The sail to St Martin was one of the worst we've ever had for frustration and tiredness.

The wind direction made it impossible to sail there without incredibly wide tacks and neither of us wanted to be out there any longer than necessary so again it was a case of motor sailing. Both of us found it hard to sleep off watch at night and were feeling it by the next morning as we made slow progress towards St Martin, Fi being especially ratty and miserable (it's her age bless her!)

St Martin is divided with one side owned by the French and the other by the Dutch. Friends had advised us to check in at the French side as it is free so we waited for the 1430 opening of the French bridge entrance and made our way into the lagoon, a large landlocked body of water with a separate entrance for the Dutch. We dropped the anchor for the night in a French anchoring area and then grumpily set off in the dinghy to find where the check in was. It seemed that everything was a very long way from the French anchorage and we became quite despondent, didn't want to be there, stamped our feet and threw a couple of tantrums and decided to check in the following morning on the Dutch side as we would have quite a bit of too-ing and fro-ing to do and the Dutch anchorage was closer to the majority of places we needed to visit. As it happened we paid about $50 for the two weeks we would be there so it was worth it for the convenience.

We were soon reunited with Jan and Richard on Scorpio who were back at St Martin to get a few boat chores done before heading down south to Grenada (lucky people!) and they generously entertained us to dinner and drinks onboard. We also bumped into Renee and Cheryl who we had got to know at Clarks Court Bay in Grenada when they were, very successfully, building up the business of the marina there, especially the social side. Renee is a great cook and we were again privileged to be invited onboard for dinner with them. All these friends were so very generous to us during our stay at St Martin and simply saying thank you didn't seem enough so we hope we can somehow repay them one day. Renee and Cheryl even donated a fantastic seat for the cockpit which we have been extremely grateful for (Fi had told Dave that we couldn't possibly justify buying one!). All four crew are in agreement that it has made the trip so much more comfortable for whoever is on the helm so, once again, many thanks Gypsy Blues!

In between shopping for boat supplies too numerous to mention we managed a good few happy hours at Lagoonies bar where a beautiful and friendly young lady called Michelle became our most favourite Caribbean barmaid, and a trip to the beach where the planes fly in so low that they knock people off their feet with their jet stream. We went to this beach to await the arrival of Sue and Bill the day they were due but, unbeknown to us their plane was early. I was actually standing under it and filming at the time it came in to land and Dave was there waving our ensign, just in case it was them. However, they didn't see us out of the windows anyway so a bit of a waste of time! I decided for no reason just to check my mobile phone and there was a message on it from Sue asking which marina we were in (they had got stuck at immigration as they didn't know the answer to the question!). It all worked out in the end though and we rushed to the airport to meet them in the lobby.

Over beer, wine and pizza at a local bar on a boat that evening we all agreed on Monday as the day for departure which left Saturday and Sunday to enjoy and get last minute supplies.

On Saturday we went back to the "aeroplane" beach and enjoyed watching the planes coming in on their approach, incredibly low over the beach, and also the take offs when the game is to hang on to the fence or get blown away by the jets' blasts when they rev the engines. Dave persuaded Fi to do so wearing shorts and a vest top which she found was a great exfoliation therapy! We also went snorkelling and Sue especially enjoyed it, being her first time snorkelling in clear water. That night we went to a steakhouse just along from where the boat was tied in Palapa Marina and it was great to hear Bill say it was the best steak he thought he'd ever had.

The following day we took a taxi to another beach we had been told was fair for snorkelling. On arrival we found a bar where a brilliant trumpet player and singer was entertaining the few people there. It was Sue and Gwyn's anniversary so she was feeling a little emotional as we listened to him do some really good renditions of well known songs. Dave and Fi were also feeling emotional, it being the last day in the Caribbean for them, and Bill was also feeling emotional so all of us were pretty much near to tears as this man entertained us! We all went snorkelling and although we didn't see a great deal had a good time snorkelling around the rocks and through an archway into another bay and back again. Considering Sue is a relatively new swimmer (as opposed to non-swimmer) she did really well and was duck diving like a pro by the end of it!

After seeing some local fishermen bringing a catch of lobster up the beach to the restaurant Sue, Dave and Bill decided "it had to be done" and enjoyed some between them. The bar owner, Roland, called the taxi driver who had dropped us off there (they are cousins) and we all were amused when he produced a brush from his incredibly smart car to brush the sand from our feet before we were allowed inside. On that last evening we were sitting in the cockpit when Cheryl and Renee came over in their dinghy so they clambered aboard, amid the mess of being half ready to leave, and had a farewell glass of wine with us which was an unexpected pleasure.

The next morning we were up early: Sue and Fi went to the supermarket for final, fresh provisions, then Dave and Fi went to check out. After a quick breakfast at a local café and takeaway burgers for tonight's dinner (perhaps the best meal for some time?), a quick shower and marina fees paid, we cast off our lines with farewell waves from the local roofers working by our berth and set out through the Dutch bridge entrance on our epic voyage back home to Blighty, via the Azores.