St Maarten Dutch Bridge Times Changes

Just a reminder that May 1st is the day that the opening times goes to the summer schedule for the bridge into the Simpson Bay Lagoon on the Dutch side of St. Maarten / St. Martin.

The bridge will open only three times per day instead of six.

Outbound traffic goes first (boats leaving the Lagoon).

Opens every day (weekends & holidays, too) at:

• 9:30 am: Outbound, then inbound
• 11:30 am: Outbound, then inbound
• 5:30 pm: Outbound, then inbound

For more information about the Simpson Bay Bridge see our previous posts:
http://allaboutboats.blogspot.com/search/label/bridge

Amazon makes Mother's Day gift shopping easy

Amazon.com makes it easy to shop at a distance... Has Mother's Day snuck up on you once again?



In the past, I have had difficult paying Amazon with a credit card and sending my order to a different address than the billing address. I've solved this by buying myself Amazon Gift Certificates and send it to my email address. Makes the checkout much easier.



Happy shopping!

INNOVATIVE WIFI BOOSTER

Here's a post that Bob just pointed out to me on Latitude 38's 'Lectronic Latitudes Blog.

I think the photo was actually taken in the Simpson Bay Lagoon on the Dutch side of St. Maarten, but hey, that is off of Anguilla :)

I think that our set up works pretty good though. It is the Engenius external unit with an omnidirectional antenna. You can purchase it through Amazon : CLICK HERE.

Enjoy!

Looking For Elvis - Heneken Regatta 2008 SXM St Maarten

So many people come to this blog with the search term "Looking for Elvis" that I am posting this photo even though it is not mine. Looking for Elvis is a 48-foot Gunboat catamaran that we often see around St. Maarten.

This photo was taken from the Heineken Regatta website with a credit and copyright to Bob Grieser... Nice picture!



Check out http://www.heinekenregatta.com/ for more race photos and information about the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.

Coke Zero pricing at Gourmet Marche SXM

A couple of posts below this one I have written about some of the prices in St. Maarten.

Yesterday we went to the Gourmet Marche supermarket on Airport Road at the Portofino Marina and bought a few things. When we were walking back to the dinghy Bob said that he was surprised that the Coke cost more than Fresca. I wasn't paying attention to the prices, darn!

We have been buying Coke Zero in a plastic shrink wrap packaging with the cans arranged 3x4 and that will set you back $4.75. We were charged $7.20 for the same 12 cans of Coke Zero but this time packaged in their 12-pack long narrow (2x12) cardboard box. What gives here???

We will be passing by the store today so I will be armed with my old receipts along with yesterday's to ask about this.

LATER THAT DAY....

OK! The nice manager was in the store this morning so I asked him if the price was correct... What's the difference? Isn't 12 cans of Coke 12 cans of Coke?

No, it's not. The cans in the plastic packaging come from Dominica and the cans in the cool-pack cardboard box are imported from England which they are no longer purchasing... Thus, the British Coke costs more than the Coke distributed out of the Caribbean island of Dominica. Makes sense. But, I wonder why they got it from England and not Florida?

If I remember correctly, this 12-can cool pack box sold for $9 in Antigua. Can't check a receipt because I could not bring myself to spend that much money for Coke. We had plenty of Crystal Lite to drink :)

Hope this explains a bit about shopping in the Caribbean!

Different strokes for different folks

I thought that this was a pretty amazing article in the St. Maarten newspaper last Friday (The Daily Herald, April 11, 2008... No, not April 1st). It has prompted quite a bit of talk :)

Here are some bits and pieces of the article but you can read the whole thing here:
http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k275/pjia275.html

MPs object to treatment they received at airport

PHILIPSBURG--Members of Parliament (MPs), the highest elected officials of the Netherlands Antilles, have severe complaints about the treatment they have been receiving at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA).

President of Parliament, Pedro Atacho told The Daily Herald it was usual at all airports within the Netherlands Antilles that MPs receive different treatment when going through security checks, based on their status as the country’s highest elected people’s representatives.

The main complaint is that in St. Maarten, MPs are also required to take off shoes, belts and sometimes even other parts of their clothing.

