I had an appointment at the hair salon at 10AM. Rick dropped me off and then went by himself to by some nice French baguettes. We met afterward and had a light lunch before returning to the boat.
I had boiled eggs and potatoes before leaving in the morning and when I returned just after noon, they were the perfect temperature for making potato salad. Next, I made some coleslaw. Making the salads freed up a little space in the refrigerator as somehow the cabbage, carrots potatoes, celery, eggs and green onions seem to take up less room in salad form.
We arrived at the airport in plenty of time to meet Carol's flight which was at 4PM. Wouldn't you know it, it was delayed by 40 minutes.
The time passed quickly and Carol was the first person through the security doors. We returned to the boat and opened a bottle of champagne. After talking non-stop, eating too many appetizers and quite a bit of wine (after the champagne), everyone decided that we didn't need anymore food. My dinner plans were put on hold until another night.
We went below while Carol opened her suitcase. It was like Christmas with all of the gifts she brought for us. In fact, she even brought us a Christmas card. Everyone crashed early.
Carol's first night here was non-stop rain with high gusty winds. When we awoke in the morning, it appeared as if it would be an all day rain. We took a chance in between rain showers to race in the dinghy to the French side.
Our first stop was the nice bakery on the seaside of Marigot (Sarafina's). When we left there, we roamed around the stalls in the market and then made our way downtown. It was siesta time on the French side so many of the stores were closed but there were enough of them open that we could browse. We stopped for an ice cream and espresso during one shower and then went for a beer at one of our favourite restaurants to kill some time until the wine store reopened.
When we left the French side, we stopped and left our purchases at the boat before going to the yacht club for our regular Friday night wave to the incoming yachts.
Dinner was at Topper's and it was a good thing we arrived early this week as the place was packed. As people learn about Topper's, a new restaurant, it is becoming very popular.
We made it all night without rain but it sure clouded over in the morning. We had a small loaf of black bread that we had purchased from the French bakery yesterday toasted with French Swiss cheese. I hadn't picked up Orange juice yet so instead of mimosas with breakfast we had champagne with strawberries.
By the time we were ready to leave the boat, the sky had cleared and the sun was shining.
We took a bus into Philipsburg where we roamed the stores and spent more money than we should have. Carol bought herself a new camera and some earrings. Rick bought himself a few new shirts. Not to be outdone I bought some pillow covers for the boat and a new dress.
When we left Front Street, we walked along the boardwalk looking for a restaurant with a big Canadian flag. We found it at the very end of the boardwalk and met Phil, the owner who is from Orillia, Ontario. One of our website stowaways had recommended this beach bar as having the best Poutine on St Martin. With a statement like that, we had to check it out. It was certainly better than what we had tasted at Pineapple Pete's.
When we were returning to the boat, we ran into Lynn and Paul (Kiana) and suggested that they join us for dinner onboard. It was great fun. Carol brought us a game of Rummikub, so the four of them played the game while I made dinner. I made some salad and cooked up the frozen slipper lobsters that I had stashed in the freezer. It was a great impromptu dinner.
The wind was howling off and on all night but not enough to prevent anyone from having a good night sleep.
We stayed onboard all day and just relaxed. The lagoon remained choppy and rough as the wind continued strong all day.
I think Carol brought this weather with her. It rained frequently during the night and the wind had us heeling over at times, it was blowing so strong.
When the sky cleared a little, she and I went ashore while Rick stayed onboard. Rick and Paul were working on the engine.
Carol and I walked through Simpson Bay over the bridge and to the Marina. I stopped and purchased some items from the pharmacy before we went to Jimbo's for lunch.
After lunch, we took a bus into Maho, watched the planes landing, and then roamed the Maho stores. Rick called and said he was coming to meet us late in the afternoon.
We all had a beer then returned to the boat for happy hour and dinner. I put a small roast in the oven and cooked up some veggies.
Other than a couple of showers overnight, it was good sleeping weather.
Poor Carol jumped up in the middle of the night, closed her port but only closed the side dogs not the bottom ones, allowing rain to come in all over her items sitting on the shelf below. The other day she had opened a hatch and not locked it. A strong gust of wind blew it open smashing the solar fan on it. Rick has her in advanced training for opening and closing ports and hatches. Until she graduates, hatches are out of bounds.
