Road Bay Anguilla

The last time the site was updated we were waiting on seals for the auto pilot linear drive hydraulic cylinder. The good news is that the seals fixed the leak, however the bad news is the drive still has problems and is not worth spending any more time or money to repair. We have ordered a complete new assembly. The European manufacture of the product needs several days to ship, and the shipper requires 3 plus days to deliver, not to mention exorbitant shipping costs.

The weather is sunny, warm, and windy. While waiting for parts we decided to sail over to Anguilla when the wind subsides. Anguilla is only 10 miles from St. Martin and should be a short downwind run.

On Saturday the 16^th the forecast was calling for winds 10 to 15 knots and decreasing winds later in the day, perfect.  We checked out of St. Martin at 0930 and are on our way. About half way over to Anguilla winds kick up to 20 to 25 knots with seas running between 8 to 10 feet, and I can hear Carol mumbling something about “#@*% where is that nice smooth downwind run”? We are clipping along at a bumpy 8 knots and getting close to the southern tip of Anguilla and all of a sudden the fishing rod bends over and the drag starts to whine. Fish on! What timing, navigating around the rocks, trimming the sails, ….a fish on the line, and no auto pilot. Carol takes the helm while I start bringing in a nice little tuna for lunch. From salt water to table in 3 hours, now that’s my idea of fresh fish.

Anguilla is a low island surrounded by the most beautiful white sand beaches and coral reefs. By island standards the population is quite low and totals only a little more than 12,000 people. The initial impression on the less commercial west side of the island reminds me of the Bahamas 50 years ago. Anguilla has a very interesting recent political history. In 1967 Britain lumped them in with St. Kitts and Nevis and made them an autonomous state. The Anguillans have a very different social reality then those folks of St. Kitts and Nevis and wanted nothing to do with being put under their jurisdiction and revolted. The Anguillans attached the local police station, manned from St. Kitts, and also blocked the airport runway to stop and reinforcements. Luckily, there were only minor causalities and no fatalities. The police wanted no part of the Anguillans and left the island.

Anguilla Customs on the beach

The Anguillans fearing an armed invasion from St. Kitts decided to take the offensive and invade St. Kitts themselves. A small boatload of men went down to St. Kitts where their invasion was a fiasco. A big hole was blown in the ground near the defense force headquarters and there was a shoot out at the police station, again no causalities. After the latest incident (1967) no one in St. Kitts wanted to mess with the Anguillans. Anguilla in now back to being administered by the British.

Checking in with Customs and Immigration was a breeze. Their office is right at the foot of the dock and the officers were very friendly and helpful.

Carol and I rented a car and toured the island. There are some very ritzy resorts here that cater to the very rich and famous. It seems this is an island of 2 classes, rich and poor. Food at the restaurants is very expensive, it hard to find a hamburger for less than $15, however the lobster is fabulous.

The Anguillans are very friendly. Everyone you talk too is very courteous and anxious to help making you feel welcome. The beaches are the nicest we have seen. The sand is soft and pure white and the water is extremely clear and warm. The people here are very proud and even though many don’t have much they keep their island very clean, we saw no litter what-so-ever.

How to scatter sailboats in a peaceful harbor;

Early Monday morning (about 0630) I heard a series of loud blasts from a big air horn. When I came outside I saw the Tropic Jade, a larger 300 foot container ship entering the harbor headed straight towards our position. Somewhat startled and intimidated I called him on the VHF and asked if he wanted us to move. He replied that is was not necessary for us to move but 4 other boats behind us needed to move so he could drop his anchor and then reverse into the pier. After several more horn blasts the targeted boats woke up and turned on their radios. Needless to say several boats quickly up’ed anchor and started scurrying around the harbor getting out of the freighters path (nice wake up call). It was quite a magnificent sight to watch the big Tropic Jade Captain gently maneuver his large ship like a little toy and guide her to a smooth berthing at the pier (KEWL).