“The treatment is different compared to the treatment we receive in Curaçao. In St. Maarten we are basically being stripped down and are almost treated like criminals, while we are the highest elected officials of the country. We have no interest in doing illegal things and embarrassing our own country,” Richardson stated. He considered what happened a “serious incident.”

My goodness!

Read the whole article here:
http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k275/pjia275.html

:)

RIB Inflatable dinghy tube repair - ClamSeal

I've been wanting to mention this wonderful product since last November but with this and that, I never got around to it. The ClamSeal is a two-piece thingy that clamps together. One part goes inside the tube and the other part goes on the outside. You screw down the nut and you have a tight seal. For pictures, visit Bob's Boat Bits blog to see the installation of our second ClamSeal repair [CLICK HERE].

Back in November, the day before we were leaving to sail over to the Virgin Islands to attend the to charter yacht shows in St. Thomas USVI and Tortola BVI, our Caribe 9L got a small puncture. It was in a difficult place to repair and the first patch we did, didn't take. The puncture was in the bow very close to the seam with the strip with the grommets in it. There was not enough room to get enough patching material to make a good seal. It was time to go so we stowed it on our foredeck with a very slow leak.

Our first boat show was in Tortola so we just made do by pumping up the dinghy a bit each time we used it. When we arrived in St. Thomas, our first stop was to see Harold at Offshore Marine, the Caribe dealer, to see if we could have someone patch our dinghy. Yes they could, but the guy was on vacation and would not be back for another 10 days. So, it was back to pumping up the dinghy before each use.

We went to Island Water World over by Yacht Haven Grande to see if they had a ClamSeal because they had them at the St. Maarten store. No luck there, so we bought a replacement valve but we were a bit nervous about installing it as we couldn't find instructions, plus we'd be back in St. Maarten soon and we're doing OK...

When we got back to St. Maarten we bought a ClamSeal at Island Water World. What a wonderful piece of gear. It's kind of frightening to make a 2-inch slice in your tube to install but Hey Presto it works and was EASY. Some people probably wouldn't like the look or perhaps not like that it is not flush but it makes our little boat distinguishable :)

Last week we admitted that we had another puncture. We were saying that the tube was a bit soft because it was cold last night... We found the little pinprick hole and tried a bit of crazy glue first but the next morning the tube was a bit soft again... So off to Island Water World. They only had two ClamSeals so we bought both of them.

Visit Bob's Boat Bits blog to see the installation of our second ClamSeal repair [CLICK HERE].

I think that anyone who has an inflatable life raft should take a couple of these along. I don't remember the book (was it "Adrift"?) but it was a guy in a leaky life raft and the instructions on the repair kit was to apply to a dry surface. Duh! How are you going to keep a leaky life raft dry when you are using it.

So, thank you Barton Marine Equipment Ltd for a great and reasonably priced ($30) product.

You can buy a ClamSeal through Amazon.com: Sea Eagle ClamSeal Instant Repair kit

Peg Leg Pub New Location in St. Maarten

APRIL 2008 - We are very sad to see that one of our favorite restaurants in St. Maarten has moved. They used to be conveniently located for cruising folks as they had a dinghy dock in the Lagoon at Three Palms Plaza (across the water from Budget Marine & in between Pineapple Pete and Domino's Pizza).



It was the perfect place for us to have dinner before a movie which was just down the road a bit. They have half-price appetizers for happy hour between 4-6pm and $1 beers. We could easily have a good feed and a couple of beers for UNDER $20... for both of us, not each. I usually would not have room for popcorn at the movie which is really saying a lot for me :)

But now they have moved. I suppose we could tie up over at the little marina in the back of Port de Plaisance Marina where the French restaurant is and then walk up to the casino, but it's just not convenient for us anymore... We've been spoiled!

We really like Jack & Linda so I'm sure we'll still pass by, but not as often as before as it would be a specific trip and not a "hey, it's Tuesday so it is Meat Loaf for the lunch special... Let's GO" Perhaps we'll just have to do Pineapple Pete instead as a pre-movie deal. Haven't been there in a long time and I seem to remember something about a wings special...

