May 31 – June 03,2010
We made an overnight passage from St. John to St. Martin arriving at 8:30am. On the way we were treated to a group of Dancing Dolphins who played around the boat and rode along racing the boat and generally having a wonderful time. My spirits soar whenever these powerful and graceful beings appear to grace us with their presence. I have yet to be in a situation where I get into the water with them but I am hopeful that too will come in time. We set our anchor in Simpson Bay on the Danish Side of the Island and checked in with customs and immigration. There is no cost to check in but there is a $27.00 fee upon clearing out. Many cruisers opt to stay in Marigot Bay, on the French Side of the Island as there are no fees however retail prices of goods and services are quite a bit higher. We found Island Water World on the Danish Side to have prices comparable to the US and well stocked with most anything we might need for the boat. There was also an Ace Hardware here and so we picked up some additional home furnishings and parts to spruce up the inside of DD. We were also able to have our spare alternator rebuilt finally and so now have a working replacement should we run into problems with the current one. While we didn’t anchor on the French side of the Island we did take a dingy ride across the lagoon and walked around the town and hiked up to Fort Louis and toured their museum. In the evenings we enjoyed the spectacle of zooplankton swimming to the surface and glowing with phosphorescence. We had two large Day Charter Sailing Catamarans moored close to us and during our time there watched the morning and evening routines of the Capitains, and Crew and they readied their boats or cleaned them after a full day of catering to the somewhat inebriated sometimes dancing masses whom they would return safely to the dock laughing and smiling despite their sunburns. It was astonishing, the speed which the crew could complete their duties at the end of their shift and get off of their boats. Eager, I’m sure, to pursue their own leisure activities. We have entered the land of fantastic bread. We stopped at a French bakery and indulged in a couple of pastries and purchased a loaf of Rye and another loaf with a strange shape, golden inside with a wonderful crispy crust, that turned out to be some of the best we have ever tasted. We still don’t know what kind it was but it was finished off within a day of it’s purchase and when we returned for more there was none to be found. Lesson learned, when you find something you really like purchase immediately and in sufficient quantity.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Living the Dream 