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To end 2024 on a high note, Saint-Barthélemy was clearly "the place to be". At least according to the figures released by the Gustavia port authorities. Indeed, Ernest Brin, Director of Port Affairs, reports that the record for the festive season was broken. On December 31, no fewer than 450 manned vessels were counted in the port area of Saint-Barth, including around 100 mega-yachts.
According to the Port Authority, the registers recorded 313 transient inhabited vessels (mega yachts and sailboats) and 137 year-round inhabited vessels. 311 declarations of entry were recorded between December 27 and 31 (for 3,980 people on board). The list included eight gigantic yachts over one hundred meters long: the Moonrise (100 meters), the Lady Moura (105m), the Bravo Eugenia (109m), the Kaos (110m), the Renaissance (112m), the Koru (113m), the Ahpo (115m) and the Kismet (122m).
There were also 23 vessels between 75 and 99 meters, 31 between 60 and 74 meters, and 75 between 45 and 59 meters. In addition, on December 30, port authorities recorded the entry of 96 vessels. On the morning of January 1st, 110 declarations of departure were notified to the port authorities. At the end of the day, 143 declarations of departure were recorded, with 2,164 people on board.
38 private parties on yachts
Needless to say, the festive event would no longer be able to live up to its name if it weren't for a few "soirées". During the last week of 2024, the Port Authority responded favorably to 38 requests to welcome more people on board than those identified on the registration certificate. Of the 38 private parties organized, some accommodated more than a hundred guests. For the weekend of December 28 and 29, two boats moored in the commercial port for private parties welcomed nearly 120 guests. On New Year's Eve, over 4,500 guests were spread across all these vessels.
There's no doubt that top-of-the-range yachting in Saint-Barthélemy, particularly at the end of the year, will remain the spearhead of our economy and our reputation," comments Ernest Brin. When we see the number of guests aboard these boats, and know that they all come from villas or hotels, it shows us the power of this milieu in the world of business and international relations. ".
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Random" customs checks lead to the yacht of... Jeff Bezos
Between December 31 and January 1, customs carried out a series of checks on yachts anchored in Saint-Barthélemy waters. These were "random" checks, according to the Préfecture des Iles du Nord, carried out to verify compliance with the reporting obligations imposed by law. Among the vessels on which customs agents invited themselves were two mega-yachts: the Moonrise, owned by Jan Koum (founder of the WhatsApp messaging service in 2007, sold to Facebook in 2017 for $19 billion) and the Koru. The latter "operation" received a little more media coverage than the Moonrise. Indeed, the Koru is owned by Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and loyal occasional resident of Saint-Barth. Needless to say, such an intervention made the rounds of some online media. Mainly the "Pure Six" medium, which ran a headline about a "raid" on the billionaire's yacht. This "information" was picked up by Capital and Paris-Match, who, with photos to back them up, ran a headline about a "raid", repeating almost word for word the article on the US site, and revelling in the personal details mentioned in it.
In any case, only one administrative infraction was noted during one of these inspections, according to the prefecture. "The size of these two vessels and the priority given to intercepting the vessel limited the number of checks that could be carried out during the mission", state the State services.These random checks will be repeated on a regular basis, with the aim of ensuring greater transparency and safety in national waters".
There were also rumors that customs officers had seized briefcases full of banknotes during the inspection of Jeff Bezos's ship. Questioned on the subject by JSB, Vincent Berton, Prefect of the Northern Islands, firmly denied this rumor.
A "quiet night" version of New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve was relatively quiet on Saint-Barthélemy. At least in terms of the number of crimes recorded by the gendarmerie. Four patrols criss-crossed the island's busiest areas between 10pm and 8am. After random checks, the results were as follows: five drink-driving offences, a few miscellaneous offences (e.g. failure to wear a helmet or seatbelt), but nothing more. "Despite the large crowds, there were no outbursts," says Captain Quinchon, commander of the gendarmerie brigade. At most, a few complaints of vehicle damage were lodged from January 2 onwards.
Vincent Berton, Préfet délégué des Iles du Nord, notes that "the establishments in the Saint-Jean sector were well organized", avoiding the incidents of 2023.
Between December 20 and January 5, 52 road safety violations were recorded by the gendarmerie. 13 for alcohol, 8 for drugs. The gendarmes intervened on 66 occasions for disturbances, accidents and other reasons. No fewer than 61 criminal investigations were opened during this period.
Several minor accidents required the intervention of emergency services. Early evening on Saturday December 28, two tourists in a car collided with a scooter. Injured in the arm, the rider of the two-wheeler, aged around twenty, had to be taken to Saint-Martin for surgery. His toxicological examination revealed alcohol consumption in excess of the legal limit.
On December 31, at around 4pm, the gendarmes responded to a scene of violence in Gustavia. A man, turned away from an establishment because of his drunkenness, returned armed with a stick with the intention of fighting. Known to the gendarmerie, he was calmed down and arrested.
On Saturday January 4, a man in his forties lost control of his two-wheeler on the descent from Tourmente to Public. He crashed and almost ended up under an oncoming car. He was rescued and treated. Toxicological tests are underway.
ATE police actions in the nature reserve
During the festive season, teams from the Agence territoriale de l'environnement are also stepping up their enforcement operations. These are mainly policing operations in the nature reserve. Between December 20 and January 5, sixty hours of patrols were carried out. As a result, 150 ships and mega-yachts were made aware of the problem, both alongside the quay and at sea. 31 fines were issued against people engaging in practices prohibited in the nature reserve (sport towing, electric surfing, vessels too heavy on the water, etc.).electric surfing, vessels too heavy on buoys, time spent at anchor in excess of four days, sea-bob, irregular anchoring, jet skiing). In addition, 21 unauthorized charter boats were turned away from the reserve. In addition, the agents put an end to 40 infringements without fining the offenders, but by reminding them of the regulations in force. Of these 40 offences, half involved speeding in the Nature Reserve (over 5 knots).
