Simpson Lagoon
Sint Maartin
18.02.721N
63.05.616W

This morning bright and early, the guys decided to make a run to Budget Marine and then over to the French side to extend our papers. I was in the process of running the genset and catching up on my blog when I heard Nicky approach. She came aboard slightly exasperated.

Apparently, she made the classic mistake of disconnecting the dinghy from the big boat before she had started the engine. When it was clear that the engine wasn’t going to start right away, she was already too far from the big boat to grab a line. The bad part of the whole thing was that they had removed their remaining oar when they lost its partner. So poor Nicky was trying to start a sticky motor while drifting in the anchorage without any oars. She had visions of landing on a little peninsula called ‘Witches Tit’ and having to be rescued from there. I predicted the headlines would read: “English Woman Rescued from Wild Goats on Witches Tit,” she wasn’t impressed. Obviously, she was eventually able to start the engine and make her way over; embarrassed and probably a little unnerved.

The guys returned and told us how there was a long line at the customs office and that they were told that they didn’t have to extend. I hope the same guy is on duty when we do check out; I prefer having all of our paperwork in perfect order when we’re in foreign countries.

Gerry & Nicky left the Palace and made their way to Shrimpy’s to log onto the internet while Dale & I dropped by Westerleigh to see the Palace’s sistership. Bob & Lorilei have made many of the same modifications that we did, plus a few. I was particularly impressed with their use of black plexiglass to create cupboards in the galley where we had just added a fiddle to keep things in place. They appeared to be easy enough to do and certainly made the galley less cluttered looking. They also removed the settee in the forward stateroom and added another locker like the one already there, which doubled the storage space. She also took out the cabinet in the master head and replaced it with one that doesn’t protrude over the sink so much. All of them good ideas. A couple of which may be future projects on the Palace.

The really bad thing is that now we are doing the same nickel tour for them tomorrow and the Palace is a lot more cluttered than theirs. Dale and Nicky reminded me that we live on our boat, whereas they only spend a few months of the year on theirs. Still, these are very spacious boats when they aren’t stuffed to the gills and they had a naked boat compared to ours. Oh well, I love the Palace and as soon as we get home most everything will be taken off again anyway.

We finished the day with dinner at one of the French restaurants with Gerry & Nicky and Gary & Linda who thought that they were going to head back to California for hurricane season but have since decided that they would go to the ABC’s instead. Cruisers’ plans are always cast in Jello and warm Jello at that.