There are good ships and wood ships and ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are friend ships.
Although Serafina are thankfully not a wood ship, they certainly are a fine ship that sails the sea and they are the best ship of all in the form of a friendship. We are chuffed to bits that we have managed to rekindle that friendship in St Martin after they arrived just in time to increase the 'fun quotient' on Ruffian, avoid being roped into any jobs and admire all our handiwork of the previous weeks.
The light at the end of the tunnel was getting brighter and brighter with the last jobs being ticked off and Ruffian was becoming full of all the produce we could find in supermarkets. Fiona & Iain, commonly known as TeamRUFF, split their resources. Iain & Thug ferried spares, diesel, water and produce from all over the lagoon to Ruffian and Fiona quietly got on with one of the more difficult, brain based jobs on Ruffian, which were completely unsuitable for Iain.
As the last of Fiona's silicone went off and she finished tidying up we heard, to our delight and that of Larry, that Serafina had slipped into the Lagoon. They had anchored spitting distance from us and as quick as a flash we made a beeline for them. Larry was beside himself with excitement as he spied little Hans all tied up on the gantry waving a Valentines love flag directed at him (although we're not sure if he was more excited by the flag or the tying up. After all he's not called 'ND Larry' for nothing).
On Serafina there were stories of adventure and high seas and we recounted our stories of solvent abuse and electronic science projects. Serafina were also 'pleased' to hear that we had booked them in for a hike the following day that would take us to the highest peak on St Martin and all the way back to the anchorage. The 'good news' about the hike however was that we'd be getting a bus up to the top and it was then only a 5 hour walk home.
Before the walk there was still some serious shopping to do. Amazing the one thing that we'd not been able to find in France was cheap wine. We had however been given the top tip of going to a particular wine shop. When we found it we thought that our version cheap and that of the person who gave us the 'tip' were somewhat different.
As we entered, complete with our trolley, showing that we were serious buyers, we were greeted with a glass of red wine which was much yummier than anything we ever have on board and found prices which were aimed at the bulging wallets of superyacht owners. In our best pigeon French we tried to convey 'Cheapest boxed wine please" and "Can you do a deal?' Then, as if we were buying the rarest of contrabands, from under the counter out came the cheap stuff that is clearly reserved for paupers like us.
With Ruffian now 'full' and all the jobs finally done we could have some fun. We headed off with Serafina and many others in the anchorage to the highest peak in St Martin. After studying the particularly accurate tourist map we traipsed down to the bottom of the hill taking in the views and chatting to all those around us.
Once at the bottom it became apparent that we'd taken the wrong path and so we had the great prospect of retracing our steps all the way back to the top. We felt like the grand old Duke of York as we marched up and down hills. Back at the top and once again taking in the views, we found the correct track and could now start our 5 hour romp back to Ruffian. The walk down and back up again had just been a warm up.
On the proper path we battled our way through dense foliage and along the ridge After hours we finally descended into civilisation and found ourselves inside a gated community complete with supercars and matching SUV's. After the foliage, the gates were no challenge and we exited to find 'locals' playing pumping gansta rap and filling the air with the smell of illicit substances. Quite an extraordinary juxtaposition.
Back on Ruffian we were like kiddies before Christmas. Finally ready to go sailing and we had heard the great news that the causeway bridge into the Dutch side of the lagoon, giving us an easy exit (rather than a difficult exit through the French side), was now working again. We have an exit plan but it would be a busy morning tomorrow before we could shake the barnacles off Ruffians hull.
Oh Joy. The last of the boat jobs.
Larry & Hans have are happily reunited for Valentines Day.
The Mexican train extravaganza can continue with Ruffian and Serafina once again together.
Finally a sunset.
BBQ and teak decks. What a brilliant combination.
The entire cruising community go for a hike.
It's amazing what you can find in the middle of the forest.
We can't wait to get out of the lagoon and into the open water.
Hmmm. Urban sprawl, Caribbean style.
Yo, yo, yo. Its carnival time.
This is the sort of shopping that Fiona likes.
Goodbye St Martin and all the wrecks in the lagoon.