CURRENT LOCATION: Anchored in Marigot Bay, near the entrance to the lagoon
18 03.937' N, 063 05.796' W

Considering the noise... repeated banging, scraping, slapping and knocking ... we had a decent night's sleep. The noise resulted from the boat's being tossed violently about in the swell throughout the night. It was a roll beyond what we have previously experienced.

So, at first light, we were ready to pick up the anchor and sail around the corner to Marigot Bay and what we hoped to be a better anchorage. Picking up 200-feet of chain and a 60-lb anchor is a really good morning workout, and I was winded when I returned to the cockpit. We motor-sailed nearly nine nautical miles before dropping the anchor and considerably less chain to the sandy bottom in less than 10 feet of water in Marigot Bay.

This anchorage also suffers from the current northeasterly swell, but I guess we are simply going to have to get used to it. The regular rolling is interrupted by the wakes from dozens and dozens of watercraft which pass by us each hour. Being near the entrance to the lagoon is like parking along a major highway. The advantage, though, is that we are at the end of the crowd of anchored boats and nobody is currently anchored near us. Isolation, or at least ample swinging room, is one of the things we prize most in a good anchorage.

After spending the morning turning our vessel from an offshore sailing machine back into a home, and assembling our dinghy, it was time to go check in. The officials were not present at the port authority building, so we went over to a marina and they were kind enough to provide us with a form and give it an official stamp. We are now legally in St. Martin, and it only cost a meager $12 entry fee.

What we didn't spend on customs fees we spent on a late lunch. Personal pizzas by the lagoon waterfront cured our ravenous appetite, and gave us time to unwind and appreciate our surroundings. We then stopped at a grocery store to buy an inexpensive bottle of wine and went to visit some cruisers we had just met.

Laurie and Dawn were waiting by the door of the port authority building when we showed up. After taking care of the check-in process, they invited us to stop by their boat, Cat Tales, on our way back through the anchorage. Only in this cruising world can you meet someone, chat for just a few minutes and immediately be invited to their home.



We stepped aboard their lovely 35-foot Fontaine Pajot, a perfectly-sized catamaran for two people. After the standard tour, we sat in the cockpit getting to know this very nice Canadian couple. At some point during the conversation, day became night and our days exertions began to catch up with us.

We returned to our own boat and just before turning in for the night, I expressed for the umpteenth time that day, "Wow, I can't believe we are really in St. Martin!" Back in the mode of active cruising, I am happy to say that the novelty of arriving in a new version of paradise is as exciting as it was this time last year. I can only hope, dear Reader, that the virtual experience shared through this blog brings a little bit of that excitement to you, wherever you may be. Welcome to Saint Martin.