St. Martin

Hi, whew! Another overnight for Ilene the sailor. We left Roadtown, Tortola at 3 PM on Sunday which is a day earlier than planned. The forecast called for mild winds from the northeast and the Captain predicted a more comfortable sail for his crew (me). As it turned out the wind was mild but from the east south east and so since it was on our nose and light, we motored the whole way. As we left the BVIs, passing between ginger Island and Round Rock, we entered the Caribbean at last. The line of islands from Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the Virgins mark the border between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic to the north, and the Caribbean to the south. Roger was so excited to be going where he had never sailed before.
It turned darkish by 6 PM and Roger and I...as is our new custom, showered in the cockpit. It is one of my favorite activities as it keeps the cabin cleaner and an out door shower is something I've always enjoyed.
We had the auto pilot on the whole way and we arrived in Marigot Bay on St. Martin at about 7:30 the following morning. It is really dark out in the ocean at night, particularly after the moon set at about midnight. Our watch schedule was pretty haphazard. Roger tried to sleep after dinner (pan fried steak & onions with toasted cheese bread all cooked by moi on a gimbled stove and oven) at about 8 but I woke him up for some reason at about 10:30. He then continued to take cat naps of an hour or so every so often and I kept watch in those intervals. I tried not to let my mind freak me out by thoughts of how little we are in this vast ocean and how if something went wrong I would die. I don't understand the morbidity of those thoughts and the good news is that I was able to comfort myself by remembering how confident Roger is in his abilities and how much I trust him and how safe he makes me feel. I played music in the cockpit during my watches and it really makes the time go faster for me. No-one can hear me sing, not even Roger as the noise of the engine muffles any sound I make.!
Shortly before dawn as we were within 10-15 miles of our destination, the traffic picked up. Before that time we saw the lights of only 3 other ships throughout the many dark hours. But in that last couple of hours we saw the very bright and large lit silhouette of what were obviously cruise ships very slowly making their way to the same island. One of the ships, Ventura, was so close to us that Roger got on the VHF and said "Cruiseship heading for Marigot Bay this is the sailing vessel Ilene two miles off your bow, over." At two miles off, at night, all lighted up, he looked even bigger than he was. He identified himself and said he was actually on his way to the Dutch- side port of Philipsburg, and turned to the right to pass behind us. Roger thanked him.
So, after anchoring in the bay outside town we ate a hearty breakfast and napped. The breakfast was good but the nap delicious. Roger and I then headed by dink at about 2:30 to check into immigration...we bought a new sim card for local phone, and we walked around Marigot getting a bit familiar with the town. We investigated a luxury marina called Port Louis and then walked to Simpson Lagoon and found Port Royale Marina where we moved to today. We are on a fore and aft mooring and have showers, laundry and internet access for 40 euros for the week. Pretty cheap!
I should mention that this overnight was a first for Whitty & Alpha Girl. They love it at night! All they wanted was to be out of the cabin and moving about the ship. I understand that they see better at night, but I don't! They would sit at the top of the companionway and either meow or, their new and destructive trick: scratch at the screen on the cafe doors and have so far ruined one of the four panels. Why do I think they are so damn cute! We had on life jackets, harnesses and tethers which were attached to a line secured in the cockpit and could yell if we fell over. They did not have such gear on and so in the end I relented, put on their collars and leashes and gave them rein of the cockpit, but not the rest of the boat. To say they don't like leashes would be an understatement. We have to go now but we are really getting closer to posting photos. Come back tomorrow and you will see!