We spent most of the day at Kim Sha beach under a Palapa umbrella. We had to get our own drinks and lunch from Buccaneer's bar because we learned that Nisha is off on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
Dinner was onboard.
We have learned that Wednesday is the busiest day of the week for cruise ships. The island, streets, beaches and restaurants are overflowing on this day every week. Instead of trying to mingle with the crowds, we went by dinghy over to Marigot on the French side and from there we took a local bus to Grand Case. In Grand Case, we sat on the beach under an umbrella and had a nice dip in the water before lunch.
Every time we have mentioned Grand Case, someone asks if we have had ribs at the Talk of the Town Restaurant. Up until now, we hadn't but today we decided to try the ribs. It was interesting; we each received a full rack of barbecued ribs for $4 each. The many side dishes that were available were $2 each. The food was good and we certainly received our monies worth but it wasn't the same as having a lunch in one of the nice (expensive) French restaurants down the road.
We returned to Marigot in the afternoon. There we stopped at the bakery for bread and the wine store for a few more bottles of wine.
It was almost happy hour when we returned to the boat but Rick and I were more tired than happy. We skipped the drinks and had a short siesta while Carol read her Diana Gabaldon book.
No one was hungry after the huge lunch we had so dinner was pâté, cheese and of course wine.
There was a heavy rain that looked as if it would last all day but it cleared just before noon.
We received a call from our friends Joe and Elaine (Island Girl), in Carriacou who had heard that "Cost U Less" had a great cordless drill for $50. Joe asked if we would be able to pick one up for him. Since things don't last long at "Cost U Less" we raced down there today but even still it was too late.
When we returned to the boat in the afternoon, it was a beautiful day. We left our purchases onboard and headed to "Fathoms" in the dinghy. Fathoms is the new restaurant that has great appetizers but not so great entrees.
It was almost dinner time when we left there so rather than having a meal, we played a game of Rummikub and waited until just before going to bed and had a sandwich.
It was another overcast day but this time it looked hopeful. We dropped laundry at Shrimpy's, went to Paradise Found to book a party boat trip for next week and then got on the bus to go to the beach.
This time we went to Mullet Bay. It was a perfect day, not too crowded. The swells were rolling in and provided some huge breaking waves at the shore, which were dangerous but fun.
We had lunch from Rosie's Tiki Bar on the beach. Late in the afternoon, we saw Brazil Nut, a trimaran owned by a couple of crazy guys from Brazil. They do day charters and often go to Tintamarre for the mud bathes. They hadn't gone there today but still had a pail of mud. I joined in with their charter guests and smothered myself with the nice smooth mud. After it dried, the challenge was to get back in the water with the breaking waves and clean it off. As it happened, a huge wave broke well over our heads and we were clean in no time.
We returned to the boat and skipped the yacht club this Friday night.
After a wonderful night sleep with no rain and just a light breeze, we had breakfast and headed out.
Our first stop was Budget Marine where we bought some new fenders. The ones I really wanted were not in stock and had to be shipped from Sweden so forget that. I bought plain ordinary fenders. Rick purchased a new cutlass bearing just in case ours needs replacing this year. He doesn't think it will but you never know.
We went to Peg Legs Restaurant for lunch famous for their hamburgers and none of us had a hamburger.
Rick needed outboard oil from Island Water World then a final stop at Shrimpy's to pick up some fresh fruit and clean laundry.
The afternoon was spent reading and relaxing. Carol lounged in the sun on deck while Rick and I opted for shade.
Later in the afternoon, we played another game of Rummikub before dinner.
Lynn and Paul invited us for Eggs Benedict for breakfast onboard Kiana. I made a huge fruit salad; Paul served mimosas and after breakfast made us some of his special coffee.
It was well into the afternoon when we returned to the boat and had a few hours of rest and relaxation before another game of Rummikub. This game is becoming almost as habit forming as dominoes.
We spent another day on the French side. Carol purchased a new blouse and sweater from Paris. I found a gold necklace and pendant that I knew Rick would want to give me for Valentines Day this week.
