St. Maarten to St. Maarten

/22

On Wednesday 2/22/12, we went through the bridge to Simpson Bay Lagoon during the 9:30am opening and got a slip at Waterworld marina. After boat work and provisioning, we picked Tasha up at Princess Julianna airport. The next day we rented a car and explored the island of St. Maarten/St. Martin (Philipsburg, Orient Bay, Friar's Bay, Marigot, etc). On Friday, we left the marina and went through the 11:00am Simpson Bay opening and motored to Long Bay for lunch. We swam to the beach and collected shells for Jerica. In the afternoon, we motored to Marigot. When we arrived, the Custom's official was very strict and made Leiby take Skippy (our dinghy) all the way back to Simpson Bay to clear out of the Dutch side. All the while, me and Tasha explored Marigot. We had croissants and espresso for breakfast, shopped, explored Fort Louis, and had crepes for lunch. On Sunday 2/26/12, we pulled anchor and motored north to Grand Case (the "gastronomic capital" of the Caribbean). Me and Tasha researched the many menus and decided on Le Tastevin. We had a beach day and went snorkeling at Roche Creole. We took the luxury of showering, went out to a fancy dinner and it was muy delicioso! On Monday, we set sail for Anguilla. It was probably over 20 knots of wind, broad reach, beautiful sail in 8 foot seas. We had 3 reefs in the main and the blade sail. Anchored in Road Bay, Anguilla and again, went through customs. On Tuesday, we motored NE to Crocus Bay. We took Skippy in and walked to The Valley, which is the capital. There, we discovered EC (Eastern Caribbean) currency, which makes everything seem more expensive. After getting a courtesy flag and some souvenirs, we hiked back to Trilogy. We went out snorkeling and Tasha saw a sea turtle! We later went to the beach where Tasha purchased an umbrella drink and Leiby practiced building sand castles. On Wednesday 2/29/12, we had a 4-5 hour sail to Philipsburg, St. Maarten where we witnessed much action from the Heineken Regatta boats practicing for their opening day. After anchoring and checking into customs again (while me and Tasha were entertained by the cruise ship folk from 6 cruise ships nearby), we walked through the town and picked up more provisions.  On Thursday, me and Tasha had a good beach day after renting beach chairs. Tasha took us out for a nice lunch with live music on the boardwalk. Afterwards, we returned to the boat to pack for a travel day. That night, we visited a casino and strolled the dark, desolate boardwalk. We finally played cards and Tasha was winner! On the morning of 03/02/12, we dinghied in for Tasha and I to catch a cab to the airport. We flew home for Jerica's bridal shower. Leiby stayed on Trilogy and expects to sail her back to St. Thomas next week. Pictured: Leiby working up the mast; Philipsburg boardwalk; Simpson Bay bridge; lunch on Long Bay; overlooking Marigot and Simpson Bay from Fort Louis; atop Fort Louis; Crepes in Marigot "Oui Oui!"; Beach on Grand Case; out to eat at Le Tastevin; Trilogy on Crocus Bay; Tasha chillaxin' on Trilogy; Tasha and her umbrella drink; Leiby building a sand castle; Tasha and the cruise ships in Philipsburg; on the beach in Philipsburg; on the boardwalk in Philipsburg; on a lounge chair; dinghying in on Skippy; the three of us before the cab ride to Princess Julianna airport.