Tropic Jade	Backing
Getting close	Finis

Road Bay Harbor

Beachside bar at Road Bay

Small oceanside winter cottage

Ho hum just another one

Anticipating a parts delivery on Thursday or Friday we are returning to St. Martin. If all goes well and the auto pilot checks out we will try to leave for St. Croix Saturday night.

Carol and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas.











Novermber 26 - December 10, 2006

For most of the week of November 25^th Carol and I have been in Simpson Bay Lagoon. As mentioned in the last email the Auto Pilot will not hold course and would not complete calibration. Through the local Budget Marine Store I was able to find a technician that was could make a boat call and visit us on Wednesday.

Fluxgate Compass

The technician, Guy, is a young Brazilian who has just opened his own company. After a couple of hours for a sea trail and troubleshooting Guy was able to diagnose the problem as a bad Fluxgate Compass. He left in his dinghy and was back within 3 hours with new compass in hand. After a quick installation and calibration the auto pilot seems to be in good order.

Also during the week I installed a new 8 position circuit breaker panel, relocated our 110V inverter closer to the battery bank (carries much higher current load now and will handle microwave and coffee maker), and most importantly found a laundry. The laundry was just a hole in the wall of a dilapidated building in one of the local boat yards run by two very nice ladies. It was convenient because they were close to the dinghy dock and only charged $8 per load wash, dried, and folded.

Boat yard office/laundry/and dog wash

For most of the week the winds have been a constant 20 to 30 knots. It has been just too windy to do much of anything. Additionally, on Wednesday afternoon our anchor came loose (not to be confused with dragging) and caused us a lot of scrambling and consternation to get it re-set. Most of the Lagoon is covered with a grass bottom and soft mud that make it hard to get the anchor set. If the anchor comes loose it remains tangled with grass and will not re-set itself (bummer). Needless to say for the next couple of nights we have been somewhat paranoid and have set the anchor watch on our navigation system as well as sleeping in the salon so we could hear the alarm. Fortunately no alarms and we securely stayed put.

One of the advantages of being anchored in Simpson Bay Lagoon is that we can generally find a spot where we can have access to WIFI. I have been able to make some changes/update the web site, email, and check weather.

Sandy Ground - French side exit

Saturday morning after getting bored with hanging out in Simpson Bay we moved out of the Lagoon and over to Marigot Bay to a berth at the Marina Fort St. Louis. It was nice to be tied up and walking around the French side of the island. We rented a car and of course went back to the local toy store (Budget Marine). I have noticed that most of the inflatable dinghies are locked to the docks with large stainless steel chain. Although it looks like over-kill Carol and I decided perhaps we should go with the flow and make it as difficult as possible to steel (dinghy). We left Budget Marine with 10’ of 10mm chain (weighs about 25 pounds) and large lock. People will now think we are locals.

Also in order was a trip to the Super Marche. The Marche is equivalent to our Publix Grocery Store. As most of you may know St. Martin is two countries, half the island is Dutch and other half French. Both sides have Super Marche’s but the prices are very different. For instance on the French side eggs, per dozen, were $4.5 EU and on the Dutch side $1.50 US. Rest assured that we will not be shopping for food on the French side. The food selection is very good and prices (on the Dutch side) are only moderately higher than US. Probably the biggest difference is the produce is not as fresh.

Mark, Jean, & Tom

When we returned to the boat from our shopping trip we met Mark who just pulled in the next slip with his catamaran. Mark and friend Jean just arrived from the Canary Islands on his Lagoon 440. Yup, if the 440 sound is familiar it has always been Carol’s Dream Boat and most of our friends have heard Carol talking about the Lagoon 440. Anyway congratulations were in order for Mark and Jean as this was a big trip (2700nm) and took them about 20 days. Needless to stay Mark and Jean were psyched to have just completed the crossing and looked very tired.

Carol and I enjoyed a pleasent diner on the boat and fine bottle of Italian wine. We both slept very soundly securely tied to the dock.

