DATE ISSUED: Wednesday, October 18, 2017 @ 12:00 LST (16:00 UTC)

VALID UNTIL: Thursday midday (12:00 LST) October 19, 2017

…A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ST. MAARTEN UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE…

WEATHER:

This afternoon through Thursday midday: Partly cloudy, hazy and breezy with brief isolated showers possible.

Forecast High: 31°C / 88°F             Forecast Low: 26°C / 79°F

Sunset Today: 5:48 P.M.                 Sunrise Tomorrow: 6:07 A.M.

WINDS: 

This afternoon through Thursday midday: East-southeast to southeast with a gentle to fresh breeze of 12 to 21 miles per hour and occasional higher gusts.

SYNOPSIS: 
The strong Atlantic high pressure system is generating brisk winds across the region. Furthermore, a drier more stable, Saharan dust filled air mass has settled over the local area resulting in fair weather conditions during this forecast period.
A small craft advisory remains in effect for above normal seas with waves peaking near 8 feet due to brisk winds. Small craft operators and sea bathers are advised to continue exercising caution.

STATE OF THE SEA:  Moderate to Rough        WAVES/SWELLS: 6 to 8 feet

SPECIAL FEATURES: None.

OUTLOOK through Friday midday: Fair to partly cloudy, hazy and breezy.

FORECASTER: Pierre

CUL DE SAC--Rockland Estate eco-park will be an exhibiting tour at the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Conference and Tradeshow in Mexico October 23-27. This showcase comes at a good time for the country post-Hurricane Irma and the park set to open next month.

  Port St. Maarten sees the eco-park as a major new attraction for the country and its visitors, according to a statement from park operator Rainforest Adventures. The presence of Rainforest Adventures and others at the FCCA Conference to promote the destination and strongly emphasise that St. Maarten is back and open is very needed, said the Port.

  Rockland Estate eco-park will open to the public in November, rather than December, the date announced post hurricane.

When faced with an extremely difficult situation like the current one, good news is at a premium. With the Dutch side’s stayover tourism likely to decline by more than 50 per cent based on the number of unavailable resorts and rooms, as well as a considerable drop expected in cruise calls and yacht visits, it is very important that efforts to help the economy recover do not go unnoticed.

Marine sector veteran Robbie Ferron in an opinion piece published on Monday questioned a recent announcement that any salvaging of sunken and/or badly damaged vessels due to Hurricane Irma in Simpson Bay Lagoon would require approval by the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI. The related story appeared on page 4 of last week Wednesday’s paper, right under a feature photo caption about a barge with a 150-tonne crane, heavy equipment and crew having arrived to start removing wrecks in an effort led by Yacht Club of Port de Plaisance.
Government did mention that prior to any salvaging, precautions are to be taken against leakage of oils and fuel into the lagoon. It also said locations would be designated for vessels that cannot be placed in a boatyard.
These are no doubt two valid points, but the stated intention was already to have St. Maarten Nature Foundation assist with all lifts. Moreover, as pointed out in Ferron’s letter, VROMI is not exactly known for its expertise in this field.
Just like happened with the original release on needing permits to rebuild damaged homes that was later limited to only when making structural changes, in this case too local marinas could be allowed to at least clear the wrecks and debris in their waters in a responsible manner pending the official green light, while obviously keeping the impact on nature in mind.
As the latter will actually only worsen with further delay, a pragmatic approach is clearly called for, making use of the vast available knowledge and experience in the industry.

NASSAU, The Bahamas--Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis told Parliament last week that all irregular migrants in the country, regardless of their nationality, have until December 31, 2017, to return voluntarily to their country of origin, warning that after this time they will be pursued without respite, arrested and expelled from the Bahamas.

WASHINGTON, United States--The United Kingdom (UK) Government will set up a private sector task force to help long-term reconstruction in countries and territories hit by last month’s Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

MONTREAL/TOULOUSE, France--Boeing Co said on Tuesday that Bombardier Inc's CSeries jets could still be hit with high U.S. import duties, even if they are assembled in Alabama through an industry-changing deal with Airbus.