Anyway, this is what it says on the Peg Leg website:

Peg Leg Moves In April!

Peg Leg Pub & Steakhouse moves early in April from Simpson Bay to the former location of the "Surf and Turf" just inside the Casino entrance at Princess Port de Plaisance. The schedule:

APRIL 6TH LAST DAY AT OLD LOCATION
APRIL 11TH FRIENDS AND FAMILY DAY
APRIL 12TH ON OPEN REGULAR HOURS

Our new Port de Plaisance location is much closer for people in the Cupecoy area -- just 20 minutes through Marigot. That's a lot better than 1 1/2 hours thru Simpson Bay!

Join us at our new location starting April 12, 2008!

All the best for your new location & hope to see you soon, Jack & Linda. Your restaurant has it all... Good food, Good service, Good specials, Good hospitality!

Keep it up!

SHOPPING - PRICES IN ST. MAARTEN APRIL 2008

SHOPPING - PRICES IN ST. MAARTEN APRIL 2008

Prices in US Dollars in April 2008, St. Maarten, SXM Netherland Antilles

Gasoline, 1 gallon: $4.77 ($1.26/liter at Island Water World)
Gasoline (essence) on the French side is cheaper. Usually 1 euro = 1 dollar
Water, 1 gallon: $0.15 at Island Water World

FAST FOOD:

Kentucky Fried Chicken: #1: Leg & thigh, small mashed potatoes, biscuit, drink: $7.00
Burger King: Whopper, fries, drink: $5.99
MacDonalds: #2: QuarterPounder, fries, drink: $5.59
Domino's Pizza: on Lagoon across from Budget Marine, near Pineapple Pete. Will deliver to French side

• Large Pan Pizza, unlimited toppings, $12.00
• 12" Medium: $10.65 +$1.25/topping
• 14" Large: $12.50 +$1.50/topping
• Two for Tuesday! Buy one get one free.

GRAND MARCHE / GOURMET MARCHE:

Eggs, medium, one dozen: $2.22
Potatoes, Idaho, 5 pounds: $3.50
Onions, 3-pound bag: $3.00
Pepsi Max, 12 cans (12-pack plastic shrink wrap): $4.50
Coke Zero, 12 cans (12-pack plastic shrink wrap): $4.75
Coke Zero, 12 cans (12-pack cardboard box): $7.20 (WHAT? Imported from UK)
Fresca, 12 cans (cardboard packaging): $6.50
Rum, Appleton dark, 1 liter: $5.53
Rum, Cortez dark, 1 liter: $3.75
Cookies, McVitties Bourbon Cremes: $1.35
Cat litter, clumping, 7-pound jug (gallon size): $5.50 & $6.00
Cat litter, Tidy Cat, clumping, 14-pound jug: $8.80

COST-U-LESS:

Coke Zero, 12 cans: $4.50
Batteries, Duracell AA 8-pack: $7.78
Cat food, Purina Delicat, 10-pound bucket: $10.55
Cat litter, Fresh Step Clumping, 28-pound bucket: $16.66
Rice, parboiled 10-pound bag: $6.66

LD's SEVEN ALIVE Supermarket across from Palapa Marina:

Milk, 2%, 1/2 gallon = $1.45

BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE TO WACKA, our first boat cat

April 1st is April Fools and poisson d'avril, but for me it is foremost Wacka's birthday.



Wacka was 16 years old when she passed away the week before Hurricane George in September 1998.

I know a few of my old friends from OECD in Paris will remember her:

• Sandra will remember Wacka's very loud & persistent voice when she graciously drove our stuff from our apartment in Paris out to the boatyard at the Charles de Gaulle airport where we built the first Loose Moose.
• Derek will treasure the memory of little Wacka's fragrance on his pillow when we all lived aboard the barge Black Moon along the Seine in Le Port Marly outside of Paris, France.

Wacka was a good sailor. She was with us on Loose Moose when we traveled from Paris down the Seine to Le Harve, then sailed up to St. Valery Sur Somme and then through the canals back to Paris and then to our spot on the Marne at Joinville Le Pont.