On Sunday Carol and I took a leisurely island tour. Early Sunday morning is a great time as there is very little traffic and you have the roads to yourself. At mid morning we stopped in a little patisserie and enjoyed some café ole and salmon quiche.

As were preparing to leave the marina Mark came over with a care package for us. He and Jean were leaving for Florida and France respectively and they gave us much of their left over food supplies and wine. Over the years whenever Carol and I were concluding our bareboat charters we would always try to find long term cruisers and give them our un-used food supplies. This was the first time that we have been beneficiary of that kindness (KEWL).

Well we are off to Anse Marcel, seems like a perfect little anchorage with a nice beach. The afternoon 4 mile cruise up the west side of St. Martin was nice.

Northern St. Martin

We arrived at Anse Marcel about 4:30 and noticed a large northerly swell entering the small bay. This usually makes for an uncomfortable anchorage, however it’s late in the day and any change of plans would call for going to another location and anchoring after dark. Additionally, the weather is supposed to be calming tomorrow and this looks like it has the potential for a very scenic place to hang out for a couple of days. Unfortunately it was a very uncomfortable night. The waves (swell) were coming in from the north, and the wind, coming down the valley, swirled around from every direction at about 20 knots. This is probably the worst condition (unless you like carnival rides) as the wind and waves fight each other and the boat continuously rotates around the anchor. We are getting used to the anchor watch routine, Yuck!

Monday morning I fixed a cup of coffee and left Anse Marcel before Carol even got out of bed. We headed around the top of St. Martin for our favorite little place Ile Pinel.  While enroute to Pinel the auto pilot started losing control, it just doesn’t respond properly to the input commands.  I think this problem has something to do with the power unit. Oh well it will have to wait for a few days until we are bay at Simpson Bay.

By 0900 we are securely and comfortably anchored and enjoying breakfast. There were a couple rain showers interspersed with sunshine but generally a comfortable day and good nights sleep.

Being at Ile Pinel is a very comfortable anchorage. We can tuck in close to the land and get some blockage from the wind. Additionally, it is very calm and an easy swim to the beach. After a couple of days of relaxation we head back to Simpson Bay for another appointment with Guy.

Passing by Grand Case

After more troubleshooting we trace the new problem to the hydraulic pump that drives the rudders. It seems that the drive pump cylinder arm has a small leak and over the course of the last couple of months has leaked out all the fluid. I now know why I have had oil in the port engine room bilge. I had previously been frustrated looking for an engine oil leak. Hopefully that will solve the oil leak problem????

The leaking drive cylinder is French made and of course the seals must come from France. We are presently waiting for an express shipment by Air France, should be in Monday or Tuesday and installed back in the boat by Wednesday (fingers crossed).

If one must wait somewhere you can't beat warm weather, sunshine, and white sandy beaches.

After the auto-pilot if fixed we will leave for Anguilla.

USAir Departing SXM

20 November thru 26 November

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.

Monday (20 November) we motored into Post St. Louis Marina for a berth. We tied up next to a gorgeous 85’ sailboat named Cathleen. Cathleen is a private yacht and left Ft. Lauderdale the same day we left St. Lucie. The captain came over and introduced himself and told us that he had heard us on a daily basis talking with Herb (weather guru). Also they had just arrived this morning. Although we both took the same amount of time getting to St. Martin Cathleen burned 780 gallons more fuel.

Cathleen

After breakfast we rented a car. I needed to find budget Marine to purchase a new breaker panel, buy a local St. Martin sim card for my cell phone, drop off 10 days of laundry, and have lunch. This evening on the way to the Sunset Bar at the end of the St. Martin Airport runway we stopped by the laundry to pick our wash. Not surprising it was not quite ready. While waiting we stopped in a small wine shop and ended up staying for an hour drinking a couple bottles of fine wine. Oh well the Sunset Bar will always be there for another time.