NEW YORK--Morgan Stanley posted a much higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday as record revenue from its wealth management business helped offset the blow from a slump in trading activity.

LOS ANGELES--Amazon Studios chief Roy Price has resigned, a company spokeswoman said on Tuesday, following allegations that he harassed a producer and took no action when an actress told him she was sexually assaulted by producer Harvey Weinstein.

PARIS--In the end it was just too kinky for the Louvre.

WASHINGTON--Two U.S. senators on Tuesday announced a bipartisan breakthrough to shore up Obamacare for two years by reviving federal subsidies for health insurers that President Donald Trump planned to scrap, and the president voiced support for the deal.

WASHINGTON--The U.S. lawmaker who was President Donald Trump's pick for drug czar withdrew on Tuesday after a report he spearheaded a bill that hurt the government's ability to crack down on opioid makers flooding the market with the addictive painkillers.

WUHAN, China--Call them China's bubble generation.
They were born after the crushing of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, raised mostly without siblings during an unprecedented economic boom, and came of age as Xi Jinping, China's strongest leader in decades, ascended to power. It's a generation that grew up in an era of prosperity and peace; one that has not "eaten bitterness" - or struggled - as their parents and grandparents did.

RAQQA, Syria--U.S.-backed militias in Syria declared victory over Islamic State in its capital Raqqa on Tuesday, raising flags over the last jihadist footholds after a four-month battle.

The Survivors Softball team coached by Ashton Lake have resumed training. The team practices at the Little League Ballpark on Pond Island Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 4:30 to 6:30pm.

The National Basketball Season tipped off as Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving (11) works against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Derrick Rose (1) during the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena in Ohio on Tuesday. Cavaliers won 102-99. (Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports.)

Dear Editor,

  Please help the homeless, This is going over one year now that I am begging for help. I am backward and forward asking my Government for help. We are now year later and we have so many people homeless.

  All we are hearing is looting, people going to jail. Now, what they have done is very wrong, but you have to feed them, make them clean up St. Maarten. When you steal you going to work now. Locking them up, the work out here still has to be done.

  One hundred persons you have to feed every day. Put them to work and start helping the people who can't afford to build back their home. Like I say, I am homeless all over the place.

  You know what is so good about the Lord is that I am holding on to His hands and He is holding me. To the people: give your heart to Christ, He is going to see us through, not today, when is in trouble at the time. Good times and bad times. Stop our wicked ways, turn away from that.

  Look, my sister just passed away on September 18, just after the hurricane, and I was begging her to give her life to God, but the world is better so now she is gone.

  Please, my friends and family, stop and look at what we are doing. God is coming, nothing is going to get any better. Give your life to the Lord. Come out of our wicked ways. Look around us and see what happened.

  I am begging our Government for help. I gave 45 years of service to them, now can't they give me a home to rest my head at night?

  Even if I have to pay, I need a place. If  ANYBODY has a place and hears my cry, please help me. My phone number is 524-3137.

  Please, people of St Maarten, come back to the Lord Jesus where we used to be, I am begging. We all have sinned, but God is willing to forgive us. Humble yourself at His feet like I did, give your life to Him.

  People hold on to the hands of God, because I am not letting go.

Rosalinda Avril Gumbs

524-3137

Dear Queenie,
I’m going with a middle-aged man who still lives with his parents. As far as I know he has never lived anywhere else. He says he likes it this way and sees no reason to move out
Queenie, is there something here I should be worried about?—Just wondering

Dear Just wondering,
This is indeed an unusual situation. It could be as simple as your boyfriend makes it out to be, or his parents could need his help financially or as a caregiver,
Unless there is something else you have not told me, I see no reason for worry unless you are looking for a closer, more permanent relationship with this man, in which case you should try to have a serious conversation(s) with him about your and his future.