Before sunrise
Due to the time difference between St. Martin and central Europe, my first conference calls took place long before sunrise. I think that the sunrise this morning must have been impressive, but I was sitting belowdecks and talking about software updates to my webcam. It is going to be a long day before Harmony Night in Grand Case starts.
Morning
The winds have shifted, but are still a bit gusty. This means that my Starlink occasionally points in the wrong direction and I get about a minute of bad reception before it returns to normal.
I don’t notice this when working at the screen or keyboard, but it is noticeable when doing conference calls. It primarily affects my upload speed, so I turn off the camera. This probably makes my counterparts happy as they don’t have to look at my unshaven features, or see sun/shade wandering across my torso as the boat hunts at anchor.
Afternoon
I’m going to finish up my work on the boat early and see if I can grab a spot at the dock before it fills up completely. It is always rather crowded during Harmony Nights in Grand Case. Perhaps I could use my anchor to stay off the docks and leave my dinghy on the “wrong” side.
Ashore
I arrived at the dinghy dock well before it filled up and secured a location in the middle of the pack. I let out a long leash in the hopes that others would push in closer. They will then run the risk of being bashed against the concrete dock in the heavy swell.
I headed towards the far end of the main drag to the only bakery left in town. The vendors were busy setting up their booths and displays. I could have saved the journey, as the bakery was already shuttered when I arrived.
The street is already blocked off to general traffic with a big police presence. I witnessed a car getting towed because it was parked in the space reserved for someone’s booth. Heretofore I’d never seen a parking ticket being issued for even the most flagrant violation.
Watering Hole
It was still a while before Harmony Night in Grand Case was to begin and I took a seat at Max’s Place right at the end of the dinghy dock.
I broke my “dry February” rule; at least I’d lasted 7 days! It was fun to watch the crowds slowly grow as the sun approached the horizon. The bar across the way was very busy, but Max’s Place remained about half full. A group of two Canadian couples sat down at the empty table in front of me and we got to talking. It turns out we’d some common interests (apart from escaping cold weather) and we ended up spending the rest of the evening together. I was so preoccupied with talking that I managed to miss the dancers and parade coming by – twice, in both directions.
