We arrived safely into Simpson’s Bay, St. Maarten on Saturday morning (1/24) around 8:00 am. The total time was 15 days and 4 hours – really good speed. Once the anchor was down, it was time to pop the champagne to celebrate a great crossing – and Helen’s 1st ocean passage.
However, the Caribbean honeymoon was briefly interrupted by a classic “island-time” logistical snag. The first task in any new ‘port/country’ is to clear in. No one can leave the boat until this is done.
So off Anthony goes to the Customs office…He’s gone a while and comes back with unfortunate news – we were missing a ‘crew clearance list’ that showed all passengers aboard when we departed Las Palmas. Our stamped passports weren’t enough. Hmmm.. now what… how could we clear in so we could get off the boat???
Luckily, another sailor (American) was standing behind Anthony and suggested we go over to the French side (Marigot) and try to clear in there. So anchor up, sail a few miles around the island, anchor down, Anthony dinghies to the Ferry Dock. He gets there at 1:45, but the office doesn’t open until 2:00 pm. 2:00 pm rolls around, no one shows up… he waits for 30 minutes and still no one arrives… But he had read that he could possibly clear in at the marina (St. Louie), provided we could get a berth there. So back to the boat, fill out the reservation paperwork, and wait for approval…. Finally, after several phone calls to the marina office, they confirm a place for us and we move to the marina! We were finally able to ‘move about the island’ at 5:00 pm!
What should have taken 2 hours, took 8 hours! Ohh, the joys of island living…. But – our 1st meal on land was fantastic!
While we had hoped to linger in St. Maarten for a few days, the Atlantic weather had other plans. The strong low-pressure system that hit most of the US is currently brewing off the US coast, with NW-NE winds predicted as far south as the British Virgin Islands (BVI).
So with a 570-mile journey ahead—and a mix of no wind, lots of wind, and sloppy waves—we are once again on our way to the Turks and Caicos to stay ahead of the weather.
Currently 444 NMs away – expected landfall – early Friday morning (1/30).