Peter & Diane Visit St. Martin and Anguilla, Feb 10-15, 2006

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Part I: Cruising St. Martin Diane and Peter Snorkeling at Tintamarre Peter works a Sudoku with his morning coffee Grande Case, Rocher Crole in background Two Pi sits in the pristine Caribbean waters Anchored at Friars Bay for lunch It is always a special dinner when we can find a restaurant with a waterfront table overlooking the harbor where Full Circle is anchored. It is a unique experience to see our home on the water suspended in the space between sea and sky. Tonight we dine at Le Nettuna, an Italian restaurant on the Riviera of restaurants in Grande Case, the gastronomic center of St. Martin. On entering, we are jarred by the sight of a shrine to the Washington Redskins, another of those random coincidences that one encounters traveling. Raymond Losito, the owner, spent 18 years working for Le Nicoise, a famous French restaurant in Washington, DC. Now he is in French St. Martin owning an Italian restaurant. When we tell him we are from Washington, we are immediately ushered to Table 10, a primo corner table on the water front. Full Circle is there, right were we left her. At night the horizon vanishes, and the sea and sky merge into one darkness. Except tonight, the lights from the flat island of Anguilla form a necklace at the horizon. With no hills or mountains on the island, the lights form a dotted band along the horizon. It is sight not to be repeated anywhere in the Caribbean. Our week at Oyster Pond is coming to an end. Peter and Diane arrive this afternoon. I have done all the repairs I can think of. The anchor for dinghy is rigged, as is the painter for towing it behind Full Circle. I purchased six feet of chain to attach to the anchor to help it grip the bottom. It is a bit bulky, but should ensure a quick set. I also purchased a quart of 3M 09010 Marine Fiberglass Cleaner and Wax to spiff up the cockpit surfaces and stainless steel on the deck. I have ignored such superficial projects in exchange for more manly projects, but with the sink or swim projects under control, it was time for some spit and polish. After several hours of rubbing, Full Circle is sparkles in the sun as she awaits the arrival of her first guests. As I sit down to admire my work and contemplate an afternoon swim in the pool, my $28 bottle of wax is catapulted into the water. As I look over the side all I see are some bubbles as air escapes the used portion of the bottle. I am sick, $28 down the drain, literally. When I sat down on the cushion, I slipped on the cushion, and it knocked the bottle over the side. After extended grumbling and giving my wax up for gone, Karen chided me into diving for it. I didn’t want to go into the dirty marina water, but I didn’t want to loose my wax either. I checked the depth with the boat depth meter; it was 12 feet. That was manageable, but the water was so murky I couldn’t see anything. What the heck, I’ll give it a try. I put on my snorkel gear and down I went. I couldn’t only see two feet in front of me. No luck. Again, no luck. Then I stumbled on the idea of dropping the dinghy anchor is the same place I saw the bottle fall. Down I went, and there it was, sitting there, right side up, as if some one had carefully placed in on the ocean floor so it wouldn’t spill. I picked it up, poured a little sea water out of it, and stowed in the lazerette. Just another minor adventure in life on the water. Previous | Next