Bullwinkle joined us a few years later and they really helped out during our transatlantic crossing aboard Loose Moose 2.

They were both good cats. We miss them and have many fond memories.

Frightening - The Osmands 50th Anniversary Concert

Yesterday, I received a scarey email from Amazon.com notifying me of a DVD available for pre-order.... The Osmonds - Live in Las Vegas 50th Anniversary Reunion Concert

What?! FIFTY years !!! This concert was in 2007 which means 1957 when I was 2 years old. Wow, they must have been young and Donny wasn't even a twinkle way back then, was he?

So, here... take a look! Such a deal at $14.99 for a concert DVD. There's a video clip you can watch... Wow, blast from the past!



I'm sure this will bring back all sorts of memories for you, too! ...or if you're a "young whippersnapper" your parents :)

New portable generator All-Power 1000W with inverter

Last week we had to purchase a new generator. We had our Honda EU2000i for over 5 years so I guess it was finally "it's time". It still runs perfect but it doesn't produce power. We've checked the obvious electrical bits but no joy, so we think the inverter is kaput. We searched the web for other people having this problem but hardly anyone has any problems with this Honda generator. They are great machines!

We had great success with the Honda as we never did much maintenance-wise. Changed the oil and cleaned the air filter a few times. I always meant to make a cover for it but that project is still on "The List". We used the Honda for electric power for use at night before we hooked up the inverter. Then we used it to run the Xantec 24V charger/inverter, run power tools, charge the 12V when necessary... that sort of thing.

So, we didn't want to pay $1200 for a new Honda in St. Maarten and we bought a 1000W Honda clone, an All-Power 1000W for about $450. It is a 4-stroke, portable, silenced unit. It works well but it didn't have enough ooomph for our Xantec charger/inverter. We turned down the charger and got the new generator to charge at 13amps but if we turned on the circuit breaker so we could run our computer, the generator stopped producing power and saying "overload"... darn. We are again wasting time as we are now taking longer to charge the batteries and we cannot get on the internet while charging. It did the 12V battery charger just fine.

It is not as quiet as the Honda EU2000i either, but not that bad... just not as good as we are used to. But, we'll use it for now as we have it and we can decide what to do about generating power as we go along... so it goes

See our August 2008 update: CLICK HERE

Hurray! NO Leylon Sneed in Christmas Cove, St. Thomas, USVI

Wow, they actually did something right! The 115-foot Leylon Sneed will NOT be allowed to moor in Christmas Cove (Great St. James island) off of St. Thomas, USVI.

Christmas Cove is such a beautiful, peaceful, place with great snorkeling. We were there over the past Thanksgiving weekend and we always stop by there for a few days when we sail to the Virgin Islands. This is also where many crewed charter yachts spend either their first or last day of charter.

Could you imagine a Willy T's type of place there? What an outrage that would have been. Hopefully they won't turn around their ruling... fingers crossed.

Here's a copy of a St. Thomas Daily News newspaper article about the Sneed being a floating bar. Click image to make it larger.


Here are two links to articles in the St. Thomas Source:

• March 3, 2008
• March 5, 2008

Here's a picture of Marolanga who invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner 2008 in Christmas Cove.

Looking forward to seeing Gus, Marcella and Sasha!

ST MAARTEN SIMPSON BAY PORT & BRIDGE FEES - 2008 SXM

This afternoon I went in to the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority office to pay up our harbor fees and I asked for a copy of the document with the fees and regulations. I just checked their web site (March 19, 2008) and they still have not updated it with the 2008 fees so I thought I'd type out a bit of the 5-page document for you...

I just called them to ask if the fees apply to Philipsburg and was told no, just Simpson Bay and the Lagoon. Mmmmmmm, might check that out as we just paid $247.42 :)


Dutch bridge from inside of Simpson Bay Lagoon.

The Fees Collection Office of the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority is located at the Police Station in Simpson Bay near the bridge and can be accessed through the gate at their dinghy dock. Their telephone/ fax number is (00 599) 545 3183. Open every day, including holidays from 8am to 6pm. (We have seen them close early, such as for a funeral, but there will be a note posted on the door.)

