Marigot Bay

Irie
Thu 17 Jan 2008 00:38
Wednesday 16th January
 
After an hour and a half's early excercise, spent most of the rest of Tuesday morning totally dismantling the outboard fuel system and expelling nasty gummy muck from all the bits. Also threw away the old petrol can, and invested in one without a breather that seems totally watertight. Fired it up and since then it's buzzed very happily.
Renewed mobility enabled further visits to chandlers for odd boat items, such that we now sport an aditional couple of fenders and an extra solar panel. Also enabled a fruitless search for new wind generator bearings, hopefully a solution to the harsh grumble that's developed over the past month.
Today, we renewed our association with France. It proved much better than the initial experience indicated.It was buzzing, full of of high quality shops and very, very French. It is remarkable how defined the French way of life is in these far away places - you could not be anywhere else - baguettes and batons, coffee and croissants, uniquely French brands in the supermarkets, gendarmes on corners and French papers in the Journeaux et Tabacs, all under a fluttering tricoleur up at the fort. It's much more dominant than our fuzzy legacy through other islands in the chain. Anyway it was a good visit, prefaced by a climb up to Fort St Louis that afforded a great view over Marigot, the Lagoon and Simpson Bay, and then rounded off by an excellent light lunch. 
 
The view from Fort Louis - Mariogot in the foreground, Irie anchored somewhere behind the Witches Tit mid left, and then Simpson Bay in the far distance