We had lunch at Tropicana and killed time by drinking their vanilla rum until the stores opened again after siesta. We then picked up a baguette, wine, pâté and cheese before returning to the boat.
Everyone was a little tired. We all had enough to drink and eat so that none of us was hungry. In fact, as we sat in the cockpit we discussed whether we would be able to stay awake until after dark. In the end, we started gabbing and eventually had a little cheese and baguette. By the time we went to bed it was after 10:30PM, our latest night yet.
I don't know where the strong winds came from but they were gusting all last night and were whipping up the lagoon so that our dinghy ride was extremely wet. Right after breakfast, we went to the yacht club and left the dinghy there while we walked across the street to the Royal Palm Hotel. We are going on a party boat tomorrow and the dinghy dock at the Royal Palm is where we are to be picked up. Once we knew exactly which dock, we returned to the dinghy and Rick dropped Carol and me off at Jimbo's. There we sat in the pool at the swim up bar and drank Mega Rita fruit drinks while Rick took the bus toward town to the hardware store. He priced all of the cordless drills there for our friend Joe back in Carriacou.
Carol and I got out of the pool because we were cold. The wind was strong, the water was cold and we were sitting in the shade. Our timing was perfect because as soon as we settled at a table Rick arrived. We lunched on appetizer plates that at Jimbo's are huge.
After lunch, we went by dinghy to Palapa marina where we crossed the street to an Endless Summer bathing suit store. There Carol roamed and found a bathing suit she liked.
Finally, we returned to the boat and again found that the day had slipped by quickly. We sat in the cockpit and watch the sky turn a lovely red as the sun set.
The alarm was set for 5:45AM so that Rick could get up and prepare the coffee and tea. The problem is that Rick never hears the alarm so both Carol and I were awake before him. He sent us back to bed until the coffee was ready.
We had a quick breakfast and then got ready to party on the large catamaran, Lambada. As instructed, we arrived at the dinghy dock of the Royal Palm hotel before 8AM. It seemed strange that by 8AM we were still the only ones there. I called the number for the Lambada and the lady who answered assured me that someone would be here to pick us up soon.
Sure enough, a water taxi raced across the bay and took us to the Pelican Resort. I'm not sure why we weren't instructed to go there ourselves like everyone else. Everyone had to show their receipt and passport to get their boarding pass and lunch ticket. While we were waiting to board, I noticed many Transat Airline bags. Almost half of the passengers this day were Canadian.
The weather was perfect. There was a light breeze, flat seas and almost no clouds. The rum punch was flowing as soon as we boarded.
Our first stop was Sandy Island, just off Anguilla. It had a beautiful white sandy beach but the reef that we had come to snorkel by was very dead. There were a few small fish that excited some of the tourists but we found the reef quite disappointing.
No one needed to tell us that it was lunchtime. After our snorkel, everyone was hungry even though we had been eating apple, cheese and baguettes.
It took less than half an hour for the captain to get us to Road Bay, which is the main port of entry in Anguilla. Anguilla is a British Island, so in Carol's short stay of two weeks she has been on a Dutch, French and now an English Island. Anguilla is a small and very low island. There isn't a lot there other than beautiful white sand beaches and many coral reefs. A huge lunch was prepared for us of ribs, chicken or fish with salad and rice. It was served as we sat under large umbrellas at picnic tables on the beach.
After lunch we all went for a swim until the captain sounded the horn indicating it was time to leave.
It was a great trip back to Sint Maarten, with Bob Marley music playing and more rum punch flowing. Carol had wanted to take us out for dinner tonight but we were all tired and still full from the huge lunch that we had. We all chose to return to the boat, have a nice shower and crash for the evening.
Carol had to fly home this afternoon so we decided to leave the dinghy at Shrimpy's and walk to Topper's for lunch. On the way back we bar hopped back to the dinghy stopping at the Yacht Club, Ric's Place and lastly at Shrimpy's. Carol and I sat there while Rick returned to the boat for her bags.
We left her at the airport knowing her flight was going to be an hour late in leaving.
