18:01.97N 063:05.84W

 

Simpson Bay is on the Dutch side of St Martin, we anchored in the bay just outside the lagoon, customs and immigration were quite straightforward.  Quite choppy in the anchorage as we were still experiencing the Christmas winds of around 20/25 knots, but we soon got used to being a bit wet when we went ashore.  We went ashore to Lagoonies for happy hour and dinner on Xmas Day but it was closed, so as it had started to hammer it down we found the closest place that was open and tied up the dingy, it ended up as a rather pleasant Italian, James had Carbonara and I had a pizza.  The following day we went into the main town St John as I hadn’t been before and James was kind of hoping that it had changed since his visit 30 years previously...it hadn’t!  It was grubby and disappointing with cheap tat shops and a few Christmas toy stalls selling stuff you wouldn't want to put near a naked flame.  We went grocery shopping and then dinged quite a way into the choppy open seas around to Mahi Beach where the planes fly overhead.  Again, we didn’t go ashore as there was quite a swell so we bobbed just off the shore line waiting for a huge jumbo to take off, just as it did we were caught in a squall and got sand blasted from the beach, we just looked at each other and had to laugh, ‘who’s idea was this?’.  Early to bed as we were up at 1.30am to up anchor and sail 86 miles to the BVI.