The storm raged all night long and well into the next morning. A tropical storm like we have never experienced. Rain, wind, lightening and thunder took turns at centre stage and sometimes they were all on centre stage together! Just when it appeared things were abating a little, the drama would pick up again. The boys had washed the salt off the decks as soon as we had docked, but for what purpose now? Trilogy had the best wash down she's ever been given by Mother Nature. The tender had collected a veritable swimming pool of rain and at first opportunity the drain was released, for fear the lines holding it on the davits would snap.
We were snug below and very thankful we were in a marina, sleeping fitfully as Trilogy bounced a lot when hit by blasts of wind that the instruments measured at 40+ knots at their peak in the early morning. During the night the skipper had placed a second stern line to ensure Trilogy's safety. Slowly, slowly, the wind eased and the rain subsided. There were a couple of minor leaks from two hatches, otherwise below decks was dry. The skipper used silicone to grease the seals and that fixed that problem. The sky remained very overcast for the rest of the day, the humidity rose sharply and apart from the occasional shower, the weather moved away from us. It should be noted that this storm cell was not predicted by any of the weather models!
Once the weather was settled enough for us to walk along the pontoons remaining upright, we headed for Sarafina's, a coffee and patisserie shop that offers tasty morsels and good Wifi. At this point the skipper was not prepared to leave Trilogy unattended, so we brought back a treat for him and some delicious French baguette 'sandwiches' for lunch. After lunch the grocery shopping was done at 'Super U' supermarché, a very large store filled with imported French produce, meats, cheese and all other goods....what a treat to have quality French food to select from instead of American product. Sadly there is very little locally grown produce in the supermarkets of the Caribbean. The wine selection was large which was also all from France, so need I say more! The supermarket was packed with customers as it was a public holiday in Marigot and by the time I had negotiated the French speaking crowd I was ready to escape in a taxi to the marina. Fortunately Steven was patiently waiting for me to appear and took over lugging the stores back through the marina to Trilogy.
Dinner had to be French we figured and so we headed over to Simpson Bay, maybe a kilometre of walking to Le Galion, where we were warmly greeted. It was a pleasant evening after all the rain and we felt like we were truly in France in this quaint restaurant on the waterfront. Our suave hosts were attentive and humorous and the meal were truly delicious....we even succumbed to dessert!
Next day we decided to stay another night, especially as Stephen has not previously been to St Martin, which has lots to offer the traveller. After some debate, it was agreed that Sunset Beach was a must do. We firstly had another breakfast at Sarafina and tracked down a few grocery items still required. We took a taxi to Sunset Beach, which was absolutely swarming with cruise ship beach goers. Sunset Beach is famous for being located at the end of the Princess Juliana International Airport main runway. When a big aircraft is landing or taking off, the spectacle of having the plane right overhead is a definite draw card for thrill seekers. Take off is the most dangerous as the strength of the exhaust wind can flatten a body and sand blast it to smithereens. The perimeter fence has large warning signs but still they are ignored. We experienced several planes landing, the last being the biggest, an A330, and it was a lot of fun getting the video proof!
We then caught a taxi to Phillipsberg in the Dutch held side of the island, which was also packed with cruise ship guests, as two ships were in the port. We wandered the colourful market stalls set up along the side streets and waterfront, settled on having an ice cream, checked out a few of the fine art stores and up market boutiques and then headed back to Marigot, with a lively female taxi driver who drove like she ruled the road. The traffic was building up in every direction as the workers were heading home and she did not like waiting in traffic queues!
The evening meal was another treat, but of the Morrocan kind this time. Tucked away off a busy street is a restaurant that transports you to Marrakech, where the owner hails from. The decor is a labour of love by the family: the husband has replicated many art forms including replicating a highly patterned ceiling with intricate paintwork, tables with finely detailed marquetry, archways that span a pool with a fountain trickling gently in the background, not to mention richly patterned cushions and an array of ornaments that evoke the cultural forms of Morroco. The wife is an accomplished artist and on the walls hang many caricatures of famous people (Julia Roberts, Neilson Mandela, Marilyn Monro, Bob Marley etc) all with fez hats perched on their heads. The son was our waiter and the meal of shared tagines, couscous and accompaniments followed by fresh mint tea poured Morrocan style from a great height, was simply superb.
Next day dawned and we would be sailing today, as the weather had definitely settled. One more delicious omelette breakfast at Sarafina's and a top up on Wifi usage and we were back on board to cast off the lines.