February 15
So much happiness when we spend time with Frank's cousin Harald and his wife Melitta. We get along so well. Harald and Melitta are easy going, happy people, always something interesting to talk about. They flew from Florida after a three-week bus tour in Mexico. It took a few days for the four of us to catch up on news, vacation and sailing stories, plans for the next two weeks. Frank is constantly juggling the three languages.
We spend our days visiting the neighbourhood, Philipsburg, Marigot Bay and its Fort St. Louis, spending hours at the beach and beach tiki bars. We're getting pretty good at picking the best places for margheritas and rum punch. LOL! The French side - St-Martin - has many more beautiful shops and restaurants. I finally found a nice bathing suit with sarong and chemise to match.
Two days ago, we had planned on continuing our journey South with Harald and Melitta to St. Kitts then Guadeloupe where they would have caught their flight back to Germany on Feb. 21st. However, after a few miles of winds and waves, our crew were not feeling so well and could not sustain this rolling sea for many hours; so we decided to turn back to Simpson Bay Lagoon where they'll spend the remaining days with us. They were able to change their flights leaving from Guadeloupe to leaving from St. Maartens.
The down side of sailing is that you have very limited options for long distance land transportation. Depending on distance or destination, sometimes a cab or the local bus system works; but visiting a whole island requires a car rental. We tried to rent one a few days ago but many places had none left. We succeeded in getting a car for tomorrow. Can't wait to drive through the mountains, stop by the beaches, snorkel, taste some French cuisine.
I like the attitude of drivers on the islands. They are courteous and patient. As soon as someone tries to cross a street - not necessarily at an intersection - cars will stop. There are assigned bus stops but bus drivers will stop whenever you ask. Again, no car behind honks in frustration. Actually, whenever I heard a car honk, it was to greet another driver. It's Island Time, no one is in a rush. Well, those in a rush ride scooters: they zigzag through traffic or zip in the middle of the road. Beware when you hear their motors!
For 40 years, St. Maartens hosts the annual Heineken Regatta (March 2-5). There are more than 37 countries represented from olympic medalists, world champions to family live-aboard cruisers. The race motto is Serious Fun. Some race classes are more focused on "fun" than on "serious". Some participants race hard during the day then play hard at night. Our friends on the sailboat Doogie (mentioned in my previous blog), who have a lot of regatta experience, will volunteer here this year. Frank and I love to volunteer in sports and social events; there's always a positive, energetic atmosphere; staff and volunteers are very nice and it's really fun. We are considering volunteering in regattas when we're in the Caribbeans in the future years.
Through Doogie, we met new friends on a sailboat called Ambition who come from Montreal. He speaks English, she speaks French. You should have heard the eight of us around burgers and beers talking in three languages. Merrill and Maryse have been cruising the Caribbeans for many years and keep their sailboat off season in Antigua. As usual, when I meet veteran cruisers I ask them how they prepare their boat for the rainy season in storage (April to October). Usually the answers I get are helpful but not expansive, all verbal. I finally found the treasure trove of information from Merrill and Maryse! They have lists of cleaning products and instructions both for inside and outside the boat. Wow! This is such a generous gesture from them. We appreciate it so much! We're eager to share it with other new Caribbean cruisers like us.
