The weather seemed to be promising, with 15 knots of breeze forecast and waves from the east for the downwind run to the USVI from St. Martin, so I decided to clear out of France and head off into the sunset today. I motored around the corner to Anse Marcel and completed the informalities of leaving France and had originally planned on remaining there until late that night when I would depart, but the anchorage was unruly at best and the boat would be still until a couple of waves would make it around the corner and then roll and swing. So I opted to return to my original anchorage at Grand Case and this time I stayed far offshore so that I wouldn’t have anyone in my way when I left in the wee hours of the next day’s morning.
I put the dinghy engine in the garage and otherwise prepared the boat for the passage and went to sleep early, setting the alarm for 01:00.
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