Think of bridge fees as round trip... You are charged one fee for one in & out... Not each time under the bridge, if you catch my drift... In our case it would be a $10 bridge fee if we want to take our boat inside to go to Bobby's Boatyard in the Lagoon. We would go in AND out for the $10. Not $10 in and then another $10 out.

BRIDGE FEES (in US Dollars) during regular opening hours entering the Lagoon:

• 9-12 meters: $10
• 12-15 meters: $30
• 15-18 meters: $60
• 18-22 meters: $120
• 22-28 meters: $200
• 28-36 meters: $300
• over 36 meters: $500

SPECIAL BRIDGE OPENINGS per vessel and per opening may be requested 24 hours in advance for openings between 6:00am and 6:00pm at a fee of $1000 regardless the length of the vessel and must be paid in advance.

HARBOR FEES (in US Dollars) per week or portion of a week:

• 8-13 meters $20
• 13-18 meters: $40
• 18-23 meters: $60
• 23-28 meters: $90
• 28-33 meters: $120
• 33-38 meters: $150
• 38-43 meters: $180
• 43-50 meters: $210
• 50-75 meters: $250
• over 75 meters: $290

CUSTOM CLEARANCE Fees (in US Dollars):

• 1-99 gross tons: $2.00
• 100-499 gross tons: $5.00
• over 500 gross tons: $9.00

HARBOR CLEARANCE Fees (in US Dollars):

• 1-99 gross tons: $5.00
• 100-499 gross tons: $10.00
• over 500 gross tons: $20.00

BRIDGE OPENING HOURS

• Opening hours for John Sainsborough Lejuez Bridge (Dutch bridge, Simpson Bay)

December through April (every day, Sunday-Saturday & holidays)

• 9:00am - Outbound
• 9:30am - Inbound
• 11:00am - Outbound
• 11:30am - Inbound
• 4:30pm - Outbound
• 5:30pm - Inbound

May through November (every day, Sunday-Saturday & holidays)
Outbound traffic first, then inbound traffic. Wait for green light.

• 9:30am - Outbound then inbound
• 11:30am - Outbound then inbound
• 5:30pm - Outbound then inbound

TRANSITING THE BRIDGE CHANNEL:

Your vessel can only proceed to transgress the bridge channel when the bridge traffic light is green. The outbound traffic coming out of the Lagoon always precedes inbound traffic. All vessels should queue up in line and transit the bridge in the shortest time possible. The bridge attendant will instruct you to speed up if necessary. Monitor VHF Channel 12 so you can follow the instructions and notifications of the bridge attendant.

If there is any emergency on the road, please pay careful attention. You will hear the sirens and the bridge attendant will instruct you to halt your transit so the bridge can close for the passage of emergency vehicles. Afterwards, the bridge will re-open.

The bridge will not operate on days that the 10-minute average wind speed limit as published daily by the Meterological Service of the Netherlands Antilles exceeds 35 km/hour (19.7 MPH). You can requst information via VHF channel 12 or phone 545-3183.

SPEED LIMIT:

In the bridge channel, fare ways and in the Lagoon, a 5MPH speed limit is in force for all vessels. Anchorage zones and marinas fall under "no wake zones". The buoyage system used is the "red right returning" (American) system.

WIDTH, HEIGHT AND DEPTH OF THE BRIDGE PASSAGE:

The bridge opening spans 17 meters (56 feet). The bridge channel has a depth of 5 meters (17 feet). Wide beamed vessels must request piloting. Entering from the sea, the closed bridge has a 2.6 meter (8.6 ft) high clearance in the port channel and a 2.4 meter (8 ft) high clearance in the starboard channel.

SAFETY & SECURITY:

The Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority trusts that all visitors and vessels shall comply with all local rules and regulations as legally stipulated and that you will help us keep our waters and facilities safe and clean, free from any contamination, pollution or crime. All fire arms, ammunition and explosives, chemicals and cash money (US$11,000 or more) must be declared with Customs when clearing in. Failure to do so will result in your vessel being impounded and your person being fined andor sentenced to imprisonment. Drugs possession is illegal and will lead to the same punishment as mentioned before. Fire arms possession is only legal if declared and the owner has a legal permit of his country of origin and the arms are safely secured. In all other cases the fire arms will be confiscated.

