The winds are suppose to pick up and start blowing like stink soon and it probably will get roly-poly here in Marigot Bay so we checked on the times of the French side bridge openings into Simpson Bay Lagoon. This will save us money because anchoring in Marigot Bay is 25 Euros per meter per day, (approximately $4), and anchoring in the French side of Simpson Bay Lagoon is free. The bridge opens for free on the French side three times a day, 0815-1430-1730 and the Dutch bridge opens also three times a day but there is a fee of $10 every time you go through and to anchor on the Dutch side either in Simpson Bay or Simpson Bay Lagoon the charge is $30 per week. We still aren’t sure how the customs fees broke down but we paid $41.70 US upon entering St Martin and that included anchoring in Marigot Bay for three days and we will have to pay for the other days when we check out. You have no choice but to hand over the money they ask for or you go someplace else wherever that might be.
We pulled the anchor around 0745 on Friday 4/10/09 and had to wait for the boats going out of the lagoon before we go could proceed through the bridge which when we were able to, there were six other boats with us. Simpson Bay Lagoon is about 12 square miles of completely protected, landlocked water and not as clean as Marigot Bay. It is also the yachting center of St Martin and you will see a lot of mega yachts at different marinas here.
We decided to go and do the laundry the next day and what an experience. John dropped me off at the gas station near the French side bridge and he was going to fill up three 5 gallon diesel fuel cans and meet me at the laundry near the bridge when he was done. I had the laundry on the hand cart and started for the change maker store and there was my first problem. When I got there they couldn’t make any change from US to Euros and I was told that I needed Euros to run the washer and dryer machines. He said come back latter today and that was not an option so I quickly went back to the gas station pulling my cart with laundry to see if John was still there but he had already left and that was problem #2. Since I had no handheld VHF radio (mistake) and none of the stores around there had one, including the small Budget Marine Store, I decided my only alternative was to go to the laundry and wait for John. I checked some other stores along the way to see if they could change some of my money for me and you might know I had no luck. I found the laundry and sat down and started reading a book as that was my only option at this time for that was the only place John was to come and pick me up. In the meantime the owner came by and started checking his money boxes, so I asked him if he could change my money into Euros and bingo I was back in business. At least that was what I thought at that time. He gave me fifteen Euros for $20 US. He showed me how to put the money in and start the only machine that was available since another Frenchman was using the other one. The owner had to go into the box to get it started and then he said I should have no problem. Right! He left and as soon as he left the machine stopped and it wouldn’t start again and that was problem #3. I just lost five Euros! The Frenchmen was waiting to use the only other machine that was working so he had another load to do. John showed up a little while later and I told him my problem that I had to wait another forty-five minutes before I could use the machine. After it was my turn I put all my clothes in one washer, something I have never done before in my life. Well the clothes turned out OK without bleeding into one another, (thank goodness), so I was back in business. We took the wet clothes and decided not to use the dryers because of all the problems we seamed to have had and took them back to the boat and hung them on the life lines. We definitely have to find another place to do the laundry because I can’t handle this any more. I guess that is what goes with cruising!
Easter Sunday we decided to go to the Catholic Church for mass. We arrived at the church at 1035 for the 1100 mass and it was packed. We finally found a seat near the back and we saw people sitting in the window wells and even outside on the lawns. The mass was done in both French and English so we were able to follow along pretty well. The priest came around and threw holy water at everyone and we really got a blast in the face so now we are really blessed good. They do a lot more singing here and they even had a man play the bongo drums. We didn’t even realize that the mass took two hours which was never done back home as it was very moving and by far the best service we have attended since our trip began.
The next Saturday early in the evening we took our dinghy and met S/V Evergreen, (who has been traveling with us), over at the Marina Port Royale and boarded a bus for Philipsburg, (Dutch side), where we were going to the Carnival Village to see the 40 years of Carnival Queens. There were about twenty of them there and they put on a good talent show. We left before the program ended because it was going on 2300 and we needed to find a bus to go back to Marigot, (French side). We found out real soon there were no buses running anymore so we had to take a taxi back with a cost of $20 per couple. That was a far cry from the $2 bus fare that we had planned on. It turned out to be an expensive evening as we had to pay $20 to get into the show and the money we spent on food and drink inside. Oh well what is money anyway if you can’t spend it! The budget said it might be soup and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for awhile.
They have a cruisers net at 0730 each day except Sunday on VHF channel 14 and they have a lot of good information including the weather for the next week which is very important when you are on a boat. We also are listening to our Sirrus Satellite Radio which has been a godsend so we can hear all the news from home to keep us updated what is happening back there.
Right now we have received all our mail and packages from the US and have done most of our e-mails updating friends and family. The internet costs here are quite high, but we have found a place where you can buy a card, 10 hours for $25 US. I guess you have to go with the flow.
We are awaiting a weather window so we can leave and it doesn’t look like we are going to leave until the 1st part of May. In the meantime we are traveling between the French side and the Dutch side and thank goodness they don’t have any borders to pass through. We have taken use of the cheap $2 buses they have here to travel most of the island. On the French side we can’t go by a French bakery without stopping and picking up their bread, (called baguette), or eating some of their delicious bakery products. This is not helping our waistlines and I guess that means we need to walk more to keep off the weight.
Stay tuned for more adventures from John & Carol aboard the S/V Sweet Caroline.