In early May we decided to leave Grenada for a bit and head north to St. Martin for a change of scenery and to do some shopping. On the way up, we first stopped in Carriacou for a couple days visiting friends and then Statia (St. Eustatius) for some excellent hiking. We hiked all around and into the Quill volcano on Statia and poked around the small town. Sadly news reached us there that our friend Alan had passed away, very unexpectedly, in Grenada. It was quite a shock. Since we weren't able to attend Alan's memorial of funeral, we drank a toast to his memory as we watched the sun set into the harbor.

St. Martin was a bit of a shock compared with Grenada. We anchored in the lagoon and it felt like we were right in the middle of a big city. The new causeway bridge is lit up like a rainbow at night and planes take off overhead several times a day. The shopping is terrific and that's really what we were there for. Since St. Martin (both the Dutch and French side) is duty free and since it's a major yachting and tourist area you can buy just about anything at a good price. We picked up new batteries, rigging wire and some aluminum poles. I also went to the French city of Marigot for good clothes shopping. St. Martin has lots of great beaches to explore and the hike up Pic Paradise was spectacular. Unfortunately Mark had to be away when the time came to bring En Passant back to Grenada, but our friend Jason came up to help me sail her back home. It was the first time I was the official captain. Of course Jason could easily have managed the delivery without me, but I was the onboard expert since she's my home. The sail back south was very pleasant with moderate winds all the way. It was good to get back to Grenada where we have lots of friends and don't have to keep as much of an eye out for hurricanes.

It was important to get back to Grenada, not just because hurricane season had started, but because we'd agreed to house/pet sit for another friend there. So until the end of July I have two new roommates, Harley and Pepper (dog and cat respectively). Both are very sweet and easy to take care of. And there are definite benefits to being ashore. Most important to me are long hot showers, a car and Internet access. Since we don't need the dinghy every day, it's getting a fresh coat of paint. We may also do a few other projects that are easier when we're not living in the middle of them.

A few other fun things are coming in July including a trip to the states for my nieces wedding and a visit from Nicole. Mark also has some work coming up so it's going to be pretty busy for a while.