We have been enjoying this small island which is half French, half Dutch and has three currencies in use (euro, guilders (also known as Netherland Antilles Florin NAF) and US$).  Very confusing.

Being one of the main yachting centres of the Caribbean, there are suppliers of every description here and they are oh so very tempting…  We’ve had a very hectic time progressing various boat jobs and with the trade winds blowing full bore, there was no temptation to carry on south just yet.

We’d planned to upgrade our tender during our stop here because of the port’s tax free status and were delighted to sell on our old, trusty dinghy to a lovely young German couple, Vassil and Inga.  Our new ‘wheels’ allow us to travel greater distances with a drier, more comfortable ride and will give us great flexibility and freedom when at anchor.

It has not been all work and no play, though, and we celebrated Sue’s birthday in style with cruising friends Jack & Marce and Walter & Meryl. We’ve also managed to dodge the many rain showers to explore shore side and to get a daily fix of La Belle France – no one makes bread quite like the French!

Sights of St Martin: