Thursday 15th April (Lini’s Journal)
Brindabella's Web Diary
Simon Williams
Thu 22 Apr 2010 20:27
the various cruisers’ nets on VHF and SSB. Our Kiwi friends set up the
‘Santa Net’ around Christmas time to keep in touch with friends and
this precedes the ‘Coconut Telegraph’, a net for the whole of the
Caribbean. Here in St. Maarten there is a net on VHF ch14 giving all
the usual information. Today we are told the weather will be overcast
again with showers and a drop in temperature to 78-80° F. Good
heavens! I shall have to dig out the fleeces!
Simon has two massive chandleries to browse round here but before
pleasure came business and we took Shovell out under the bridge to
check in with customs. We wished we had gone to the French side when
Si was charged a small fortune. A spot of shopping was sure to cheer
him up though. The whole island is duty free and discounts are also
given in many shops. Everything seemed extremely expensive to me
though. While Si looked for boat parts I checked out the pretty
clothing then the fishing gear realising today I would have to tell Si
about our missing trolling lines.
We returned to Brindabella then after lunch and checking spares,
headed back to the chandleries. Si bought gas connection bits enabling
us to use the big camping gas bottle on the Magma barbecue and between
the two large stores I came away with another bag of fishing gear
which yet again I am assured will be bring me success! We wandered
round the shops surrounding the lagoon and found it all rather strange
after the quiet islands we’ve become used to. The amount of huge
casinos was a surprise too; we haven’t seen one since Portugal and
there are several just around one end of the lagoon. As everywhere
though there are bars a plenty and it was now happy hour at the yacht
club. We perched ourselves with a beer watching frigate birds, terns
and pelicans fishing for supper then watched today’s 5.30pm arrivals
as the bridge lifted right in front of us. It was then time for Lini
and Simon’s supper of spaghetti not fish.