Toodles: St Martin/St Maarten, better by land than by sea

After our ocean passage, we arrived in St Martin. From the sea, St Martin looks like paradise. Long white sand beaches, palm trees and little umbrellas for you to rest under and snooze the day away. The only problem is that the ocean swell rolls right on in, making the pristine beaches uncomfortable to anchor off.

We checked in at Philipsburg, but quickly realised it was too rocky rolly for us, so headed to Simpson Bay Lagoon.

We luckily timed it right and made it to Simpson Bay just before the 11.30am bridge opening. The bridge opens only 4 times a day for 5 minutes or less so you have to be there right on time. Super yachts and runabouts alike line up either side of the bridge ready to zip on through. We make it through with no drama and found a spot to anchor.

While the word "lagoon" makes the place sound like paradise, it's really not. The Lagoon is a murky algae coloured, quite large pond. I liken the colour to Lake Pupuke back home, although the Lagoon is much larger. Houses, apartments and restaurants are built right up to the waters edge. It isn't a place you would want to swim at all. But it is nice and sheltered, the only problem being the bone rattling noise of the 747's taking off a few hundred metres from where we are anchored.

After being at sea, I had been dreaming of having the boat stopped at a marina, having a proper shower and doing the laundry. We checked the cruising guide and settled on a particular marina to go to. We took the dinghy over first to check it out. The berth was very tight, there was hardly any depth around the marina to get in, the toilet was crap, there was no laundry, and to top it off it was expensive. We attempted to get the boat in, but gave up and headed back to our anchoring spot. We decided we would have proper showers on the boat (forget about the water consumption), turn on the generator and air conditioning to cool the boat down, and get a proper sleep. Step one - turn on the generator...but it wouldn't go. Gary, who is becoming increasingly proficient at fixing things, took it apart, found the problem and went to the chandlery to get the part. In a few hours he was back, and had it fixed. Excellent. Step two - turn on the air conditioning. Well, it lasted a good five minutes before it decided to give up too. Gary to the rescue. After another few hours of fiddling he had it fixed. Hurray! Step three - shower. While Gary is fixing things, I decide to cool down with a shower. After filling the shower room with water, the pump won't work - you just couldn't make this stuff up! But my amazing handy man Gary had it fixed in a flash.

That night we treated ourselves to dinner out at Lee's Roadside Grill. The mouth watering smell coming from the BBQs at the front drew us in. BBQs here are not like at home. They are made out of big metal barrels that have been cut in two length ways and hinged back together again. We sit by the water and check out the massive Tarpon fish that are just hanging around waiting to be fed.

On Monday we rented a car and explored the island. First stop, Philipsburg. My first thought upon arriving here is - now this is more like it! The boardwalk along the shoreline is amazing. We have lunch at one of the countless restaurants that overlook the beautiful beach. One road back are the shops on a cute lane. There are names like Cartier, Ralph Lauren and Dior. I make only one purchase - a new guitar :)

While Philipsburg was nice, we continued on our trip around the island. I have been a bit concerned that we have been giving you only pictures of the pristine parts of the Caribbean, and not giving you a real taste of what it is like here. So on our way, I took a few pictures of typical Caribbean houses.

Next stop was Oriental Bay on the french side of the Island. The rental car lady had told me this was a nudist beach. I was looking forward to going, firstly because Oriental Bay is written up in the cruising guide as being the most beautiful, and secondly, because I had forgotten my togs. I was sorely disappointed. I'm not sure if I was more upset about the beach not being as great as I had hoped, or the fact that everyone was wearing clothes...

Our travels took us past Oyster Pond and Anse Marcel, then on to Baie de Marigot. At Marigot we stopped for some refreshments at the juice stand. Best Banana Smoothie ever (non dairy for those who are interested). Then we walked up the hill to Fort Louis for the wonderful views.