On Friday, May 31st (is it really almost June?) we sailed a short distance along the west coast of St. Martin to the large open bay of Grand Case. What a change from the hoards of boats anchored in Simpson Lagoon. With the typical white sand beach stretching approximately 2 miles along the shore, Grand Case was well known for its laid-back ambiance, sunbathing, and great French restaurants.

We dingied ashore and walked a short distance down the single seaside street and got cajoled by a very aggressive waiter to try his restaurant, aptly named "The Sky's the Limit." With a little apprehension we ordered and were surprised by an excellent BBQ rib with coleslaw meal. The aggressive waiter was kind of a kick and provided us with excellent service. Most French shops have very apathetic service staff so this was a pleasant a change for us.

While many of the seaside restaurants here tend to be a little pricy, there was a group of open-air restaurants between the two piers that featured BBQ and had very reasonable prices. We paid just under $20, including two beers, for what turned out to be a great lunch.

Walked down the beach about ½ mile. Since it's almost off-season (also know as hurricane season) the beach wasn't very crowded with people. We're still trying to get used to the mainly French (it's awkward to walk up and ask them their nationality) laissez-faire attitude to clothing, or more specifically, the lack of it. It does seem to make the beach walks more interesting, however.

Spent the rest of the day just lazing on the boat and resisting the urge to grab the binoculars.