The port
Historic marina on Simpson Bay Lagoon, at the heart of Sint Maarten's yachting hub, with on-site customs clearance and access to the full range of marine services around the lagoon.
Simpson Bay was originally a fishing village reachable only by sea. A first wooden bridge connected it to the rest of Dutch St. Maarten in 1933, replaced by a stone bridge in 1950 then rebuilt in 1970 with a newly dug canal; the sand excavated for that canal was used to create the artificial Snoopy Island, now home to the IGY marina. The current bridge, widened in 1989, opens several times a day to let boats pass between the lagoon and the sea. Source: "Simpson Bay Bridge" article, Visit St. Maarten (visitstmaarten.com).
