Stuck in St. Martin Again

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Well, it looks like we have been stuck in St. Martin for about a month now. Although that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We love St. Martin! It is a fun and lively island, with great shopping and beautiful beaches, friendly people and great food. Plus the anchorage here inside the lagoon is one of the best in the Caribbean, protected from all weather. It is so convenient to get everything you need by dinghy and an easy place to live on your boat. Last but not least, this is the best place in the world to go to get your boat fixed, not only because there are so many boat chandleries here that are so well stocked and have everything you might need (or are happy to have it flown in next day air without the hassle of customs because it is a duty free island) but also because the boat mechanics here actually know what they are doing, are helpful, and can get the job done. It truly is the Mecca for boat repairs. And that is, after all, what brought us here.

So we have spent the last few weeks here getting the Rum Runner all fixed up. Our first priority was to get the generator up and running again. Whew! What a task. The genset officially had a meltdown. Jay had to take the whole thing apart, bolt by painstakingly bolt, to get the rotor off and the brushes replaced. I won’t go into all the details. But I am happy to report that it is working again and that Jay is now considered an expert in confined space mechanics. In fact, he even got offered a job to work on generator repairs for other boats here in St. Martin. But of course, he turned it down. Besides, there was still work to be done on the Rum Runner. Unfortunately the list of repairs is rather long: fix the auto-pilot, change all the running rigging that is frayed, replace the anchor light, the port spreader light, and navigation lights, re-wire the windex, re-configure the cockpit lighting, fix the salt water wash down pump, do minor gel coat repair, and seal all the hatches that are leaking. Most of which is basic wear and tear. But it sure has kept us busy.

But no worries, it has not been all work and no play! We have gone to the French side for long leisurely lunches, done some shopping at the boardwalk in Philipsburg, and of course enjoyed happy hour at Simpson Bay Yacht Club where the entertainment is watching the mega yachts squeeze thru the bridge. What fun! And we even managed a mini-vacation to Saba for a couple of days of diving. And let me tell you, we consider the diving in Saba to be some of the best in the world. We dove the hot springs and the grand canyon off red tent reef and the pinnacles- which were amazing! The reef system here is pristine, mainly because it is difficult to reach but also because it has been a protected marine park for over 20 years. The visibility is crystal clear, the coral is so big and bright and colorful, and there are so many fish and rays and eels everywhere. We saw our first frogfish, a rare creature that looks like a piece of coral… so cute although undeniably ugly. And we watched the male jawfish spit out the fertilized egg and rotate it before sucking it back into its jaw for safe keeping, an unusual fish behavior but undoubtedly a National Geographic moment. It was amazing!

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Photos

Stuck in St. Martin
The Mecca for boat repairs, for us and all the mega yachts.

Jay Getting Cozy With Our Generator
He is now considered an expert in confined space mechanics.

Bridge Openning
Our favorite happy hour here is watching the megayachts squeeze thru the bridge at Simpson Bay Yacht Club.

Jay Diving In Saba
Jay scuba diving on his birthday in Saba- it was amazing!!!

Sunset
Watching another beautiful Caribbean sunset in the lagoon.

Comments

[margie]

Keep on having fun-
Happy Holidays!You are truly in the best place.We are all jealous of you .Much love across the waters.

[Aunt Margaret]

I have enjoyed your emails tremendously. Jennie, You have become quite a writer as well as photographer. I hope you and Jay get everything fixed and enjoy the holidays. Would love to see you! Are you ever coming back to the states so we can get together? Have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!!