Sint Maarten Outbound Day 2

Hi everyone,

At noon today we were at 16 20N 066 19W steering 240M, sailing under 2 reefs and 2 furls at 5 knots.  The wind was 17G22 from the E.  Our noon to noon distance over the ground was 119nm.  Distance to go is 892nm.

Setting sun yesterday

Yesterday afternoon was quite cloudy.  We considered gybing NW but the GRIB files say there's more positive current to the S, plus there appeared to be less cloud.  Continuing SW seems to have been a good decision with skies clearing overnight and seas easing (indicating more current with us).

Each day we rig our new mini-bimini "MiniBim", a canvas cockpit cover.  Its working very well, providing shade when the sun is high.  It doesn't obstruct our view of the masthead or access to handholds.  Nic made it in Simpson Bay with help from the OCC sv Metzi crew.

MiniBim rigged

View from outboard of MiniBim

Last night was very pleasant sailing.  The clouds gradually cleared and the half moon rose close to midnight.  Surprising how bright even half a moon is.  The main stars remained visible including the big dipper, Orion, Scorpio and the Southern Cross.

Today the good sailng has continued.  Not quite champagne sailng due to the swell-induced rolling, but we're making good progress.  We're settling into our normal 3-on 3-off watchkeeping pattern.

Trust all's well where you are.

Sint Maarten Outbound Day 1

Hi everyone,

We departed Simpson Bay and Sint Maarten at 1600 yesterday.  Our friends from OCC sv Metzi and Zora waved us through the bridge from the yacht club.  Our stay in Sint Maarten was busy but fun.  We're now bound towards Panama, a roughly 1100nm passage.  Should take 8-10 days.

Departing Simpson Bay

sv Metzi photo

At noon today we were at 17 33N 064 35W steering 230M, sailing under 2 reefs and 2 furls at 5 knots.  The wind was 17G23 from the ENE.  Our log is fouled, probably due to the dirty water in Simpson Lagoon, so we'll use distance over the ground,  In the 20 hours to noon today we covered 120nm.

Our departure from Sint Maarten was straight forward.  We were the first vessel through the bridge.  A few minutes later we set sail and off we sailed.  The night brought good sailing, with a 5/8th moon appearing around 2200.  Very bright.  Nice to see the southern cross.

Sayonara Sint Maarten

Today we passed close to the US Virgin Islands island of St Croix.  We went within a few miles to get our Starlink working for the passage.  I had forgotten to turn on Priority Data which enables use at sea.  By going close to the island the system worked and we could turn Priority Data on.

Passing St Croix

Today we've had variable conditions.  One wave dumped itself in the cockpit, giving me a good salt water wash.  Later a rain storm came over and Nic got a fresh water wash.  But now skies are mostly blue and all's well aboard.

Trust all's well where you are!

Sint Maarten Fun!

Hi everyone,

We didn't spend our entire month here in SXM working.  While Zen Again was on the hard we stayed in a small local hotel then an AirBnB.  It was nice to sleep in a real bed and have showers!  For the second half of our stay we were at anchor in the lagoon and joined by OCC friends on sv Metzi, Zora and CrazyB.  While here we also met the OCC sv Paper Moon crew and various other cruisers.

Dinghying home
sv CrazyB photo

Our two favourite haunts are Lagoonies and the Soggy Dollar Bar.  Lagoonies is a short walk from Bobby's Megayard so we were there most days while Zen Again was on the hard.  We also arranged a get-together there.

Get-Together at Lagoonies

Lunch at Lagoonies

Throughout our stay at SXM the weather was windy and showery.  We frequently had gusts over 30 knots in the lagoon.  But at least the water was flat.

Not all sunshine!

Metzi arrival

We did a day trip to Marigot on the French side of the island to show the sv Metzis around.  They took us there in their dinghy which was much faster and easier than the bus.  We revisited our favourite bakery and shops.

In Marigot

Bakery

Colourful murals

Another day we had tapas at the St Maarten YC with the Metzis.  The YC has a dinghy dock and is alongside the lifting bridge.  Great tapas and spectacular boats coming into the lagoon.

A group of four OCC yacht crews took the bus to Maho Beach.  This is the famous spot where one can stand very near the runway threshold to experience airliners passing close above you on landing or blasting you with jet-wash on take-off.  A great fun experience.

OCC group at Maho Beach restaurant 

OCC group at Maho Beach

At Maho Beach

Ready for take-off

From Maho Beach we of course retired to the Soggy Dollar Bar

Last night the Metzis treated us to a farewell dinner aboard their boat.  We contributed wine and dessert.  Dessert was our last 2024 Christmas pudding which we flambeed quite successfully.  Great meal.  Great company.

Preparing our last 2024 Christmas pudding for consumption

Zen Again in Simpson Bay Lagoon

We plan to depart SXM tomorrow towards the San Blas in Panama.  It's a 1000nm passage so should take us about 8 days.

Trust all well where you are.