December 18, 2018
We arrived at St. Martin in time for the 11:30 a.m. Simpson Bay bridge opening . This bridge takes you into a very large lagoon that straddles both the French side and Dutch side of the island. St. Martin/Sint Maarten is unusual in that it is one island and two countries. The story is told that the French and Dutch each chose one of their best runners and sent them off in opposite directions and whereever they met was going to be where they would draw the line between the starting and finishing point for the two countries. No border crossing and one doesn’t really notice when you cross between the two. For currency the French side uses U.S./Euro and the Dutch side uses U.S./Guilders.
This one is coming through the Simpson Bay bridge into the lagoon to join many,
many more super yachts.
We usually come in the French side as clearing is so much easier and actually cheaper. All they ask is for a small donation to the local search and rescue group at the places we clear in at. Unfortunately the bridge into the French side from Marigot is not operating and not scheduled to operate until sometime in February, hence entering in from the Dutch side. We still anchored on the French side but to get to the French side we had to go through a second bridge, the Causeway Bridge which is a newer swing bridge versus the draw bridge style for the first bridge.
We are here as it is an incredible resource for purchasing boat maintenance items with two very large chandleries and many other suppliers. No duty plus freight comes by both air and ship on a regular basis. We are expecting some freight any day; a water maker and a new spinnaker. Ron will also be installing our AIS system while we are here. This is a global/international real time vessel tracking system. All larger commercial traffic are required to have this and this make it much safer to be seen electronically. Once it is installed and registered we will see if we can put a link or something on the blog to follow.
One of our St. Martin favourite things to do is check out the welcoming committee. These critters line the French Canal coming into the lagoon, sunning themselves on the rocks and decks.
December 23, 2018
Ron has been busy working on the installation of the water maker. The installation seems quite complicated and requires a lot of planning and thinking. It will draw seawater in and expel the concentrated briny water out. This must happen through a hole in the boat and as there are already a number of thru hulls on the boat, it is safer to use an existing hole rather than add more. Lots of thought and research is going into this endeavor. We spent yesterday sourcing parts for the installation going between Island Water World, Budget Marine, Electec and the local NAPA store. They are all conveniently located on or near the Lagoon, so we are able to go just about every where by dinghy and dock right at the establishment. The water maker once installed will make us that much closer to being self sufficient.
Last year we installed an arch with solar panels that produce all the power we need. Prior to having this we would have to run one of the engines about two hours a day to keep the batteries charged. So nice not to have to do that. Our water storage is 600 litres and this sounds like a lot but really isn’t. We are always conscious of using water to make it last longer, not because it is expensive but just inconvenient to pull up anchor to head into a fuel dock or marina to take on water. We find it a bit embarrassing to take on more water than fuel. Other options would be to fill plastic jugs or here in the lagoon one also has the option of having it delivered to the boat by Biscuitin, a repurposed life boat.
I have been busy doing my normal boat chores and cleaning up after Ron, but have also made time to go out and enjoy some of what St. Martin has to offer. I went off one day by local bus and went into Phillipsburg to do a little Christmas Shopping. Phillipsburg is where the cruise ships come into and I managed to hit a day without cruise ships. The place was pretty empty considering it was the last Friday before Christmas. On another day Robin & Michael of Sea Biscuit who are anchored not to far from us, invited Ron and I to go to the beach with them. Ron elected to stay and man the boat and carry on his installation, while I jumped at the chance. They introduced me to one of their favourite beaches, one that I hadn’t been to. Mullet Bay beach is a beautiful little crescent shaped beach not to close to any hotel that is actually just a short bus ride away from where we are located.
December 24, 2018
Today was pretty much like yesterday with us up and out the door fairly early as a lot of the stores were closing at noon or 1:00 p.m. Ron collected more of his plumbing supplies and I scooped a small Christmas Tree and groceries. On our way back to the boat, we came across a fellow boater with dinghy engine problems, so we towed him back to his boat.
Tonight we went out for dinner to a new restaurant on the Lagoon called Ludo’s. The food was amazing. You can drive the dinghy right up to the front of the restaurant. It seems this restaurant regularly has music and tonight’s music was steel drums. We hear them often at functions or restaurants and to be honest we weren’t excited about tonight’s music. Well we were pleasantly surprised as the music was excellent. Here is a short clip of Ed Sheerhan’s Perfect, it is not quite like Ed and Andrea Bocelli, but still pretty enjoyable:
December 29, 2018
Not much new here other than Ron has made progress on the water maker. Today we made water and everything seemed to work well. He is busy finishing the installation as I type. When it is all done, I will post some pictures. While waiting for some silicone to dry he recharged our freezer system. It took us some time trekking around to find the right connections to hook up to the freezer/fridge system. Last year we paid a technician to come to the boat for a 10 minute fix. Not any more as we now have the tools. As you can see from the photo below nothing is easy on a boat as the spaces are always tight.
One of the treats of being on a French island is the bread & pastries. A couple of times while we have been out and about, we have stopped at a lovely little bakery/café called Le Sucre. Another one of those destinations that you pull your dinghy up to the dock. Unfortunately this one’s dock has yet to be repaired after Hurricane Irma. It is a bit risky getting to the building but oh so worth it. Lunch has been a sandwich that is so simple but so good, a very fresh baguette with French cheese, and of course then there are the desserts.
On Primula 