02/02/2011
Obviously my last bit of scribble, filled with apologies and contrition, did the trick! I am no longer gated , and in fact we are going back to lovely Orient Bay with Tom & Johness for Sunday lunch at Bikini beach………. But not the NUDY section !!! Tom too, had his challenges he tells me. Its all very well for us to remember to look down , to keep chatting away, without staring at the many and varied sights ….. but its another thing altogether trying to tell your dog where she can and can’t go sniffing!
Our visit to SXM has been longer and more expensive than originally planned, but it has also been very productive. Sheer Tenacity is now very much better equipped and prepared than when we left Hout Bay. A watermaker has now been ordered and should be here in about 12 days. More “wads of wonga”, which can not be justified on a cost basis in the Caribbean. We have taken the plunge to spare my ageing back, and cut out the tedious water runs with jerry cans. So we will be staying a little longer!
During our visit, we have also picked up a few SXM specials worth sharing!
The lagoon is big and widespread, making longer than usual dinghy trips
the norm, hence the reason for our own new aluminum hulled RIB and 8hp motor. (Notice the eyes to help look out for wakes and other traffic!) The unspoken war between ignorant, power boaters, and yachties lies just below the surface in SXM. Many of these guys roar around chucking up huge wakes, causing anchored yachts to rock and roll, and problems for little yacht tenders. The lagoon itself can be quite choppy, and one often gets wet when going places. One of the quite common techniques to avoid getting wet is for people to stand up like Meerkats, holding onto the rope tether in front, and using an extended motor handle. Ex board surfers and water skiers usually have the balance and control, but not all are so talented! More than one has been catapulted into the sea by hitting large wakes. The Meerkats of course do not have the “kill” switch around their wrists, and therein lie’s the danger. Two such Meerkats were lucky to survive their wipe out last week, as the spinning prop on their upside down tender was luckily fouled by the tether. But before one gets too self righteous and critical about all these “stupid” power boating guys, cruisers need to remember that they too transform into “stupid” power boaters the moment they take off in their tenders!
Many cruisers, like ourselves, mark our anchors position by using an anchor marking buoy. It helps to define the swing range, and helps to avoid people dropping their hook on top of yours! This can be dangerous here! Once our marker buoy was wiped out by a power boat, and twice we have seen bare b
oat skippers moor their charter yachts onto some other poor dudes anchor marking buoy!
The busy SXM Juliana Airport runs from Maho Bay across the isthmus, onto a reclaimed strip into the lagoon. There is a never ending roar of jets taking off, and landing, over the anchorage. There is a “no anchoring zone” at the end of the runway. Urban legend has it, that when the runway had to be extended, to cater for Jumbo’s, the local Government official on the project committee, suggested that it might be easier to dredge the lagoon , and make it deeper so that the yachts would float lower in the water, and thereby not be a hazard to the planes! Archimedes must have turned in his grave!
SXM is also firmly in the American sailing region; anchoring balls and stars and stripes everywhere! We have thus had the opportunity to observe in various restaurants and bars, that quite a large portion of our American colleagues suffer from a common genetic defect. They have either been born without a” volume” control in their voice box, or, a defective “pitch” control! The problem seems to get worse with a simultaneous intake of alcohol!
Lastly, I am proud to announce, that Mary has finally converted to being a Real Cruiser! “Damn”, she said to me yesterday, “I’ve left my cap in the car!” meaning of course, the dinghy!
Our visit to SXM has been longer and more expensive than originally planned, but it has also been very productive. Sheer Tenacity is now very much better equipped and prepared than when we left Hout Bay. A watermaker has now been ordered and should be here in about 12 days. More “wads of wonga”, which can not be justified on a cost basis in the Caribbean. We have taken the plunge to spare my ageing back, and cut out the tedious water runs with jerry cans. So we will be staying a little longer!
During our visit, we have also picked up a few SXM specials worth sharing!
The lagoon is big and widespread, making longer than usual dinghy trips
the norm, hence the reason for our own new aluminum hulled RIB and 8hp motor. (Notice the eyes to help look out for wakes and other traffic!) The unspoken war between ignorant, power boaters, and yachties lies just below the surface in SXM. Many of these guys roar around chucking up huge wakes, causing anchored yachts to rock and roll, and problems for little yacht tenders. The lagoon itself can be quite choppy, and one often gets wet when going places. One of the quite common techniques to avoid getting wet is for people to stand up like Meerkats, holding onto the rope tether in front, and using an extended motor handle. Ex board surfers and water skiers usually have the balance and control, but not all are so talented! More than one has been catapulted into the sea by hitting large wakes. The Meerkats of course do not have the “kill” switch around their wrists, and therein lie’s the danger. Two such Meerkats were lucky to survive their wipe out last week, as the spinning prop on their upside down tender was luckily fouled by the tether. But before one gets too self righteous and critical about all these “stupid” power boating guys, cruisers need to remember that they too transform into “stupid” power boaters the moment they take off in their tenders!Many cruisers, like ourselves, mark our anchors position by using an anchor marking buoy. It helps to define the swing range, and helps to avoid people dropping their hook on top of yours! This can be dangerous here! Once our marker buoy was wiped out by a power boat, and twice we have seen bare b
oat skippers moor their charter yachts onto some other poor dudes anchor marking buoy!The busy SXM Juliana Airport runs from Maho Bay across the isthmus, onto a reclaimed strip into the lagoon. There is a never ending roar of jets taking off, and landing, over the anchorage. There is a “no anchoring zone” at the end of the runway. Urban legend has it, that when the runway had to be extended, to cater for Jumbo’s, the local Government official on the project committee, suggested that it might be easier to dredge the lagoon , and make it deeper so that the yachts would float lower in the water, and thereby not be a hazard to the planes! Archimedes must have turned in his grave!
SXM is also firmly in the American sailing region; anchoring balls and stars and stripes everywhere! We have thus had the opportunity to observe in various restaurants and bars, that quite a large portion of our American colleagues suffer from a common genetic defect. They have either been born without a” volume” control in their voice box, or, a defective “pitch” control! The problem seems to get worse with a simultaneous intake of alcohol!
Lastly, I am proud to announce, that Mary has finally converted to being a Real Cruiser! “Damn”, she said to me yesterday, “I’ve left my cap in the car!” meaning of course, the dinghy!
