APRIL 2012
SINT MARRTEN -STMARTIN
Physically this island is unique as it has a large relatively deep land locked lagoon that allows vessels including big deep draft yachts to enter through lifting bridges and escape the ocean swells outside. This island is an oddity in that it is half Dutch known as Sint Marrten and half French known as St Martin. The politics might be complex and disjointed but the nautical business and services are vast and simple to access which is why this tax free island is popular with cruisers. To make it even better is the well known fact that the canny Dutch seek out the best deals everywhere for everything so pricing on the Dutch side in particular was really sharp with the French not far off the pace.
We get the distinct impression this place is home to a veritable flotilla of eccentric old salts and their craft who have either lost their way, lost their heads or lost their finances. Each morning there is a cruisers net on the VHF radio with a buy sell or swap session that is pure comedy to tune in to. Some of these geezers are trying to sell fresh air and others trying buy items for water. It was sort of double dutch and very humorous but some good deals were hatched and done and all transparently over the radio.
We chose to anchor off the Dutch side in Simson Bay and dinghy in to the lagoon to shop and socialize. The decider was that outside we could swim in the clear waters and inside not. We stayed for 3 weeks splitting time between Simson Bay and Marigot Bay on the French side.
The Dink Debacle – Living ashore we have a car to runabout. Living aboard we have a Dink or RIB (rigid inflatable boat) with an outboard motor. The Musketelle Dink is coming up for 10 years old but with her hypalon inflatable buoyancy hulls in good overall condition she has few years left in her particularly as B made a great suncover back in Australia 2008. The only problem is a recalcitrant leak between the fiberglass hull and the false floor buoyancy chamber which lets in saltwater, dramatically increasing the overall weight. In Sint Marrten the two major chandleries are in hot competition over everything but particularly RIBs the majority of which are made in Venezuela or Columbia. So we go shopping to replace said dink and note the new options have eliminated the false floor chamber. The going rate is around US$3K and we would get next to nothing for our trusty old stead. This does not make sense so guess what. P digs out the skill saw and chops out the false floor saying it will take a few days and we will have a new type dink for less than $200 for fiberglass and gelcoat. The $200 was accurate but it took 7 days until finally completed and we were affected by boatbuilders itch as the resulting fiberglass dust permeated every nook and cranny of Musketelle and our bodies. But we now have a RIB that is 20kg lighter and does not leak saltwater and with the big 15hp Mercury flys across the water compared with the weighty version….and we saved $3k !!
BVI’s - BRITISH VIRGIN ISANDS
Next stop we are back with the Brits in the BVI’s sailing passed Richard Branson island of Neckar into Bitter End Sound at the north end of the island of Virgin Gorda. We hang on the hook here for 4 days as a weather system passes before commencing our cruise around the islands that make up the BVI’s. The island and anchorage route place names convey the history of these islands when privateers (pirates)ruled the waves in these latitudes…..
Virgin Gorda -Bitter End
Great Dog – South East Bay
Virgin Gorda - Saint Thomas Bay (The Baths)
Great Camanoe- Low Bay
Cooper Island - Hallover Bay
Tortola - Road Town
Peter Island - Great Harbour
Norman Island - Privateer Bay
Tortola - Sopers Hole
Jost Van Dyke- Foxys Great Harbour
After a couple of weeks in the BVI’s we headed west for the US protectorate of PR.
PUERTO RICO
Isla De Culebra is an island off the eastern end of the main island of Puerto Rico and its history is as a US Military base for 40 odd years up until the mid 1980’s. The town of Dewey is located at a point where a strategic canal with a lifting bridge opens up the Ensanada Honda lagoon to the open sea on the west side of the island. We anchored in the protected waters of the lagoon and were comfortable leaving Musketelle here to take the 2 hour ferry ride to the port of Farjardo on mainland Puerto Rico on two occasions one of which we hired a car and visited San Juan the capital. Look at these pics of Old San Juan the oldest European settlement in the Americas.......and still looking good with Spanish style.