There's other stuff mentioned, but it's too much to type :)

Their web site is http://www.sxmlagoonauthority.com

Hope this helps!

Big Swell Coming to Caribbean - March 2008

They say that there is a big swell coming down to the Caribbean due to a weather system up near the Bahamas. They've been saying we'll have up to 20-foot swells Wedneday/ Thursday.

This morning, the guy on the radio (99.9FM) read an article from the local St. Maarten newspaper which said that last night, the police on the French side of St. Martin were evacuating people from the lower portions of the island near Sandy Ground.

Last night, we had lots and lots of boats wanting to pass through into the lagoon from Simpson Bay at 5:30pm. They closed the bridge at 6pm probably to let some of the cars to pass and then opened the bridge again for about 20 minutes at 6:30pm.

Quite a few more boats have gone into the lagoon at 9:30am and 11:30am this morning.

Right now outside the bridge in Simpson Bay where we are anchored (Wednesday, March 19, 2008 @ 12:15pm) it's not bad at all. It varies, but I'd say that the maximum swell we have had so far today would be a 2-foot wave. There's some surf on the beach which some kids are playing in. We'll let out some chain though just to be prudent.

At 8:00am this morning there was a report on the net from someone anchored in Marigot Bay on the French side of St. Martin. He said that they had about a 18-inch swell there...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR
357 AM AST WED MAR 19 2008

...LARGE LONG PERIOD SWELL TO AFFECT LOCAL WATERS THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON...

AN INTENSE WINTER STORM SYSTEM OVER THE NORTHWEST ATLANTIC HAS BEEN GENERATING VERY LARGE LONG PERIOD SWELLS THAT ARE BEGINNING TO CROSS THE LOCAL WATERS THIS MORNING. THIS NORTHERLY SWELL EVENT IS EXPECTED TO PEAK OVERNIGHT TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING...CREATING VERY DANGEROUS AND HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS ACROSS THE REGIONAL WATERS. MARINE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE NOT ANTICIPATED TO IMPROVE SIGNIFICANTLY UNTIL THE UPCOMING WEEKEND.

But aboard So It Goes... so far, so good!

Anchoring antics - St Maarten Heineken Regatta 2008

We all have our "day(s) of shame" so I shouldn't feel smug as it is bad karma, but there were lots and lots of boats anchored out and about us in Simpson Bay, St. Maarten for the Heineken Regatta two weeks ago.


This boat seems to have snagged someone else's chain. They tried for at least 5 minutes to remove their catch from the anchor using a boat hook. The chain was too heavy for that method and finally someone came in a dinghy and unwrapped it for them. I thought they should have just lowered their anchor and it might have come free or if not, dive on it 10-15 feet depth and untangle the chain.


The guy behind us on the catamaran left before it got crowded which was probably a good thing as he certainly had a bad attitude. He was sure the other yacht was over his anchor chain and after yelling at them for a bit he went for a swim to prove it... Look closely and you can see him in the water above his anchor. Notice how far away the other boat is? How much scope did he think he had out? No apologies were given.

But, soon after, he had another boat to deal with...


Here's an interesting way to pick up a mooring...

They were chased off of this mooring and rightly so as it was unsafe. There was a boat on it the day before and it dragged.

We are always surprised at how many people will pick up an abandoned mooring, tie themselves off, and leave without checking it.... People tying to fish traps can be especially entertaining unless they are upwind of you :)

Heineken Regatta - Sad, Tryst dismasted

This made me very sad. The trimaran Tryst returned from the first day of the Heineken Regatta dismasted.



We noticed them painting the boat and mast at Island Water World shortly before the regatta. Tryst was looking good.

The week before the race, the guys would come out every day to work on the boat and go out training.

I don't know them, but they seem to be enjoying themselves and putting a lot of effort into participating in the 2008 Heineken Regatta and then to be dismasted on the first day... très triste.

