About Cupecoy beach, St. Maarten (Scroll down for story)
Cupecoy Beach is a small, clothing optional beach located at the Southwest corner on the island of St Maarten. It is lined with beautiful rock formations and caves.
On the far western end of Cupecoy Beach clothing is optional, and over the past years, it seems that Cupecoy Beach on St Maarten has developed into a meeting point for naturists. A few travel guidebooks say that it is a gay beach, and some couples on the beach may indeed be gay, but no one gives demonstrations, so there is no reason to worry about it.
Access to the beach is easy. There is a public parking lot on the shore side of the road, after Ocean Club, with sets of stairs down to the beach at the end of the parking, one heading to the west, the natural beach.
Cupecoy Beach had some bad times in the past decade. Not only development projects, but also Hurricanes and the drifts take their toll changing the face of the beach (and the amount of sand) constantly. The strong winds of the winter season 1999/2000 caused beach erosion as well, and moved sand away. The beach, that used to be much wider and present year-round, had to get filled up with sand again...
Cupecoy Beach, view from
the balcony of Cupecoy Villas
Cupecoy has a bit rough waters, the wind however is blocked by the rocks. The surf usually is a 2-3´ swell, so with pre-school kids, this beach won´t be your best choice.
The 10-20 feet high, golden sandstone cliff serves as the backdrop for Cupecoy beach. This rich coral sand carpet is very popular, and if you´d like to find a cave for yourself only, you have to get there early.
There are no restaurants or bars on Cupecoy Beach, but you may see a local guy with a cooler with fresh soda or beer. Beach chairs, umbrellas and BBQ are also available. And bars, cafés and resorts of the Cupecoy area are not too far away...
There are several pathways that lead to Cupecoy Beach on St. Maarten. One access leads through a gate past the Cliffside Bar, which is built into the cliffs above the beach. This bar provides one of the most magnificent sunset views on St. Maarten. So, a good time to enjoy this beach is (late) afternoon to watch the sun go down. As Cupecoy beach faces Southwest, there a splendid views of the sunset and the surf.
NBC producer victim, friend
victim of ‘gay bashing’
PHILIPSBURG-St. Maarten-Senior NBC Nightly News producer Richard Jefferson, who was vacationing in St. Maarten, was one of two men rushed to St. Maarten Medical Center around 3:30am Thursday after they suffered a severe beating by a group of men who the victims say were “gay bashers.”
While Jefferson was able to walk, he sustained severe cuts on the back of his head and his lower back.
The second victim Ryan Smith had a fractured skull and has been unable to speak properly since the incident.
The men, who were reportedly beaten with a wheel wrench, expressed concern that the police here did not seem to be too concerned about crimes of this nature. They said the police’s failure to even contact them following the attack made it seem as though they sanctioned the “brutal beating.”
Smith was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the St. Maarten Medical Center until late Thursday and was expected to be flown out to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami along with Jefferson.
Jefferson told The Daily Herald, St. Maarten he found the incident sad, as it had made it difficult at best for him to call an island he has been visiting for more than 15 years “a friendly island anymore.” He said the violent attack on him and his friend had been an expression of hatred for gay men by the suspects and made him very concerned about being on the island any more.
He said, “St. Maarten is one of the only two places in the Caribbean where you could say had a gay beach, in Cupecoy, and we have never been harassed before and have always been able to be ourselves.”
According to other friends of Jefferson who witnessed the beating, the incident stemmed from earlier harassment by the suspects while they were all gathered at Bamboo Bernie’s at Caravanserai, Maho, St. Maarten Wednesday night. Apparently the hate words grew to such an extent that management offered to have Smith wait until it was possible for him to be escorted from the club to avoid his being attacked.
“They took up a chair at one stage and tried to hit us with it,” said one of Jefferson’s friends. Jefferson said he had not been involved in that incident, as he had been on his way to meet with the others.
They left some time early Thursday morning and were walking past Sunset Beach Bar at Maho towards their hotel when the suspects, a group of about four men and two women, drove their car past them, almost hitting Smith.
Jefferson who was walking in the distance, came close to his friend when the car stopped and the suspects got out and started beating Smith. Jefferson said, “I only remember asking what was going on and I was knocked out.” He said a man with thick lock-like hair had had a pipe wrench with which he beat both Smith and Jefferson.
Jefferson said he had learnt that many people, including management at Sunset Beach Bar, Maho St. Maarten, a nearby casino and Bamboo Bernie’s, had called the St. Maarten Police, but no one showed up. He said he had called the police station on Thursday around 1:00pm and had spoken to a detective, but no one showed up at the hospital or called.
He asked what form of justice this was and whether their treatment would have been the same had one of them been killed at the hands of the attackers.
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