I love pulling into a marina after a crossing. It gives us a chance to clean up our boat again so that it is comfortably livable. I started boat washing the top deck. Steve took a nap, as he had done the majority of the sailing. We went to bed early and slept comfortably through the night. It was exactly what we needed after the long sail.
On 1/23/24 we headed to the restaurant/bar to watch the boats come through the bridge. I took pictures of the nervous crews as they made their way into the lagoon. Then we returned to doing boat chores. Every once in a while, we would get some strong wind gusts. Our friends said that one of the gusts was 49 knots so we were glad that we were secured to the dock.
On 1/24/24 we went to Lagoonies for dinner. We were part of a group of four couples who walked to the restaurant. It is always nice to meet new people. The three other couples were Canadian and very nice. They were all tied up to the dock at the Blue Pearl Marina where we were so it was nice to be able to carry on conversations after dinner. Two days later we ended up back at Lagoonies with our friends, Pam and Mark, for dinner. This time it was just us four so we were able to talk in depth about a variety of topics.
We spent the rest of our time in the marina doing typical marina boat chores. I finished cleaning the boat as much as I could and Steve worked on fixing things that magically broke while also doing some routine engine and water maker maintenance. The Blue Pearl Marina was quite convenient. Two chandleries, a laundry service, Lagoonies, and supermarkets were within easy walking distance. It was also possible to walk to Ace Hardware, which was more like a department store with hardware items on the first floor and home goods on the second floor. And, we walked to a pharmacy. So, the location was quite convenient.
The docks on the marina were in good repair and the staff were very attentive. We were able to hook up to water and electricity, making our stay in the marina quite comfortable. We would return to this marina because of the convenience and service. We ended up extending our stay in the marina until Sunday because the winds were still blowing, we hadn’t finished cleaning, and we were having fun with our friends.
We cleared out of Sint Maartin on 1/27/24 and were planning to leave when the bridge opened on Sunday around 8:30a. We busily finished prepping the boat for the crossing and said our good-byes. We really enjoyed our stay in the marina, especially because we knew so many people there.