Oystein Slette

27/01/2025

Rainbow at St-Barths as anchor goes up!

27/01/2025

In a few hours we set sails from St-Barths, headed for Bermuda. No stops, no land-in-sight and no internet for a week or so.

See you when we get there!

26/01/2025

Saint-Barthelemy, or just St. Barth was once a Swedish colony. Traded against rights to trade in Gothenburg for the French by Gustav III. The main city is also named after that king.

Street names and all historical signs are in French, English and Swedish. There is a Fort Karl, Fort Gustav and the airport is called Gustav III airport.

There is a street named after King Oscar II, the Swedish king when Norway broke loose from Sweden in 1905.

Today the island is the playground for the rich and famous, with so many huge Yachts in the harbour that if sold they could probably feed all the starving in this world for a long time!

25/01/2025

We have been joined by SS "Sørlandet" in the bay. Two Norwegian Tall Ships anchored next to each other outside Terre-De-Haute on Iles des Saintes. Time to hoist the Jolly Roger!

23/01/2025

We are going south, against the wind and no sail at the moment. Guadalupe in the distance.

Some serious waves left a lot of us seriously sea-sick but luckily I have managed to stay relatively a foot.

Anchoring up at Iles des Saintes tonight and staying for a couple nights, then it's on to Saint Bart, and from there to Bermuda.

22/01/2025

The ship as we were tendering out last night! All aboard! Anchor up sometime this afternoon!

10/01/2025

Homemade Hokkaido pumpkin soup! This small Airbnb has limited kitchen resources, but creativity isn't lacking!

Cooking can be love too! ❤️😀

07/01/2025

The island is divided into two parts, a French side called Saint. Martin and a Dutch side called Sint Marteen. 

The French part is a member of the EU, while the Dutch side is a separate Kingdom in the Kingdoms of the Netherlands, but is not part of the EU. The French side uses Euro, the Dutch side has Guilders, but both side readily accepts Dollars, as many of the tourists here are Americans. 

There is an independence and reunification movement, so watch out if a member of the Trump dynasty should visit, they seem to be in the market for colonial expansion these days. 

The French side was at one point owned by the Knights of Malta, but was sold back to the French West Indian Company. 

When you fly here from France you land on the Dutch side, go through their border control and then move freely around both sides. 

Yesterday I tried to buy a book as I read through those I brought already, and can sadly say that there are many more “tax free” liquor and diamond shops than book shops in Philipsburg, the main settlement on the Dutch side, it even the island as a whole. 

You can look over to England from both sides, the distance is shorter than the English channel. England being the island of Anguilla.

8 years ago the hurricane Irma, a category 5, struck the island with winds of 290 km/h or some 80 m/s. I've experienced words of just over 30 m/s myself and can't even imagine 80… a lot was destroyed, but has been rebuilt and the island is again a Caribbean paradise!

06/01/2025

These hummingbirds are so small, and a marvel to watch from my verandah.

05/01/2025

Sunset on Saint Martin.

02/01/2025

"Bald man and the sea" almost a classic! Hemingway preferred Key West, but I rather like it here! Wonder if they need teachers on the island?

25/12/2024

And the sun rises! How better to enjoy a morning than swinging in the soft breeze, listening to the world waking up, 25 degrees and not a single thing in my calendar for 4 weeks!

20/12/2024

13/12/2024

One of those mornings, when the school building is empty and the Christmas three stands alone in the darkness ❤️

14/11/2024

The world is a mysterious place. A year ago I drove up a crazy road in Montenegro, looking for a campsite I had found in the app. Around a bend, down a hill and there it was, with an amazing view. But even better was the group of people that came together there by coincidence, and who left as friends.

You never know what happens when you pick up your stuff and make the road your home, but for sure you will meet nice people and have some magic moments!

08/11/2024

A morning walk on the island! ❤️

03/11/2024

The 7 sisters waterfall in Geiranger.

29/10/2024

Who don't love Norwegian fjords?