I’ve finally made it not only out of the confines of the Simpson Bay Lagoon, but have managed to leave the country, as well. I cleared out of Dutch Sint Maarten in the morning, then dinghied across the length of the lagoon to the French side and to the new Capitainerie offices at Marina Port Royal. There I cleared into the French side and this process was made so much easier since they now had English “QWERTY” keyboards rather than the French “AZERTY” ones! Clearing out of the Dutch side cost quite a bit of money, since they charge $40 per week for my boat and I’d been there far too long, the French just wanted €6. Once back aboard Zanshin I saw no reason to hang around and sailed to Grand Case. The winds by the airport were very light, and at times I thought about running the engine, but once around the corner I had to reef sails and made several tacks up the channel in order to reach Grand Case. I’m anchored here now, with 4 feet of water under the keel and I can see the action on the shoreline; but have decided to stay aboard this evening rather than hit the town.
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