Not according to plan

We weren’t able to leave St. Bart’s until 12/3 because we had to wait for our laundry to come back. We didn’t get to rent a Moke to take a tour of the island but instead motored around the corner to Anse de Colombier in order to get a head start toward St. Martin. We wanted to walk on shore but couldn’t find a place to land the dinghy, so we swam and started cocktail hour early. Basically, I am learning that things don’t always go according to plan when you live on a boat!

A couple we met in St. Bart’s, Brian & Cindy from Galavant, had anchored in the same bay, and came by in their dinghy. Later, the evening entertainment turned out to be two Germans trying to pick up a mooring. They circled it multiple times, tried to pick it up off the bow, then from midships, then off the stern and by the 7 or 8th try, Andrew took the dinghy out to hand the line to them. I prepared chicken & dumplings in the pressure cooker for dinner and think I’m getting pretty proficient with this mode of cooking.

The next day, we left for St. Martin. To use up the bread that was getting stale, we had French toast underway and arrived in Marigot Bay around 1pm. The island is divided by two countries, France and the Netherlands. We were anchored on the French side because it is supposed to be less expensive and less touristy. We ended up right behind our friends on Aladdin and prepared to lower the dinghy motor onto the dinghy. As the theme of this post is ‘not according to plan’, we were delayed by a line that got stuck in the shive of the lift that lowers the 115 lbs motor onto the dinghy. An hour or so later, we went in to check-in at the local Chandlery. The process was relatively quick and easy so we proceeded into the lagoon in the middle of the island that is shared by both countries. We were surprised to see dozens, if not hundreds, of sunken and otherwise wrecked boats from Irma in 2017, still in the middle of the harbors. Again, it was sad to see debris piled up on the shores and ravaged businesses trying to recover. A few restaurants were open so we enjoyed wahoo tartar and a burger for lunch at Le Petite Auberge. Fortunately for St. Martin, there are people working to bring back the island.

Later that day, we discovered that we were out of water again. Something is not working with our water pump so the next day was devoted to troubleshooting that problem. We took the dinghy through the lagoon to Budget Marine on the Dutch side for supplies and met with someone from ElecTec to discuss the water issue, while enjoying the Christmas decorations juxtaposed with the palm trees on shore. That evening, we enjoyed cocktails on board with Aladdin and met two new Salty Dawgs from the rally, Glen & Arlene on Wahoo.

On 12/6 we were planning to head to Anguilla but instead we slept off the prior night’s party and Andrew woke up with some severe back pain. Andrew barely left the boat that day while I picked up some groceries and Xmas presents in the town of Marigot. The following day, he was still hurting so we revised the plan to find a doctor. The bartender at Le Wine Bar called us a cab and Chery drove us over to Galis Bay, where we met with Dr. Gibbs, a kindly, older gentleman, who clearly wanted to help. He gave Andrew a shot in the butt and some muscle relaxants/pain meds for $50. When Andrew woke up still hurting the next day, we headed for the hospital on the Dutch side. Another nice & competent sounding doctor, two more shots in the butt and some better pain meds and for $350, we were out the door. Andrew seemed much better that afternoon.

On Monday (12/9), we ventured into the dock for fresh water. It was uneventful but the kind and generous crew of Aladdin joined us just to make sure we had all the help we needed. Later that day, we had massages with Brian and his associate from A Touch a Handz, whom we found on the internet with a 5 star rating. He is a big, strong, good looking black fellow, who picked us up in a van that didn’t have a back seat so I had to squeeze in the front between Andrew and the emergency brake. Brian drove us to a run down hotel that was under renovation and after touring the nice pool and bar area, took us to a room with two massage tables and a nice & strong looking Spanish girl with beautiful, friendly blues eyes. It all seemed a little awkward but it was just a guy trying to make a go of his business. Turns out he was a professional soccer player before becoming certified in massage and working on a cruise ship.

So, not quite according to plan, we have been in St. Martin for almost a week now. We are hoping to leave tomorrow and may have some Salty Dawg crew to help us since Andrew isn’t quite 100%. Our new plan is to get back to Antigua (via Saba and Nevis) by mid next week, in order to catch our flights home on 12/22 for Christmas! Wish us luck!!