Today is a very overcast day. The winds are high and it looks like it
could downpour at any time.
Ashore, our first priority was the anxiously
awaited stop to see if our sail would be repaired or not. We got there about 10am and yippie … it was
already done. An even more pleasant
surprise … they had quoted $250 but the actual cost was only $129!!! Awesome!!!
Not sure how long it will last because the material itself is pretty bad
but at least it should get us further south (or maybe even to the west coast)
where we might be able to find a replacement at a more reasonable cost. We’d gotten some quotes one new ones from a
local company and the quotes ranged from $3K-$5K depending on the sail material. OUCH!!!
That’s really gonna hurt when we finally have to break down and replace
it!
We took the sail back to Soulmatie. We will reinstall it a later time because
now is time for some well-deserved fun!
We decided to go for a nice long walk around the eastern end of Simpson
Bay Lagoon and explore. No idea how far
we walked but it seemed like forever.
Even Larry’s legs started to ache from all the walking.
Overall, there really wasn’t much to
see. Several bars/restaurants along the
waterfront and a ‘mall’ but it only had 2-3 places open. All the other stores had FOR RENT signs in
them. It was a very long walk to see
very little of excitement. I almost
feel like I want to make something up so it seems like we had more fun than
reality … but I wouldn’t do that!
Late afternoon, we arrived back on
Soulmatie. Larry wants to get fuel
while we’re here in St. Maarten.
Instead of moving the boat to the fuel dock, he decided to jerry can it
in the dinghy and fill the fuel that way.
For each trip, we have 3 cans (total about 16.5 Gals). Each trip cost about $83. He did two trips today. He figures he will need another two trips
before the tanks are full but will save that shore for tomorrow. He was exhausted!
The winds have been exceptionally strong and
we seem to have dragged a little from where we first anchored. We decided to
pull the anchor and reset it in a little better position. As I motored forward and Larry raised the
anchor, he noticed the anchor was hooked over a massive chain (most likely from
a huge ship). It was dirty and heavy
and wrapped hard around our anchor. In
actuality, it was probably because we hooked this monstrosity that we stopped
dragging. It was holding us
strongly. Had it not been for that
glitch, we might have dragged into the shallows.
Larry struggled with the anchor for quite
some time but couldn’t free it. He
decided to try from the dinghy where he could reach it better. The problem is, as soon as he frees
Soulmatie from the chain, she will be loose and drifting through the
anchorage. We will have to try to get
the anchor reset quickly.
After snapping one line completely, he was
finally able to free it. The second
line he had used was sacrificed so he could get back on the boat and ensure the
anchor reset. We moved slightly west of
our prior location to ensure we avoid the chain and we dropped the hook
again. This time, we seem set. Wonder if it’s bound to more lagoon debris
or if it’s holding nicely in a sandy bottom?
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