I only had the rental car for the morning, so I zipped across to Marigot and Island Waterworld in order to clear out of the French side with a destination of the Dutch side; this time with just myself aboard. Clearing out was quick and simple and I returned the rental car to Econocars in Grand Case and got Zanshin underway under sail. Conditions were sprightly and I arrived in Simpson Bay with enough time to anchor, set my “Q” flag and dinghy into the immigration offices which I now knew so well. Clearing in was quick and no questions were asked since the officer doing the work was a different one from our last experience. Back aboard the boat I had a bit of time before the 15:00 bridge opening but soon found myself in line for the opening. I’d scouted out the anchorage earlier and had seen that there was lots of room, but once inside the lagoon the big hole had been filled with 2 boats and it was looking dicey for me in light of the 30 knot winds that the weather forecast said were coming in the next couple of days. I found a slot where I dropped the anchor with only 1 foot under the keel but once I’d let out chain I was back in 20 feet but close to one of the newcomers (almost certainly over their anchor); but a quick call out to the boat confirmed that they were staying a couple of days longer and we’d sort things out once they were ready to leave.
I was a bit tired from the week’s experiences and opted to cook aboard the boat rather than head ashore and while the thawed-out curry sauce was tasty and spicy the potato was under cooked and I couldn’t be bothered to put it into the microwave so just ate it as it was. And it wasn’t until that late hour that I realized that I hadn’t taken a single picture all day!