MOONSPLASH 2008 Bankie Banx Anguilla Dune Preserve

Bankie Banx, the Eastern Caribbean's pioneer of reggae music, hosts the Moonsplash Music Festival each year on Anguilla.

This year's Moonsplash runs March 27-30, 2008 at Bankie Banx's Dune Preserve on the Caribbean island of Anguilla (just north of St. Martin / Sint Maarten).



Moonsplash has become much more than a weekend party. People plan their vacations to Anguilla around it.

Looking for accommodations? How about a yacht charter?

Jet Blue and Spirit airlines, along with major airlines fly into St. Maarten (SXM).

Meet your boat in St. Maarten, and make the short sail up to Anguilla to attend Moonsplash. Afterwards, you might enjoy cruising on over to St. Barths stopping at various spots along the French coast of St. Martin on the way.

Last year, we sailed over to Anguilla to attend the Jimmy Buffett concert and had a wonderful time. What a wonderful venue for a concert of this type.

Check out the concert video on Amazon.com... CLICK THIS LINK!




A double CD and an 82 minute DVD were recorded LIVE at the Dune Preserve, Rendezvous Bay in Anguilla, in Bankie Banx's backyard and the site of famous Moonsplash Festivals. The CDs include 30 songs, all of your favorites, plus some special in-concert rarities like Domino College, Waiting In Vain, When Salome Plays the Drum, King of Somewhere Hot, Treat Her Like A Lady, and Distantly In Love. The DVD was recorded in High Definition and is in Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound. Check out the video on Amazon.com!

For more information about the Moonsplash Music Festival, CLICK HERE

There's not much time so BOOK NOW!

Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters: CLICK HERE

Visit our web site: http://www.paradiseconnections.com

TORTOLA, BVI - Clearing In

We just received this news from Kerry of the trimaran PROMENADE:

Just got this message passed on...
Urgent!!!

Dear Captains,

The friendly folks at the BVI Customs House in Road Town (and West End) have begun enforcing their rule regarding anchoring within site of the Customs House in order to check in. just this morning, two yachts went into the marina first - they were both fined $2500 (down from the maximum of $5000) for not anchoring in view! In the past they may have quacked at you, wagged their bureaucratic fingers at you, but not stuck you with a big fine.

Wow, that must have hurt!

Last time we checked in at West End (Soper's Hole), Tortola, BVIs they asked where we were anchored. We pointed at our boat which was on one of the moorings just across from Customs. Remember to play nice and by their rules :)

We were recently told about a charter yacht who took his guests to a restricted bay in Anguilla for the afternoon and didn't bother to check in. Why? Especially with a paying charter!!! Not smart.

Sint Maarten Coast Guard Boarding SXM

This morning we had a visit from the St Maarten (SXM) Coast Guard. We were finishing up breakfast in the cockpit and I was splicing a new line on our chain hook.



Sure, come aboard. Two officers came on and asked to see our boat papers, clearance form, and passports, and how long we planned to stay.

Willow popped out and I told the guy that she's a St. Maarten cat that we adopted. He seemed to like cats which was nice. It was good that she met someone that was not a veterinarian :)

On the Cruiser's Net (VHF CH.14 at 07:30am) we heard a recent report that the Coast Guard had been boarding boats and collecting Harbor Fees. I thought this was completely false and, like so many things on the net, was a 14th-hand account of something... Perhaps it was the St Maarten Lagoon Authority, who makes the rounds of the Lagoon and outside in Simpson Bay making sure that boats are up-to-date in their fees.

Anyway, I asked the Coastie if it was true that they collected fees and he told me that they didn't. We also told him that we heard that the Coast Guard was requiring dinghies to have a life jacket for each person, a light, an anchor and an oar. The life jacket and light is correct and you can be fined for not complying, but even though having an anchor and oar is prudent to have aboard, it is not a requirement.

He also warned us to be careful during the Heineken Regatta because there will be a lot more boats around resulting in an increase of thefts. Actually, some of the dinghy thefts are just inconsiderate people who "borrows" anyone's dinghy (or one that looks sort of like theirs) that is still on the dock when the bar closes and they want to go back to their boat.

