St. Martin by Land

In saving this blog entry, I noticed I’d saved an entry one year ago today.  Back then we’d been in the Abacos for five days and I was enjoying a cup of Roastaroma tea.  We’d left Charleston on January 7, 2012 at 4:00pm and after three nights and two days, arrived in Marsh Harbour at 8:30am on January 10.  On so many levels, we’ve come a long way from there.

 

Roxy and her people on Alibi

 

Marigot Bay waterfront

On December 8, 2012, we arrived in St. Martin along with Celtic Rover and Alibi.  We were glad that we’d arrived in the protected lagoon when we did as the wind and wave really picked up for the next several days.  We worked on boat projects, most notably the galley faucet (Note to self - add “basic plumbing” to the resume) and readied the boat to leave it at the dock for the two weeks we’d be in California.  Our dear friends on Alibi and Celtic Rover continued north to St. Croix and then to Culebra for the holidays.  Right before they left, Jan, Ann and I had a gals’ afternoon at a Marigot café to raise a glass of wine and try not to cry as I would not be seeing them for a month or more.  This may not seem like a long time, but when you become so closely entwined in one another’s lives, saying good-bye is tough.  But say good-bye, we did, and off they cruised.  Just to cut through some of the romanticism, my parting “gift” to Jan and to Ann was a roach hotel.  Not only does reality suck, as some of my high-schoolers would say, it sometimes crawls. 

My gals, Jan and Ann

Fair winds, Celtic Rover and Alibi!  See you up-island.

 

We moved the boat to the dock at Island Water World on December 18 and hooked up to shore power for the night as we’d be leaving the island for two weeks for a California visit.  Kim and Scott on Bella Blue had just arrived in St. Martin, so we got together for a visit aboard WW and caught up on our adventures of the past two months.  In the morning, we arranged for Tony, a local boat broker, to keep an eye on WW, particularly watching the voltage on the batteries to see that they were staying charged.  Dave and I flew out that afternoon.

Marin hills with a lone modest ranch with travel trailer



Jessica and Nick hiking the hills and gathering greenery for the weddin'

 

Dad and dot

 

Despite the chilly weather, we were warmed by seeing our family and friends in California where we attended Dave’s daughter’s wedding in Mill Valley.  It was charming and rustic and laced with lots of greenery and love befitting Jessica and Nick.  Dave enjoyed speaking on the phone with son Cody who lives and works in Montana.  It had been two years since Dave had seen his close friends, so he really enjoyed himself.  On my side, we had a family gathering at Mom’s house including cousins Jon and Ron.  We feasted on our local Napa favorite – malfatti from Lawler’s Liquor Store.  The weather cooperated nicely, and we were able to take a couple of beautiful hikes in Marin County.  Hiking the hills on sunny winter days with rain washed air made for fantastic views of our beloved North Bay, Golden Gate and Pacific Coast. 

The three bears...Lester, Dave, Willie

Dave visited Leo, his mentee of Mentor Me Petaluma

 

The only hitch is that three days after our arrival, we got a call from Tony who said that there was a problem with the battery charger and batteries.  For a few days we had anxious emails back and forth and I considered flying back.  Fortunately he was able to stabilize the situation so that we could finally relax and enjoy the wedding and the rest of our visit.  He is an angel, to be sure.  We flew back to St. Martin and stayed at the dock another week during which time two super electricians solved our issue with the battery charger and installed two new batteries.  Now all is charging smoothly. 

Cute town of Grand Case

Turquoise wall mirrors turquoise waters of Grand Case

 

A few days ago we came back out to the lagoon and anchored not too far from Bella Blue.  Yesterday the four of us rented a car for a little land excursion.  We circumnavigated the 39 square mile island, checking out the small bays on the north and east sides.  We had a too expensive though delicious meal at a beach café called The Bikini Beach Bar, but the view and ambiance was pretty nice. 

Yummy lunch and The "World Famous" Bikini Beach Bar

We tried to go to the butterfly farm but it closed early.  Darn.  That seems to happen a lot around here. -  sign says “Open till 3:30” which means 3:00.  We were surprised at how dry the north side of the island is – Mediterranean, sort of.  Most locals live in modest dwellings made of cinder block smoothed over and painted in pastels or white. 

 



Orient Bay view

Not too fancy resort and fan palm trees

Kim found a favorite...donkey!

 

 

On the north and east sides, life is more laid back.  Even the resorts are subdued and smallish, unlike the west side where “glitz” is the operative word and casinos and fancy shops and restaurants abound.  We liked the small town of Grand Case, and Orient Bay had the most beautiful shades of turquoise because it is a shallow bay with white sand below.   Again we are glad to be in the protected lagoon as the swells were coming from the north at eleven feet.  The few boats anchored out were rolling quite a bit.  We ended our travels at the spot that thrills cruisers – the BIG grocery store!  Aptly named Grand Marche is on the French side.  It is nice to have a car so as not to have to schlep our goods several blocks.  Back aboard Bella Blue, we raised our rum punch-filled glasses to the setting sun and to good times with good friends. 

Four friends

 

Now on January 15, 2013, after much consideration we have a new plan that is quite different than what we thought a year ago in the Abacos.  Though we’ve had many wonderful times aboard Wayward Wind, for personal reasons, the time has come to put her on the market and move on to other adventures.  We will head north to the Chesapeake, roughly following the route that we took getting here.  Who knows how long it will take to sell her, and we don’t know exactly where we’ll end up afterward -- perhaps back in the North Bay Area.  For now we’ll continue exploring and planning as we head north and get her in ship shape for the market.  She is a wonderful vessel both for living aboard and for cruising.  Any takers? 

 

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