Specialty Imports

This is where SXM earns its reputation. You get the American layer on the Dutch side and the European one on the French side, same day.

• Carrefour Market Cole Bay. 53 Union Road, Cole Bay. +1 721 544 3118. Mon to Sat 0800 to 2000, Sun 0900 to 1400. Produce including organic, bakery, dairy, a big liquor and beverage section. The anchor for the Dutch-side run, and the closest big store to the lagoon marinas.
• Carrefour Market Bush Road. 79 Bush Road, Philipsburg. +1 721 542 4400. The main Carrefour on the island.
• Super U and Monoprix (French side). Super U at the Howell Center in Marigot and at Hope Estate, the biggest supermarket on the island; Monoprix at Bellevue, at the entrance to Marigot. This is your European shelf: French dairy, cheese, charcuterie, poultry, conserves, mustards, oils.
• BWA Yachting when the program needs specific European producers or volumes no shelf on the island carries.

The framing for the boss: SXM is the one Caribbean base where you can run a Paris-grade pantry and an American steak program out of the same week's shopping. Stock both here before you leave for St Barths, where you'll pay double for the French half and can't get the American half.

Section 4: Proteins

• Carrefour Cole Bay and Bush Road. The Dutch-side protein anchor; ask the meat department ahead for volume. Smaller Carrefour Express stores at Porto Cupecoy (+1 721 545 3162) and Jordan Village (+1 721 545 5259) for a top-up, not a charter order.
• French-side supermarkets. Super U (Howell Center in Marigot, and Hope Estate) is the French-side price leader, mostly French product, including French meats, poultry and the European dairy. Monoprix at Bellevue, entrance to Marigot, runs higher but quality is high.
• Cost-U-Less for crew proteins in bulk, frozen and fresh.

For a charter chef: Carrefour for the American center-of-plate, Super U and Monoprix for the French cuts and poultry, Cost-U-Less for crew.

Section 5: Seafood

• Marigot Waterfront Market. French side, on the Marigot waterfront by Fort Louis. Some stalls open every day but Sunday; Wednesday and Saturday mornings are the big days, when the fishermen bring their catch in. The best of it is gone fast. Regional Caribbean produce and spices the rest of the week. Cash.
• Carrefour fish counter and frozen as the reliable backbone.
• Regional species: mahi-mahi, wahoo, yellowfin tuna, snapper, grouper, Caribbean spiny lobster, conch. Buy lobster from a licensed seller and respect the size and egg rules. Ciguatera is a real concern in the Northern Leewards: avoid large barracuda, amberjack, and big reef predators unless the source is known clean.

Realistic framing: the local catch is a Wednesday/Saturday morning bonus, not a plan. Build the guest seafood program on Carrefour, and treat Marigot as the upgrade.

Section 6: Produce and Farm-Direct

SXM grows very little. Produce is imported from the US to the Dutch side and from France and Guadeloupe to the French side, plus regional Caribbean product through the markets.

• Carrefour for broad range, both US and European. Ask the Cole Bay produce desk which day the container lands and be there that morning.
• Marigot Waterfront Market for local and regional produce: mangoes, papaya, soursop, guava, plantain, cassava, okra, loose spices by the sachet. Mornings, best on Wednesday and Saturday.
• Super U for French produce at French-side pricing.

Every chef in the lagoon is hitting the same few stores. The good stuff goes the morning it lands. Ask restock days, build a day of slack into your produce timing.

Section 7: Dry Goods and Pantry

• Carrefour (any branch) for the full pantry, US and European brands on the same shelf.
• Cost-U-Less. 72 Bush Road, Cul-de-Sac, Philipsburg. No-membership warehouse, set up like a Costco without the card. Bulk dry goods, water, frozen, paper, crew staples. Mon to Sat 0800 to 2100, Sun 0800 to 1800. +1 721 542 9860, stmaarten@costuless.com.
• Divico Cash & Carry. Wellington Road, Cole Bay. Wholesale cash-and-carry, no membership. Dry groceries, beverages, frozen and refrigerated, cleaning, paper and disposables. Mon to Sat 0800 to 1900. +1 721 544 3003, WhatsApp +1 721 544 4241, orders@divicodistribution.com, divico.shop. Case lots, so it earns its place on a big boat; most boats do fine at Carrefour and Cost-U-Less.
• Super U and Monoprix for the European pantry (oils, vinegars, mustards, conserves).
• PDG Supplies. 24 Wellington Road, Cole Bay. +1 721 544 2134, sales@pdgsupplies.com. Not food: galley equipment, disposables, chinaware, glassware, barware, pastry tools, cleaning chemicals, chefwear. Equipment in 110V and 220V, 50 and 60Hz. Operating since 1987, 2025 to 2026 catalogue out, free island-wide delivery. The place to replace a broken blender or stock biodegradable disposables for the beach day.

Section 8: Bread and Bakery

SXM bread is good on both sides. You don't need to bake.

