2024-04-20 Moved to Barbuda

We stayed in St. Martin a few more days.  

One of our hatch screen had a rip in it.  Kris had sewn it up a couple of times, but we decided to replace/repair the whole screen.  We did not have any white screen material, which was what the hatches originally had, but had black.  It turned out OK, other than not matching the rest.  At least no rips in it anymore.

New screen installed.  Kris holding old ripped one up.

On Tuesday we went and saw how our friends on Salty Fish, manta 42, were doing with their haul out.  They needed to replace their rudder bearings and a few other projects.  They were in a yard In St Martin that used a trailer and we wanted to see how that worked since when we haul in Trinidad they will also use a trailer.

The hydraulic trailer used for lifting catamarans - worked quite well

After a short visit with them, we headed to a nearby marine store to get a spare impeller for our raw water pump.  As we got to the door, a nice little cat was waiting for someone to open it so it could go in.  We were happy to oblige.  It was a hot day, and the marine store had a nice water cooler inside, so Dean and I both had a drink of nice cool water.  It was after we had our water that the cat decided that water was a good idea as well.  Guess it is good we don't mind cat germs.

Cold water with a little cat germs - yum yum

We then went to the French bakery, and had a nice fruit crumble treat.  Hard to resist the goodies at the bakery.

Fruit crumble - was delicious

Tuesday evening we pulled anchor, and left Simpson Bay Lagoon, went and anchored on the north side of St. Martin in Marigot Bay.   We wanted to clean the bottom of the boat, and get ready to head to Barbuda.

Wednesday was a super busy day.   Dean got in the water and cleaned the bottom.  Boy did it need it.  The Lagoon is known for making boat bottoms dirty and get barnacles - and boy did it do its job.  We had lots of small barnacles.

Before scrubbing

After scrubbing

Dean did a great job, and it was a lot of work, scraping off all the barnacles.   Not much slime or grass, so that was good.

While Dean scrubbed the bottom, Kris tackled and irritating issue we have had with our port engine raw water pump not being able to prime.  Each time the boat sat, we would get an air lock and would have to fiddle with the system to get the raw water flowing for our engine cooling system.   Kris ended up removing almost every hose and re-doing all the connections, but finally got the small air leak out, and now it is working well again.

Dean finished the bottom shortly after Kris finished her project, so Kris went out to help Dean clean up after scrubbing.   Don't know if the Lagoon, or the outside in the Bay was the source, but the hull was also covered with tiny little shrimp like critters which Dean dislodged with scrubbing.   Many decided that Dean should be their new home.   Not sure what they are - could be amphipoda, or small brine shrimp, or skeleton shrimp, but whatever they were Dean was crawling with them.  In his hair, beard, ears, and all over his body.  These little critters are very small - could could put 50 of them on the face of a dime.  He took a shower and stripped on the back steps, and got 99% gone.  The other 1% were stuck in his beard and ears, which Kris then helped clean out.  It was somewhat disgusting.  Guess you know you still care for each other when you clean now dead shrimp out of your spouses ears. 

Creepy crawlies

After Dean was clean, we headed to town to get groceries, and then pick up our packages that we had sent to a shipping service in St. Martin.  The shipping service was $40 to forward packages from Miami to St. Martin, but buying on Amazon saved us $120 versus local price  - so still came out ahead.  

Next back to boat to drop off groceries, then back to town to check out, and pick up bottom paint.

Kris sitting under the stairs at the marine store doing the check out paperwork on the computer

Thursday morning, we hoisted anchor and headed out early.  No wind, so motored to the south side of Sint Maarten to fill up on diesel.   

Cruise ship at the dock in Sint Maarten

Leaving Sint Maarten.  Notice the glassy flat water

We decided to motor to Barbuda, as we still had about 70 miles of easting to do, and no weather window looked good, so we took the no wind weather window to motor.  Pleasantly surprised that we had around 7 to 8 knots which allowed us to motor sail the entire way.

The next day was pretty much taken up with checking in to Barbuda - which was a bit of a mess - but we got it all worked out in the end.   Kris picked up Matt from Matcha - who we had met in St. Martin, and dinghied the 2.3 miles from the anchorage into the town to check in.  We had wanted to plan checking in with calm weather, as we knew the long dinghy ride would be bad in any chop.  We had flat calm - which made the dinghy ride easy.

Flat calm in anchorage off Barbuda

Walking to the Customs office in town.  Passed lots of wandering horses

Lots of donkeys wandering around town as well

Kris and Matt made it back just in time, being chased by a ominous looking rain cloud.

When we were last at Barbuda 11 years ago, the town was not easily accessible by boat, as it was located inland on the edge of a lagoon with only a narrow shallow entrance to the lagoon on the north of the island - Hurricane Irma in 2017 changed all that, but obliterating the sand bar between the lagoon and the ocean - making it now possible to easily take the dinghy into the lagoon and to town, although a long trip.

Once the sand bar was gone, the ocean did its job, and has eroded the sand bar more every year.  A beach resort that was high and dry, is now tumbling into the sea.

Barbuda in 2014 - no gap to get from Lagoon to ocean

Barbuda now - Lagoon open to ocean

We took a nice walk on the beach.

Barbuda beach looking north

Charm at anchor off Barbuda

Nice pink sand line in beach

Looking south back toward the dink near the buildings in the background

We went to explore the ruined resort, but did not get far, and there are several feral dogs that seem to live in the area that did not want us around.

Resort that was destroyed by Irma and time and erosion of beach

Pretty soon, it will all be junk in the ocean

Surprised how much stuff still in the buildings

We will stay here a few more days - don't know how long - will move again when the mood and weather align.