We have never had a problem with the SXM Coast Guard officers, the St Maarten Lagoon Authority, and the people in the Check In/ Out office near the bridge. Treat them decently and with respect (you are in their country) and you shouldn't get any attitude from them. Hopefully, you will not be after a cruiser who gave the authorities a bit of bad attitude as that may color their visit for those who come after.

Be nice!

KITTEN UPDATE: Buffy & Willow 16wks old

Buffy & Willow went to the vet this week for their third set of vaccinations. They were such good girls!


They both weigh the same as each other... 5.2 pounds. Chris said that they are going to be BIG cats.

Next Wednesday they'll return to the vet to be neutered, chipped and tatooed. Not looking forward to the night before when we won't be able to have food and water down for them after 8pm. Don't expect to get much sleep :)

Updating our Amazon Store

This morning I've been updating our ALL ABOUT BOATS and MORE Amazon Store.

I've added a "PET" category, plus I added a couple of books to the "Books: Cruising with Pets" category. I went to the first page in our "Pet" section which has a brush, cat grass, cat toilet training kit, and some pet carriers. This page has a "SIMILAR ITEMS" section in the right column with three items listed... the first was for catnip, the third was for a cat book, but the second item really amazed me... it was a PlayStation 3 Wireless Controller! Is this a cat toy? Is it to train one's cat? Funny :)

Remember to check out our A-Store. Sometimes it can be very difficult to find things on Amazon so we have done the searching for you... such as cruising guides. Unfortunately, not much new for Venezuela... just the Chris Doyle book which we'll have to get soon.

VOIPBUSTER - Skype alternative

The other day on the St. Maarten Cruisers Radio Net (VHF 14, 07:30a.m. AST), s/v Magic gave a report on VOIPBUSTER as an alternative to Skype.

Here's their link: http://www.voipbuster.com

We have a Skype subscription through December 2008 so we'll stick with them, plus Grand Central.

Buffy & Willow Venture Outside

lHere’s a photo I took of our kittens, Buffy & Willow.



They’ve gone out a few times this week but they’re cool about it. I was afraid that once they went out they would always be trying to get out but they went out for a few minutes while we were in the cockpit then they went back inside like it is no big deal.

Friday update: Here's the photo. Was finally able to upload it this morning. The cats were out in the cockpit when it started to rain. They looked confused. Bob wrangled them inside, but Willow jumped out again, and in, and out, and in.... Willow was actually pretty damp! Of course, they had to go and lay on the bed :) BUT, at least they didn't venture into the litter box and get clumping cat litter stuck between their toes.

Items in stores should be priced

RANT WARNING !!!

Aargh! This really bugs me. Today I bought some instant mashed potatoes in a foil pouch at the Gourmet Marche in Simpson Bay, SXM. The code has not been registered in the computer but for the last 3 weeks, we've been told it is 1.35 guilders. Today, there is a price for the plain potatoes at 1.35NAF but none for the other type... but it is in the computer now for 2.99 guilders. More than twice the price, but I didn't want to hassle and just bought the 4 pouches but never again as they are not THAT special. (I know, look at the bright side... I was actually getting the better product for a discount.)

So, I guess that helped to put me in the mood for Budget Marine. They still have pricing "issues". I had to wait in line for about 10 minutes while they were trying to figure out how much some 24V pump cost as they only had a 12V one in the computer and the catalog... Why they were looking in 2008 catalog (wait isn't this 2008?) I don't know because it is not an accurate source of prices.

Anyway.... We bought a 3oz tube of Super Lube. Bob told me it was $6.00 (tube had a code but no price) and I was surprised she told me it was $5.95 with my discount (plus everything is 10% off marked prices as it is). I went to the shelf and it was marked $6.80 on the label. Zeros and eights look very similar.... So when I got back up to the front of the line to tell her what the marked price was, she had to go to the back of the store and look for herself. Which is OK, but really all I wanted was the one item... she saw the tag and we went back and I got the right price. As it was an American product, I was happy that she didn't give me the "euro" excuse.

Well, at least it was lube if you catch my drift... )