SV Riparian - Sailing out of Colorado

After a 14 hour overnight passage, we have arrived in Saint Martin! We started 7 weeks ago before the engine problems. It feels great to be here. We left Virgin Gorda in the BVI last evening about 5:30 and got here about 830 am. The waves and wind were bigger than forecast, so it was a little bumpy, but we made it and most importantly the newly repaired engine ran all night and performed beautifully. We did not attempt to sail as we were going right into the wind. We had a lot of fun Friday night. We splurged on a dinner buffet on shore and they had live music and Jumbie dancers. Jumbies are people that walk around on stilts and dance and do tricks. The 6 foot stilts are covered with elaborate costumes so you can't see them. There were five Jumbies, two girls who wore ruffled skirts above their stilts and three guys. They danced right with the crowd and sometimes would walk over the top of people or reach down and pick up little kids and dangle them in the air. There was one guy who would lift up one leg and hop around on one stilt. After we arrived, we anchored in Marigot Bay and called the marina to see if the reservation I had made last Thursday had come through. It was! We picked up the anchor and docked at Marina Fort Louis, where we had spent some time last year. We cleared in with customs/immigration and took a nap, visited our favorite frozen yogurt shop, and cleaned the boat. I do not think we will have any trouble sleeping tonight. We are excited to be on our way!