SV Windrifter42

Sunday, June 16 -19, 2011
Simpson Bay, St. Martin

We had a great evening visiting our fellow boaters. We didn't get back until 11 p.m. so it was a late night. Can't beat an evening of great conversation, getting a tour of another liveaboard boat, sharing baguettes and pates = and liming (relaxing).

Can't believe we leave tomorrow or that we have been here almost a week. The time flew by and we don't know how we did so little. We had lots of going back and forth in the dinghy for supplies, long walks into town for provisions and just sitting in cafes enjoying the scenery. I am sure it now takes at least five days in a new harbor to get anything done. In St. Martin it went a little like this. Day one - you arrive. We were exhausted from our 30 hour sail from St. John - it was a bouncy and difficult passage. We made it into Simpson Lagoon through the 11:30 bridge opening (it opens only three times per day). We then had about an hour or so just looking for a good place to anchor - we wanted to be on the French side and ended up just off the airport at the end of the run way (shades of Southport Marina and the Portland Jetport). We got a bit cleaned up and put the dinghy in the water. John went to shore but by the time he got there at 4 p.m. customs was closed. Day Two. We slept late and then took ourselves a nice shower. Lovely. We cleaned up the boat some more and then John was off again to customs. He said checkin was easy, he typed his own paperwork - and the cost was only $8 USD for as long as we wanted to stay. He came back to get me and we went over to the French side to some walking around - and looking for internet. We also dropped off our laundry at the laundramat. It is very rare to find a self-serve laundry and most places in the islands you drop it off and pick it up at the end of the day. Day Three. We bought lots of boat supplies. We did a bit of comparison shopping but most things we needed were at Island Water World - and they give a good discount to visiting boaters. They folks there are very very nice and since I got to spend almost three hours there over two days - they quickly felt like family. We bought more spare pumps - you can never have enough pumps on board - and charts to upcoming islands. We also went over to Barnicles for the boaters Happy Hour and met some fellow boaters - one couple is also on their way to Grenada - another has decided to stay in St. Martin for the hurricane season. They got a great rate on a marina - and are putting in a hurricane mooring for the months of September, October and November. Day Four. This was our last day to get things we missed. One more day of great French breakfast - coffee, baguette with butter and jam and a chocolate croissant with orange juice for just $5 Euros. We went food shopping at the Grand Marche - a lovely grocery but almost a two mile walk from town. We also made runs to the gas station for fuel and picked up some water in our jugs. We spend Sunday evening hanging out with fellow boaters we met and eating pate and hummus until 11 p.m. Day Five. We need to make the 11:30 bridge and there is still a lot to do. We need one more run to the Island World (forgot a few charts) and one more to the local market (sandwich meat and bread) - then we need to get the dinghy and motor onboard. It always takes a bit of time to get the dinghy disassembled and tied to the deck. It didn't look like we would make it, but John said let's keep trying - and voila - we made the bridge with 10 minutes to spare. St Martin was lovely, convenient for shopping and eating - but in the spring I hope to add a few days for sightseeing and climbing some of these nearby hills - oh and just sitting on the beach.