Marigot St Martin
Innamorata
Steve & Carol
Sun 15 Dec 2019 18:02
We had success at last getting our rib fixed - the tube has been coming away from the aluminium hull for over a year and after a few emails about 10months ago a very nice man from AB said he would fix it although it isn’t covered in the warranty! (not sure what they so cover as a rib is basically an aluminium hull with a tube attached to it so not much else to go wrong!!!! anyway they were going together it fixed in USA but couldn’t find anyone near us to do it so found Patrick in Marigot St Martin to do the job. As we arrived on a friday but didn’t go ashore we had to wait until Monday to find him, he was expecting us and Steve delivered the rib to him on Tuesday, we were therefore without a dinghy until it was ready to collect on Saturday so we relied on the lovely Endless summer and Wild Iris to ferry us to shore which they kindly did as necessary. We then had a couple of days when there was northerly swell rolling into the anchorage which made launching the dinghy and going ashore impossible, some waves were breaking before they reached us which was a novelty! The boat rolling was somewhat unpleasant and it made life on board more like a passage than anchored! Waves between us and boats further from the shore!    We went for a walk up to Fort Louis! not much of its left but there was a great view of the anchorage and the lagoon inside St Martin.    Marl, Lisa, Erica, Jos and of course Steve Hansom couple of Iguanas spotted on our way back from the fort   Unfortunately unrest broke out on the French side of the island before we left with some locals Rioting, making road blocks and setting fire to tyres etc, apparently the government has denied those living on the low spit fresh water or the right to repair or rebuild their homes since the hurricanes 2 years ago and wants them to move saying it's unsafe to live there as its a high risk area for future hurricanes etc, The families have lived there for generations but many don’t have any documentation to provide proof of ownership of the land - it seem complicated, they aren’t being offered anywhere to go to as there is a view that once they are removed the land will be sold to resort developments! Troops were brought in and tear gas etc used, it didn’t really effect the visiting boats except local shops closed for fear of being looted etc. We decided it was time to move on to the BVI’s but not before catching up with a few other boats we knew as well as making a few new friends and stocking up with some french cheese! We set sail with Endless Summer and Wild Iris for an overnight sail to Tortola to check in to BVIs |