David and Carmelius

On Saturday after the jib debacle we sailed around the southern tip of Anguilla to Rendevous Bay. The “other side” of the island is quite different with resorts and developments that are pure white, middle eastern style architecture and span long stretches of the beach. We anchored in strong wind and hoped to find a spot to go on shore to watch the Ravens game... but no luck, all TWO places were closed. I’m sure ole RB is nice for a day on the beach but they’re probably glad the wireless was poor b/c I’d give them three thumbs down on trip advisor.

Sunday morning there were sporadic rainstorms and ALOT of wind but we headed across toward Marigot, St. Martin 🇫🇷 anyway. On a beam reach** with about a third of the jib out we were making Five knots. (Just for reference 1 knot = 1.15 mph - I love a conversion factor 💕)

It took about an hour to make it across. The harbor was packed with sailboats so finding a spot to anchor ⚓️was a challenge. When we anchor, I’m always at the helm while C and L deal with letting the anchor chain out. It is extremely nerve-racking to anchor in a crowded harbor b/c all the people in the boats nearby stand in their cockpits with their arms crossed watching to make sure you don’t hit their boat. So while trying to keep us into the wind and receiving shouting directions from the captain every 4 seconds (forward, neutral, left) I also had 16 people from 8 boats nearby staring at my every move. “Watching, judging look at the baby, look at the baby.” [Name that movie] Terrifying!!

We were not successful on attempt 1, 2, ...... OR 3!! For whatever reason we just couldn’t get the anchor to hold. But we got it on try 4 and I did not drift into anyone’s boat!!

Marigot, well... was not what we expected. Since it was Sunday most was closed but it was pretty trashy. There was a cool sidewalk restaurant with wireless so Charlie was happy and Mills spotted a Yogart, the French version of Sweetfrog and a billboard of Zendaya, so she was thrilled. But our main goal was figuring out a generator issue and why our fridge fuse keeps blowing so we had to stay and get that solved.

Monday we got on the horn first thing and called the Custom Fit Marine. David, arrived via dinghy to Genau before 9am to start problem solving. David was a kind, patient, and very smart, British electrical engineer that has lived aboard his sailboat with his wife for 11 years. He works from November to June in Saint Martin and then sails to Grenada to stay from June to November to avoid hurricanes. He learned his trade by being a electrician in the British Air Force but also trained workers on electrical engineering in the Underground in London. I wanted so bad to ask him how he felt about the Harry and Meghan drama but refrained. An Emergency Royal Summit ...! Sheesh. I digress... David spent most of the morning on board coming up with creative solutions for some really odd issues we had going on. But he also gave great advice and tips on cruising. Such as which ports to avoid, which not to miss, how to get around expensive customs fees and things like that that we would not know otherwise. I really appreciate people like David!! After a morning of “Genau school” 📝 and several trips to the Island Water World (French version of West Marine) we took the dinghy to Simpson Bay. Pretty touristy, lots of locals selling handmade treasures.. and some people (I won’t mention any names) just can’t say no. Carmelius, a St Lucian maker of things from palm leaves, 🌴 sold us a wonderful hat that he swears will last thirty years, can fold to fit in a bag for travel, and can even shape into a cowboy style hat 🤠 ! And then he talked us into a ride back so he didn’t have to pay for the bus. Carmelius 1 - Suttons 0. We did our part to support the locals this day!

HOS Lesson of the Day: All those you encounter have something to offer. A gift, talent, or knowledge to share. Embrace and appreciate them and offer the same back if possible.

DJL list

1. Deck chair

2. Brush

3. Spatula

4. Mills‘ snorkel mask

5. Mills’ bathing suit

Love and miss everyone! Thanks for following. 💕 ✌️ ⛵️