Rick let me sleep late this morning. I heard him on the computer and when I did awake he let me know that we acquired a Trojan. I hadn't really planned to clean the computer this morning but it seemed like a good time to do it. It didn't take too long so I still had time to gather laundry to go ashore and also do some hand laundry.
Meanwhile, Rick checked batteries, strainers and all other things that had been put on hold for a couple of weeks.
In the afternoon, we watched a movie and TV and had a siesta.
It was another beautiful day. Rick cleaned the waterline on the boat while I did some more hand laundry.
We discussed going out for dinner or lunch but neither of us really wanted to go anywhere. We stayed onboard and relaxed for the day.
I think we're all rested up and we're also almost caught up with emails. Carnival begins today on the French side. We took the advice of Paul and Lynn (Kiana) and left the boat around 1:30PM. Although the parade goes all through Marigot, they suggested we find a spot near the stadium. It was good advice.
We found Julio dancing to the music with the chicken and ribs on his barbecue. Although his name is Julio, everyone calls him "Moose", whoops, he corrected me, it's "Mousse" because we are on the French side. In fact, we were at a place called "Mousse's Barbecue" just outside the stadium. We each had two beers and a chicken dinner with potato salad and green salad. Total price was $18. After we finished our meal, Mousse brought us barbecued turkey wing (on the house) to try. We had eaten enough food again so neither of us would want dinner later.
The parade was great fun and the costumes were well done. I was surprised because each group had a truck ahead of them providing the music with heart thumping speakers. The same trucks provided refreshments to those dancing in the parade. The reason for the surprise was that the trucks didn't just have coolers of water, they had a full bar setup. Granted, we are in the islands and I guess they dance a little crazier with a variety of refreshments.
Our friend Mousse suggested that we would enjoy Mardi gras on Tuesday. Same time and place. We will certainly try to be there. (So much for getting ready to leave).
When the parade had passed us, we made our way back to the marina through the back streets. We had to stop and let the beginning of the parade pass before we could cross the very last street to get to our dinghy. It was still daylight when we were back onboard our own boat.
It was a good day for boat chores. There was very little wind and the sky was overcast just enough to prevent the sun from being scorching hot.
After breakfast, Rick took a stack of American coins and Euros over to Sarafina's Bakery on the French side. The girl that works there had told us she has a very difficult time obtaining coins from the bank and could use any that we had. We had over $35 worth of coins because we don't seem to have them with us to spend. They are too heavy to carry around in our pockets.
While there, Rick purchased a nice round country loaf of bread and a small loaf of black bread. The black bread is similar to a heavy pumpernickel loaf smothered in poppy seeds. When he returned to the boat they were still warm from the oven. This nice dark bread was perfect for the French Swiss cheese and baked Virginia ham I had onboard (some of the advantages of being in St Martin).
Rick work outside polishing the last remaining few feet of the deck. I worked below cleaning and tidying.
In the afternoon, Rick returned to Budget Marine with the fenders we purchased last week. We did not have them inflated because onboard we have a couple of different pumps that should have been able to do the job (we thought). After trying every nozzle we owned, Rick gave up. What he learned at the store was any compressor has the nozzle we need. Since we're not divers, we don't have a compressor on board so Budget inflated all of the new fenders for us.
In the afternoon we read and relaxed.
We returned to Marigot on the French side today for Mardi Gras but this time Anne and Steve (Receta) and Lynn and Paul (Kiana) decided to come along as well. We all met at Mousses Barbecue where Mousse gave us a complementary plate of ribs. Later we each ordered our own plates of ribs and chicken and finished eating just in time for the parade.
Mardi Gras began with the same parade as the other day but it moved a lot faster and went a lot further. It was to finish back at the stadium (where it began) for the party but we didn't stay around that long.
We dinghied back to the boat and almost made it there before a rain shower came through. We were only about two boat lengths away when the sky opened up. We climbed aboard and Rick raised the dinghy for the night.
It was only a few minutes later that we had a call from Steve asking if we would like to join him and Ann with Chris and Yani (Magus) for dinner onboard Receta. Not that we were hungry because we weren't but Steve had caught a large King Fish (King Mackerel) and it was going to be barbecued for dinner so we couldn't pass it up.
