The Midwatch Log: Five weeks in St. Maarten

As of tomorrow we will have been here in St. Maarten for five weeks! We came to visit with my Mom and Dad and then Bob took a trip to the states for work and voila, five weeks. Speaking of voila, a sister boat, Voilà, from Montréal arrived here the other day. It is great to see two such similar boats anchored side-by-side AND to meet the occupants who want to go to Ireland and Norway! The kids spent some great time with Yaya and Papou and Mom and Dad were able to get a bunch of things crossed off our to-do list including some boat repairs, work, taxes and assisting Anna with her little Bandana business. Anna and I, and a whole troupe of assistants on the beach, made 240 headbands and she completed her order that will head off to Block Island for the summer season at Beachcomber. Stop in if you are passing through Block Island. We are busy this morning planning the final legs of our voyage including developing a calendar that helps us conceptualize what needs to happen to get us back to Maine before school starts in August.

We have had strong winds the past three days which kept us mostly confined to the boat. We did venture out to pick Bob up from the airport yesterday and decided to head over to the resort for a swim. As we were tying up, one of the dock hands came over to tell us he didn't recommend it, the waves had been quite destructive, blowing all the dock boards off! The crew that manages the dock have been super and not only allowed us to tie up there all this time but they have been warm, friendly and helpful. We have seen those same familiar faces as we go about our business around town and they always stop to say hi and inquire about the kids. José, the dock master, was there when Bob and Finn landed Finn's big Jack on the beach and let us know that it was not only the biggest Crevall Jack he had ever seen but also that there was a risk of ciguatera from such a mature fish, probably saving our butt! On Tuesday night, they were robbed of dingies, motors and a Honda generator. We had been tied up there night after night while my parents were in town, yikes! A close call. We are sad for them all.