We headed out of Gustavia on St Barth’s and just around the corner to the delightful anchorage of Anse Colombier in the marine park where we picked up one of their buoys.  There were friendly turtles in the clear waters and a pretty beach ashore.  In the afternoon we rowed in and went for a half hour’s walk around the attractive coastline to the next main bay.  It was an enjoyable bit of exercise apart from Lindsay doing her usual thing and slipping on the rough gravel path so that her leg, knee and elbow are once again grazed and sore.  At least she was able to swim back to the boat while skipper rowed the dinghy in front of her as it certainly cleaned and disinfected the wounds en route!

Anse Colombier by moonlight:

Crew sporting Caribbean colours:

After a gentle moonlit night we set off the following morning to sail the 15 miles across to St Martin.  We had vowed we wouldn’t return to the place after having to spend two weeks there last year having work done on the boat in the unappealing surroundings of the large Simpson Bay Lagoon.  However, it does have two excellent chandleries and great supermarkets for a good stock-up, so we decided to stop off there briefly on the way to the Virgin Islands.  We anchored out in the windy Simpson Bay and dinghied in to check in and visit the chandleries.  We then spent the early evening getting a bit merry in a beach side bar with their 2for1 Happy Hour drinks,  wi-fi and good burgers.  On returning to the boat we found it had developed the dreaded rolling motion which makes it difficult to move around and sleep well.  The other problem was being dropped on through one of the hatches by a large flying cockroach, Lindsay’s biggest fear almost!  I guess we were lucky really as at least we saw it arrive on board and were able to get rid off it smartly before it set up home.  Just hope now that there isn’t a little family already established in the bilges!

This afternoon after some more shopping we are off to Virgin Gorda which is 80 miles plus, so another overnighter.  Next despatch should be from the lovely Virgins (the islands that is).