My Iris

Wednesday morning a very large yacht (140 feet) came into the marina and tied up on the next pier. Our little vessel looked like a dwarf next to My Iris. We decided that there wasn’t room for both of us so at mid morning we departed for a couple days at St. Barts. St. Barts is the French Rivera of the Caribbean, the island where the very rich and famous mingle with the locals. The island is 15 miles southeast of St. Martin and of course the wind is out of the SE. We spent our first night at Anse de Colombier where we tied up to a mooring ball. Anse de Colombier is a seclude bay that is only accessible by boat or a one mile hike. It has a perfect beach and was once owned by the Rockefeller family.

Anse de Colmbier

The next morning we motored into the main town of Gustavia. Gustavia has the inherent charm of a small French port except for the mega-yachts. We were surprised to see My Iris tied stern too to the port. This time My Iris looked like the dwarf compared to a couple of 200 footers. It is un-comprehensible where this money comes from.

Mega-Yachts St. Barts	Enough electricity to run a city

As I was checking in with customs Carol met the “Lady of the Boat” from My Iris. She noticed Carol with Fancy and brought her two dogs down to visit. Seems the My Iris’ dogs were just visiting, they really belonged to the ladies daughter in FL (she was pet sitting, parents do that in any social class). The lady from My Iris was staying on her 140 footer while their home in Fishers Island Miami is being renovated. She commented that living on any size boat is tough.

Chez Andy's for Thanksgiving

Last year when we visited St. Barts one of the local told us of Chez Andy’s Hideaway Restaurant on the north side of the island. We called and were able to get reservations for Thanksgiving (the French don’t celebrate this but are happy to help us spend our money and accommodate our party). Ollie and I shared a cooking stone diner where we given a large supply of fresh dorado, salmon, tuna, scallops, and shrimp. Wow, what a feast, and of course cooked to perfection.

Friday we enjoyed a nice downwind sail back to Ile Pinel in Orient Bay, St. Martin. Ile Pinel is a perfect Robinson Crusoe island with nice white sandy beaches, waving palm tress, and a couple of hills. It is definitely one of our favorite anchorages. During the days a continuous stream of boats bring tourist to the island. There is also a couple of day bars and a gift shop on the island. However at about 4:00 everyone leaves and we have the island virtually to ourselves. We are usually able to anchor in 5 feet of water and walk/swim ashore within 5 minutes.

Ile Pinel - we can almost walk ashore

Saturday we enjoyed another down wind sail back to Marigot Bay on the French side of the island. Unfortunately the auto-pilot started acting up and would not hold the proper heading. Ugh!!! For us this is a go, no go item and must be fixed. Ollie and I played around to no avail. Oh well time to stop for the day and get anchored. We spend Saturday night at Marigot and enjoyed our last meal together on the boat.

Ollie and Carol have reservations at the Turtle Pier Hotel near the airport. The Turtle Pier has a marina and will be an excellent drop off point for our travelers. We were told that the marina would have space for us since Ollie had reservations. Sounds cool.

The Turtle Pier is inside Simpson Bay Lagoon and requires us to go through a draw bridge to gain entrance. The bridge only opens at 0830, 1130, and 1730. The outbound traffics proceeds first then the inbounds. We left Marigot at 0700 to make the 0830 opening. It was really cool and somewhat intimidating to get in line with 5 mega-yachts. I have now figured that these mega-yachts are just an illusion. Once we got into the Simpson Bay lagoon there is another 20 of these privately owned behemoths.

View from the bow	View from the stern

We motored over to the Turtle Pier Marina with expectations of dockage, long luxurious showers, and a good meal on shore. Not going to happen. As we approached the dock we were waved away by the dock master saying he was full and there must be some mistake. After some discussion he agreed to let us tie up for a few moments to off load passengers and luggage. More discussions with the hotel and dock master revealed that when reservations were made the hotel thought our 38 foot catamaran was a small dinghy. Oh well at least we got to top off our water tanks compliments of the marina.

Turtle Peir

Carol and I anchored off the marina and went in to join Ollie and Carol for some scrumptious eggs benedict. After brunch we motored over to the other side of Simpson Bay and settled in for the night.