• La Sucrière. #130 Welfare Road, Simpson Bay, on the lagoon side. +1 721 544 3549, WhatsApp +1 721 520 3519. Mon to Sat 0600 to 1900, Sun 0600 to 1800. The best croissants and baguettes on the island: artisan breads, pastries, croque monsieur, bagels, celebration cakes. Be there at 0600 for the first racks.
• Zee Best. At the Simpson Bay Yacht Club, with a second shop on Airport Road. +1 721 544 2477. Daily 0730 to 1400. Pastry, cakes, scones, breakfast.
• Carrefour and Super U in-store bakeries for the volume crew loaf.

Practical move: crew member on the 0600 La Sucrière run on charter mornings; order the day before for anything more than a few baguettes.

Section 9: Alcohol and Beverages

A real SXM strength. The Dutch side is duty-light and the beverage program is cheap by Caribbean standards.

• Carrefour for the walk-in liquor and wine selection on the Dutch side.
• Divico for beer, wine and spirits by the case at wholesale, delivered on the Dutch side.
• Cost-U-Less for crew beer, soda, and water.
• Super U and Monoprix on the French side for French wine at French-side pricing.
• Local rum. Guavaberry is the island's own liqueur, made in Philipsburg; a good authentic welcome-aboard touch.

Duty note: the Dutch side's duty-light status means the cellar build here is cheap. SXM to St Barths is a common run with the cellar loaded in Simpson Bay; St Barths is also a free port, so price the Champagne both places before you commit.

Section 10: Crew Meal Provisioning

SXM is the best crew-feeding base in the Northern Leewards, by a wide margin.

• Cost-U-Less for bulk proteins, frozen, water, and dry goods. No membership. The crew-budget backbone.
• Divico Cash & Carry for case-lot dry goods, drinks, paper, and cleaning when you are feeding a big crew.
• Carrefour Cole Bay and Bush Road for full-supermarket volume.
• Super U on the French side when the euro rate works for you.

Ask your chief stew or purser what the crew food number is on your boat before you shop. Some boats run a per-head daily cap, some have none, and it changes boat to boat. Workable here, tight but realistic thanks to the warehouses and the Dutch-side pricing. This is where you load the crew staples for the St Barths run, because on St Barths there is no cheap option. Buy the rice, pasta, frozen proteins, and drinks in SXM and carry them over.

Section 11: The One-Day Ground Run

Plan around the bridge, then around the traffic. Everything is within 30 minutes on a clear road; it rarely is clear after 1500.

Early morning, Simpson Bay (based at Isle de Sol or Simpson Bay Marina): - La Sucrière at 0600 for bread and pastry. - Zee Best for pastry and cakes.

Mid-morning, French side (Wednesday or Saturday if you want the fish): - Marigot Waterfront Market for local catch and regional produce, before it's picked over. Bring small notes. - Monoprix Bellevue on the way into Marigot for the European shelf. - Super U Howell Center for French dairy and volume French product on the way back.

Late morning to early afternoon, Cole Bay and Philipsburg (the main shop, crew and bulk): - Carrefour Cole Bay on Union Road for proteins, produce, drinks and the full pantry. - PDG on Wellington Road, and Divico next door if you are buying case lots. Set up the Divico delivery. - Cost-U-Less on Bush Road for crew bulk.

Back before the bridge. If you're outbound, the 1600 slot is the one you can't miss.

Realistic timing: a full two-sided run is 5 to 6 hours with traffic. Push the heavy and bulky stuff to delivery (Divico for case lots and drinks, PDG for equipment) and the chef's own run is the Simpson Bay bakeries, a French-side hop and Carrefour Cole Bay, call it 3 to 4 hours.

Section 12: Contingency Planning

What's likely to fall through, and the backup:

• Missed bridge. Miss the 1600 outbound and you're in the lagoon until tomorrow morning. Miss a 1700 inbound with a delivery waiting and it's on the dock overnight. Build deliveries around the slot and confirm on VHF 12. Extra openings during the Heineken Regatta still fill fast.
• Beam and draft. The Simpson Bay Bridge is 17m wide with 6m controlling depth. If your boat is near either limit, base at Dock Maarten in Great Bay and do the lagoon run by car.
• The St Barths crush. The defense at New Year's and the Bucket (17 to 21 March 2027) is to leave SXM with the load aboard. Every boat in the lagoon is provisioning for the same run that week; order earlier than you think.
• Heineken Regatta week (4 to 7 March 2027). The fleet runs through the Simpson Bay Bridge on extra openings, the island is full of sailors, provisioners and traffic are slammed. Get your order in the week before.
• Exchange-rate leakage. Paying dollars on the French side works, but the rate is whatever the till uses. Super U uses the daily rate; small shops may round. For a big French-side shop, a card in euros or euro cash keeps the math clean.
• Traffic. Afternoon traffic between Simpson Bay, Cole Bay, and Philipsburg can triple drive times. Front-load the driving.
• Hurricane season. Active season June to November. Irma (Cat 5, 2017) devastated the island. The lagoon is a hurricane hole but it fills, and SLAC sets storm rules for it and the bridges. In the shoulder season, watch the tropics and expect short hours.