Rick lowered the dinghy again and we drifted a few feet over to Receta anchored beside us. It was a lovely evening and dinner was awesome. Hungry or not, we all cleaned our plates.
After breakfast, Rick finished waxing the last couple of feet on the deck. While he was doing that, I connected to WiFi and updated the pictures on the web site.
We both stopped for lunch and wouldn't you know it, as soon as lunch was finished a good rain shower arrived. It was a good time for a siesta so we both picked up our books and took a break until the sky cleared.
It's a beautiful day in the lagoon but we can hear people on the radio out in the bay who are not as comfortable. There are some very large swells from the northwest making the sea a little rolly. Some of the charter fishermen had guests hanging over the rails, in the 13 to 15 foot seas.
We seriously started preparations for our departure from here. We took a couple of bags of books and exchanged them at Peg Leg Pub (best book exchange on the island) and at Business Point where there was a small but good selection of books. We stopped at Peg Leg for lunch and then went over to the other side of the bay where we picked up Ursula. Ursula is not a sail maker but she does do canvas work. We brought her to the boat so that she could measure and make new fender holders (bags) for us. Our existing bags have lasted six years and they worked well so we wanted new ones made almost the same as our old ones but to fit the new fenders.
When we took Ursula back we started buying a few things from our to-do list to take back to Carriacou. Most of the shopping will wait until next week.
Our next stop was Palapa Marina where we booked a diver to come and clean the bottom of our boat next week.
Rick decided that the sink drain in the head should be replaced. Really it was just the shut off valve that he was going to replace but as he started taking it apart and pieces started breaking it seemed like a good idea to replace the whole thing. It was a wise move to do it here where parts are readily available. He went ashore and took a bus to the hardware store where he was able to buy the pieces he thought he needed. It ended up that they were not quite the right ones so next he dinghied over to Budget Marine.
The drain didn't come apart easily. It took two of us with huge wrenches twisting with all our strength. He had done a great job sealing the old parts with 5200. Eventually, it all came apart but in the end he used all new parts including hose and built it brand new. Even new 5200 was used so it won't becoming apart again for a long time.
Although it was Friday, we finished just before 4PM and Rick looked exhausted. It seemed a good night to stay onboard and skip the yacht club get together.
We received an email last night that our friends Max and Kristen (Kandu) were on there way to St Martin and should be here by morning. Sure enough, they came through the 9AM opening of the bridge. We waited until they were anchored just behind us and then stopped by their boat to say hello. They had to check in and we were going shopping. Our get together would wait until happy hour this evening.
Rick and I went to the French side to do some "Paris" shopping. I wanted new shoes and a purse. It's good to know that I haven't lost my sense of good quality. The first couple of purses I looked at were pushing $400 each. They were nice to look at but definitely not within my price range. We roamed many more stores and eventually I was able to find both shoes and purse from Paris at a price I could afford.
We returned to the boat, had a snack and rested, then I put on a fashion show for Rick, new dress, necklace, shoes the works. After wearing nothing but sandals for more than five years I definitely have duck feet. All long term cruisers have duck feet. Our feet and toes have spread so wide from wearing sandals or no shoes that normal shoes are difficult to wear. Not only that, I haven't put on a pair of high heels in a long time. So, I was a little wobbly modeling my new clothes on the boat and I'm most probably going to continue to wobble on terra firma but it feels nice to dress up a little.
At 4PM we headed over to Fathoms where we were to meet Kristen and Max. I called Lynn (Kiana) to see if she and Paul would like to join us. Paul who has not been well, is now in the hospital. Lynn said that she would stop by on her way back to their boat and fill us in on how he was doing. Paul has been having chest pains and it now appears that he may need angioplasty, which is not done in any of the hospitals on this island. He'll know better on Monday but he may have to go to Martinique or Guadeloupe for the procedure.
Paul and Lynn are good friends with Kristen and Max so the evening was a wonderful opportunity to catch up and learn where everyone has been and what they have been doing for the last year.
This was my day to pull the boat apart. I started to do a complete inventory of supplies beginning in the head. I went through absolutely everything. First aid supplies, cold, allergy and flu, prescription drugs etc. I counted every pill, bottle and container. Many of our first aid supplies have expired and will have to be replaced either here, Carriacou or Toronto.
