Saturday, March 26, 2011

2008: St Martin/Sint Maarten in July

Is it Hurricane Season yet?  Whoops!
Marigot Bay, St Martin
Work Completed Underway: Part 2

We stayed almost four weeks in St Martin, firstly anchoring in Marigot Bay, then moving into Simpson Bay Lagoon when a decent blow threatened and then finally had a quiet time in a small boatyard, TOBY (Time Out Boat Yard), filled with character boats, friendly Frenchies and their not-as-friendly dogs.  We took advantage of duty-free prices and haunted Island Waterworld, Kooyman Hardware and Cost-U-Less. 

Generator Overheating.  During our stay in TOBY, the generator overheated, causing us some alarm.  Yes, we were in a marina but unable to use the 240v power, so relied on our trusty generator to keep our batteries full and refrigerators cold.  But weed & other nasties in the lagoon water soon blocked the raw-water intake strainer causing the generator to overheat, sound alarms and stop (thank goodness).   Fortunately no damage was done but it was a close call and not one I’d care to repeat.  We now check the intake strainer much more regularly if the water is in anyway dirty or weedy.
TOBY at the dock to fit our Hydrovane self-steering
High Pressure Water Cleaner.  We purchased a small one of these cheaply at Cost-U-Less.  It uses a fair bit of fresh water but saves an enormous amount of time; cleans deck, cockpit, cushions, etc quickly and easily.  We’ve learnt to clean the barbie at the end of each season too with our water pressure gun, a highly recommended bit of kit. Don’t leave home without one.

BBQ.  We installed a gas barbecue mounted on the pushpit railing –marvellous.  Great in the tropics as it relieves our galley slave from working in a very hot cabin.  Luckily we have two gas bottles mounted in stern lockers so it was a breeze to connect the barbie and still have the main stove connected.  As an added bonus, both use gas conservatively. 
Rainbow over TOBY
GPS and Charts.  We use our laptops with Software on Board (name of software program) with CMaps.  I made sure these can be integrated with an autopilot – just thinking ahead.  I also purchased a Raymarine fixed GPS and integrated this with the chart plotting software.  Again, just great until a subsequent lightning strike in 2009 fixed the GPS and made the wind instrument unserviceable.  A backup Garmin GPS works manually with the chartplotter -  you plot the location reading off the GPS and plotting on the electronic chart.  It can also be connected directly to the laptop and used the same as the fixed GPS ( We couldn’t do that after the lightning strike - to be discussed further in our 2009 stuff).

Log.  We replaced the display (to be able to see details clearly) on our old Autohelm speedo & log. 

Self Steering.  We installed a Hydrovane windvane self-steering while in St Martin – well almost all of one.  The rudder didn’t arrive with the rest of the kit and we subsequently had to chase it around a couple of other countries before finally picking it up at the airport in Guadeloupe (having to pay customs fees, unlike St Martin’s duty free port).  This occurred because the rudder was made at a separate location to the rest of the kit and also the courier service was less than efficient - they did not deliver to the right place and on time.
We had time to relax & celebrate a birthday in Sint Maarten
Radar Reflector.  We installed a radar reflector up in the rigging, just in case it worked…… 

Boat Safety Gear.  Amongst other things I purchased a Plastimo four man liferaft – an offshore type in a valise which was light and compact enough that we could keep in the large cockpit locker.  It only needs to be serviced every three years.  My wife would be able to get it out and deploy it by herself if she had to.  A fibreglass canister one would have been too heavy and, if stored down below, then impossible for her to get upstairs by herself.  I did not want to have a liferaft mounted on deck as there have been many reports of these being washed overboard in storms and/or automatically inflating on deck when whacked with a big wave. 

Wakeboarding on the Lagoon
Dodger Bows.  While we waited at TOBY, I decided to use down-time to have a dodger custom made.  First we zoomed all over the lagoon and Marigot Bay taking photos of suitable designs.  Then we asked MCJ Fabrications (Sandy Ground close to Toby) to make it up.  We wanted a couple of stainless steel bows, one with a handle.  I also wanted it to be as low profile as possible yet still provide access down our "huge" companionway.  To all this, I wanted to be able to see clearly over the top.  The frames were welded up quickly and were well made in top quality stainless.  They fitted perfectly. 

Our dodger canvas work story is not so cheerful.  Let me just say that we were sailing to a schedule and could not wait at the convenience of the canvas shop. We terminated the contract and sailed away.  Before you contract for work, make sure you ask around, not only about quality of work but also timeliness and professional attitude. Be prepared to walk away if you have to.

Additions to the Tool Shed.  My tool boxes keep expanding and filling as I continue to voyage.  I have four boxes now with a number of electrical drills, saber saw, heat gun, and grinder – very handy with the generator – plus a range of hand tools.  I'm not sure if I mentioned that we converted the cabin behind the galley into our tool shed & storage area - best thing we ever did! 

Fishing Lures.  Fishing gear to supplement the lone lure!  We continue to steadily purchase different lures and other fishing kit as we variously deposit them in fishes’ mouths across the sea.  We have caught the odd fish but apparently not nearly as many as all those other cruisers that display exciting photos of landed fish on their respective blog sites.

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