We had made a reservation at a marina, Port de Plaisance (PdP) for the week's stay with Teddy, Caramia and Benny (Caramia's sister) well ahead of time, knowing the famous Heineken Regatta began during their stay. Email communication with PdP had been mostly unanswered, so we left our comfy spot in Anguilla on Saturday moving to Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten (Dutch side) where we could dinghy to the marina to make sure things were all set in person. It was unfortunate timing, as the sea was very lumpy from southerly winds; Simpson Bay was barely protected from the open sea. But we had a mission, so after clearing in to the country, we quickly found the marina after passing under the bridge into the calm lagoon and spoke to the security guard, Trudy, about the situation.

Trudy probably saw the concern/stress in our faces, called the harbor manager and reassured us that we had a reservation. So feeling a bit better but still with lingering doubts as no one confirmed which days, we went back to the very bouncy boat to wait for Thursday to arrive. To sleep we assumed "at sea" tricks with Mike wedging himself on the saloon couch and me piling pillows around to keep from bouncing out of bed. The next day, we took the dinghy to the largest marine chandlery we have seen yet and wandered the isles like kids in a candy store. We found a well stocked grocery store the following day in the lagoon but upon returning to the boat, we saw True North pitching wildly at her anchor with waves that had grown quite large since we left. Climbing back onto the boat was a feat of acrobatics timing the rise of the dinghy with the fall of the boat in a wave trough. We spied a spot closer to the protection of land that was now unoccupied and quickly moved the boat.

The new spot was so much more tolerable, even though a big sunken barge was directly behind us, and it was only because the holding was very good that we could stay without too much concern that we might drift backwards into it. With the new spot, we had a front row seat to the boat traffic, the many super yachts, moving in and out of the harbor thru the narrow channel and under the lift bridge. We monitored the radio so we would know the correct terms to use when it came to be our turn to move inside.

After 5 days we finally got to move inside the calm harbor and tied to a dock, sandwiched between two super yachts that dwarfed True North. With little daylight left, we washed salt off the boat for the first time in 6 weeks then slept hard in the perfectly still boat. The next day I woke at 4 am so excited to see the "kids". We did a "scouting" trip to the grocery nearby, overwhelming in abundance and decided to return with the kids so they could pick out their favorite goodies to stock the boat with.

Happily, Teddy, Caramia, and Benny's flight arrived early and the ride to the marina was short so soon we were exchanging huge hugs and catching up. We didn't have anything planned for the day letting them get used to the heat, learn how the boat works, then enjoyed dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant.

The next morning Teddy and Mike went to pick up the little red rental car and we decided on an easy trip to a beach nearby after a lazy morning. We had stayed at Mary's Boone Beach resort in the past, a small, quirky, hipster, family run hotel with an excellent restaurant and bar on the long beach we had been anchored in. First celebrating with beach cocktails, and delicious calamari, Teddy and Mike dove into the waves while we girls chatted on the edge of the surf. It was Friday night and there was to be a happy hour gathering at the marina, and we decided to see who would show up in the marina filled with super yachts. We ended up striking up a conversations with workers from the Heikankin Regatta, who entertained us with funny stories about each, gave us tips of things to see on the island. Afterwards we enjoyed dinner and wine in the boat cockpit, then wandered the docks, marveling at the 100 plus foot super yachts both sailing and motor that we shared space with.

The next day we decided to be more ambitious and drove to the french side, Saint Martin, to explore Fort St Louis. The ruins are perched above the small city of Marigot, and offer a panoramic view of Anguilla, and the lovely calm anchorages found on this side of the island. Afterwards we strolled down a flight of stairs into the city where locals sold clothing and souvenirs and a market offered all kinds of eateries to suit any taste. We settled on sandwiches at a local bakery, because when in France, you know the bread is going to be spectacular. Afterwards we drove a deeply rutted road to Friar's beach and rented chairs and umbrellas. The water was super calm and clear, the beach had relatively few people. Teddy hiked a small trail to an adjacent beach.

Sunday we were informed, was Carnival day in Marigot, with parade, crowds and booths. So we decided a trip to a Dutch beach was more our speed and choose Mullet Bay beach. It had a classic resort flare with beach chairs galore three rows deep. Prices were steep for chairs and umbrellas $70 for 5 but we were spending the day and on vacation so we splurged! We had burgers at the beach bar just behind our chairs and swam in the slightly turbulent waters, people watched and read our books. We returned to the boat for what was to become our routine of relaxed dinner onboard and strolling the docks afterwards to see any new boats that had arrived to the marina.

The next morning Caramia wasn't feeling well, so we had a quiet morning, heading again to the store (nearly every day) to continue to resupply while she rested. Late morning we drove to the Parrotville Bird Sanctuary while Mike waited on the boat for a possible fuel delivery. Friendly parrots of all sizes and colors landed on heads, shoulders, arms and cups of seeds we all carried around in the large aviary. Staff answered questions and groups of birds sang and gathered, flew in groups while quail wandered the grounds and small birds filtered about. I found it restful, glad for these very social birds to have found home with so many fellow birds. We spent the afternoon back at Mary's Boone beach (it has a vibe we all really appreciated) while Caramia rested.

The next day Caramia wasn't feeling any better and stayed onboard while we returned to Friar's Beach on St Martin, bringing a picnic lunch and books to spend the afternoon. We found the beach quite empty as the restaurant was closed for the day that had rented us chairs and umbrellas during our previous visit. So we set up camp in a covered picnic table. Teddy inflated our paddle board and set off the explore the adjacent bay. He and Mike later walked the trail to explore the area.

All too soon, the last full day was upon us. Mike and Teddy returned the car somewhat glad to return after battling the crazy traffic and aggressive drivers. We finally secured fuel for the boat, and the delivery man told us it was the smallest amount of fuel he'd ever pumped and sold at the super yacht marina. Trudy helped us secure a taxi for our final adventure and we chose, yet again, Mary's Boone Beach for our last full day of fun. We ate a wonderful lunch which came with free beach chairs and umbrellas so we parked ourselves on the beach and swam in the large waves. It was fun to watch the private jets arrive and we took a long walk down the broad beach, relaxed and read books.

On departure day, before the sun rose too high and before the kids left, Teddy, Mike and I hiked up a nearby trail to the hilltop overlooking Sint Maarten. Teddy had explored the trail a few days earlier and saw monkeys, and lots of birds, some horses, marveling how much cooler it was at the top as it was more rainforest than the dry scrub found at the lower areas. It was a humid hike up and we saw no monkeys but ended up with a big, friendly pit bull dog as our companion who decided she wanted a walk down the hill. We worried that it might try to cross the street with us when we tried to return to the marina. But fellow hikers heading uphill soon found themselves with a companion as we quickly made tracks downhill.

Sadly, we said goodbye to the kids and Mike and I prepped the boat to head back to sea.Our plan was to sail overnight to the US Virgin Island of St John. Winds were going extremely light for the first time in forever. We hoped to sail at least a bit, before we knew we'd have to motor the rest of the 88 mile trip. We left the dock and got in line for the 4 o'clock bridge opening with many super yachts. We were able to sail for only an hour before turning on the "Iron Genny" (motor) but we had a easy passage in fairly calm waters, arriving to the USVI at 9:30 am.