Location: FKG Rigging Dock, St. Maarten
Position: 18 02.06 N 63 05.13 W
We're in Sint Maarten. The island is half French and half Dutch, currently we are in the Dutch section. It's been hot and muggy, but when the breeze is blowing, it's not too bad. Our hosts have air conditioning and we've been using it liberally in the evenings. What a treat!
About s/v Liberty from her owners:
"She is a Whisstocks 55, although she is really 58' in length. She was designed by Steve Dalzell and built of aluminum in Woodbridge, England, in 1988. She is a cutter rig, and her beam is 15'1", draft 7'2", and the top of her mast is 75' off the water (so pray no one has to go up during the trip)."
Here's a link to some info about the designer:
http://www.landingschool.edu/news/bbs.pl?read=17
Our first impression of St. Maarten is that there's a lot of work to do <grin> and some of it is smelly (more on this below)! Our gracious hosts have been great. They have made us very welcome and are bending over backwards to make sure we are comfortable and have food/snacks that we will enjoy. In return we are trying to help them get all their "leaving the dock" jobs done. Mark has been helping getting stuff stowed, setting up the fishing pole, inspecting and fitting sails and running rigging, doing plumbing jobs, etc. Julie has been helping prepare meals and freezing, provisioning, laundry, running errands, etc.
It seems the price of a private cabin on Liberty can be steep. Yesterday Mark noticed a puddle of water on the head floor. Further inspection involving mirrors, flashlight, gymnastics, and the ALTK (appropriate language tool kit) yielded a leak in the waste pump.
Hosts: "Gosh. It wasn't leaking before."
Julie: The Look.
Mark: "It wasn't me!"
Julie: Another Look.
Mark: "Don't Look at me like that!"
Mark was "given the opportunity" to swap out the pump. A couple of hours later the new pump was installed, he was successfully disinfected, and we were back in business. What a way to "get ahead"!
We should be leaving the dock today, fueling up and sailing over to anchor on the French side to finish provisioning. We are planning on having a bit of a ramble around and hope to have lunch there, too, as French food should never be missed, if possible. If all goes well, and the weather gods are smiling, we plan to leave for the Azores on Saturday or Sunday, June 2nd or 3rd.
We'll try and get out another Khronicle before we leave, but don't hold your breath. There's a lot to do, and we may not have an internet connection after we leave the dock.
Mark & Julie
s/v Rachel
