Roger here:
We will have been here almost four weeks, and there are a lot more islands to visit before our adventure ends, probably in late May. So why did we tarry here so long? Well we had planned to stay a week; then I was sick for most of a week; then we had to wait for a repair part; and finally the weather has not cooperated.
SM has many positives. The French food has been great and extends beyond restaurant food to our boat eaten food as well -- where casoulet and pate have shown up. And those baguettes and croissants -- wow!
SM is an island with two nations on it but they have lived in peace with each other, except when the European nations which "owned" them went to war, for 362 years. This is a beautiful concept. The main roads are marked at the border with the flags of both nations but it is a completely unmanned and unguarded border; less guarded than the border between the US and Canada. Currencies freely are exchanged. The only friction seems to be the phone companies; we have taken to leaving our Blackberries on the boat when we visit the Dutch side because otherwise they reinitialize each time they are carried across the border, causing missed calls.
Our new dinghy and outboard and time with friends has been wonderful.
We are rested and I began a chore not done since last April: cleaning and waxing the topsides of the boat, whose white gelcoat had turned light gray during the past eight months. Working less than two hours per day, I will be done in 20 days. (Nicholas: where are you when I need you!)
Our marina staff have been so very friendly, helpful and cooperative.
Our new crew, hitchhikers really, came aboard our boat from the boat on which they hitchhiked here from Antigua, yesterday. Michelle and Emanuelle have been pleasant guests but due to our delayed departure, their stay with us will be longer than first expected. Several of our relations back home have warned us that they might be pirates, but they have not seen and spoken with Manu and Michelle.
Some St. Martin negatives too:
Simpson's Bay Lagoon is home to some boats that could probably be called derelicts, or at least "fixer uppers," some of which appear uninhabited but other of which house people who are living on tight budgets. These boats are not visually appealing.
We have been moored close to some shore housing, the inhabitants of which play electronic noise recordings. It appears to be a cross between reggae and hip hop and none dare call it music!
Too many boats in the lagoon without any boat sewage removal process (pumpout) give its waters, near the edges, a slight sewage smell.
Today we took a bus ride to Phillipsburg on the Dutch side. ($2 per person, each way, pay when you leave, buses every five minutes or so.) We went simply because we had not been there. The town is a long crescent beach with a concrete promenade (boardwalk) shoreward of the white sand and paralleled by two shopping streets, Front Street, nearer the water, and Back Street, further away, with the more expensive shops on Front St. and all name brands represented plus at least 100 jewelery stores. It reminded me of Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas. There were three mega cruise ships docked to the left side, spewing their combined 6000 passengers into town. I was not pleased when Ilene entered a casino and bought $50 worth of chips to play blackjack because I do not enjoy any aspects or thoughts of gambling. In fact they pain me. After a dip in her chip supply, she played rather conservatively and when the has amassed $105 in chips, she cashed in, rather than stay and lose it all. The house always wins in the long run. I stood by her side and rendered moral support, which she wanted. I was very proud of her. The other good thing is that we were able to walk through the town and not buy anything; we certainly do not need anything. Well actually, we did buy one thing: an inexpensive basket made of green woven palm fronds. When they dry to brown and the article is then varnished, we will have the bread basket that Lene has so long sought. I was again very proud of Lene. In the past she would have bought jewelery simply because it was there.
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