Counting sorting and reorganizing took most of the morning. Then I had to create a spreadsheet in the computer and corresponding shopping lists. The shopping list is quite long but we may not go as crazy with first aid supplies as we have in the past. We are planning to stay in the Eastern Caribbean; everything is very accessible in local pharmacies and clinics as compared to when we were in the out islands of Venezuela and the Bahamas or if we were to visit Central America.
Lynn (Kiana) called first thing in the morning to let us know that Paul is doing well. They are going to keep him in the hospital for a week on blood thinners. When he is stable, he will go to the U.S. for the angioplasty and shunt.
Rick took one of the propane tanks in to be filled, picked up a few supplies at Napa and then returned to the boat for me. We both went to Budget for a few more parts and pieces he wanted and then we went to the Chinese food restaurant down the street for lunch.
There was enough time in the afternoon to relax for a few minutes before having to leave and pick up the propane. As soon as Rick returned to the boat Peter and Nancy-June (Step Three) arrived and we all went to Fathoms (again) for happy hour. Lynn (Kiana) joined us there again and filled us in on the fact that Paul was still waiting to see the cardiologist who hadn't shown up yet.
We had more serious shopping to do to get ready to leave. Kristen (Kandu) joined us, Max doesn't like to shop. We went from store to store in Philipsburg and shopped like crazy people. We bought ourselves a blender, something that without the little Honda generator we never considered having on board before. Now we will not only be able to make wonderful fruit smoothies but puréed callaloo soup and maybe even some nice carrot soup. The carrots in the islands are huge but also very sweet. They would make a great soup.
We bought some small gifts for our friends back on Carriacou who we are anxious to see again.
It rained while we had lunch under a large umbrella on the boardwalk and again while we were having a coffee and desert at a little French place on Old Street. Each time when we were ready to leave, the sun came out and the sky turned a brilliant blue. Kristen had brought her umbrella but it wasn't required. Finally, we made our way to a bus, loaded down with as many bags as we could carry.
Rick took laundry and garbage ashore and then went into town. He had to stop at the hardware store and The Cost-U-Less store to purchase a list of items from there. I stayed onboard and ran the generator and watermaker while doing some hand laundry and waiting for the divers who were coming to clean the bottom of the boat.
Rick was gone so long that I started to worry about what might have happened to him. Just before reaching the panic point he called me on the VHF. The road traffic on the island was almost at a standstill. There are extra bridge openings, which backed everything up, a tour bus was broken down at a major roundabout and his bus broke down halfway back to Simpson Bay.
Later in the afternoon, we picked up our new fender bags. They looked perfect.
The Heineken Regatta kicked off with a party at the yacht club. We had heard that it might be by invitation only but we decided to see if we could get in. The club was packed during happy hour.
The "Sail" cable TV station interviewed me. When they asked if I would be participating in the race and I said no, they asked why not. I told them I was more of a professional cheerleader than a racer. I have no idea why they chuckled at that.
The boats coming through the bridge were definitely in a party mood. One sailboat even came through backwards, which resulted in the loudest of cheers from the crowd. While the bridge was open, a fire truck with sirens blaring needed to cross. When the bridge tender tried to close the bridge it wouldn't go down. He had to come out of his booth and go below to reset the breaker switches. Eventually, the bridge lowered long enough for the fire truck to cross.
There was a great band playing at the club called "One White Chic". True to it's name there was only one white chic in the band and she played an amazing saxophone. We stayed for a while and ran into quite a few cruisers we knew. When we went to leave Cheryl from Budget Marine, who was sponsoring the party, was standing at the entrance/exit and asked if we had an invitation. When we told her that we didn't but that we were leaving she said not to go, seeing as we were good Budget Marine customers. She then preceded to hand us a few free beer tickets. I love this "invitation only" party.
When we finally did break away from the party crowd we headed to Topper's for one last special dinner out. Wednesday night, their special is prime rib roast beef. Topper and Melody's daughter Drake, who is only three years old showed us to our table and gave us our menus. It was a lovely evening and we were able to say goodbye to all of our friends there.
