Sunday, January 13, 2013

We must be in Saint Maartin


Misquoting Captain Ron, "When we left… we had just enough wine to get to Saint Maartin… AND WE ARE OUT OF WINE!!"

If that doesn't make sense to you then watch "Captain Ron" or even this little clip.

After our anchoring adventure at Cane Garden Bay we went up to Leverick Bay to stage for our trip to Saint Maartin.  But also to get the ice and water that comes with the cost of a mooring ball and to go to the the Michael Bean Arrrrrrrrgggghhhh Pirate show.  Well worth the trip.  If you get a chance, check out the Arrrrggghhh show.  He is a very energetic, enthusiastic entertainer and you really get caught up in the act.  Lots of fun!  And there is a humanitarian side to his work.  He supports a school in Isle la Vache in Haiti.  Good stuff.

Talk like a pirate - Arrrggghhhh!

We had hoped that lots of folks would be making the trip with us but after a couple of failed attempts on the VHF radio to raise cruisers who might be heading our way we cleared customs at Gun Creek ($0.75) and took off by ourselves.  That's always a worry - what do they know that we don't?  Are we stupid to leave now?

Saw Sir Richard kiteboarding with Christie Clark on his back at Necker Island
Problem was, we hadn't seen a good crossing window in 2 weeks nor was there one on the horizon.  So we left.  It wasn't horrible… but it wasn't great.  The winds were a little too high, the waves were a little too steep and choppy and it's no fun trying to adjust sails at night.  We had a reefed main and took down our jib and put out the little staysail instead.  So we just gritted it out.

Six hours out of St. Maartin the alternator failed again so that just added to the angst.  But the dawn brought our first glimpses of St. Maartin and all of a sudden we are here.  At anchor Glen found a broken wire leading to the alternator so now that's all good.

Got cut off by this guy


Sun rising as we arrive at St. Maartin
We attempted to cross under a lift-bridge into the lagoon at 8:15AM but after circling for an hour we were informed that it wasn't going to open at 8:15, 2:30, 5:30 or, in fact, all weekend due to a problem.  So we decided to anchor in Marigot Bay.


Right away we met up with cruising friends from last year - it was so nice to see familiar faces in a new spot.

For the cruisers who are searching for info… you need to know that the French side is decidedly laid back while the Dutch are very serious about this running-a-country business.  Our Dutch friend Tina would probably wag her long finger at the way the French run their affairs here.  

A lot of french speaking on the radio - good thing Glen is fluent in french.  Zut alors!

We dinghied up to the Captainery - very official sounding.  The guy in charge was dressed like Glen - shorts, t-shirt and very friendly.  He definitely didn't go to the same border-guard school as the boys and girls that we've met at home and in our travels.  He sent us off to a computer to fill in our info - when we printed the form he asked for $7 and sent us on our way.  What a nice guy.  We thought of inviting him over for dinner.


Marigot Bay

Non opening bridge

Clearing in

Dinghy dock in Marigot

Fellow cruisers in Marigot Bay
We will explore here for a week or so.  Dale Taylor tells us there are several interesting clothing rules on some of the beaches so we will have to avoid those.  After that we will look at the other island opportunities around to see where the wind blows us!

We celebrated our arrival here - and JINDER'S 50TH BIRTHDAY!!! - with a bottle of cava!  Happy Birthday, Jinder.

4 comments:

  1. C'mon, go for a nude swim! You don't need to blog about it, but you should do it!

    Also, beautiful pictures - it looks gorgeous! Glad you made it safe!

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  2. That must be so amazing to have the sun come up over a brand new place to explore!

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  3. Just swim out, whip off that bathing suit and there you have it - nude swimming in the Caribbean and nobody can see you, of course you have to keep a firm grip on those articles of clothing or then everyone will get to see all your bits when you have to make your way up the beach. Glad you made it safely.

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  4. Congrats Blue Perl our leader! St Maaaaaaaten....ahhhh how nice! Looks great.

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