Today I decided to take the dinghy into Gustavia in order to check out the scene and to perform my clear-in and associated clear-out for tomorrow. “The Bucket” boats were already circling the start area outside so the docks were clear, but there was a long line in front of the computers and I could see how non French speakers were having a hard time with the keyboards. But after a half-hour waiting I was done in seconds since they store the boat name and details in the computer system and all I needed to do was click the right boxes.
I did a bit of shopping (cheese and baguettes) and then said hello to Mark and looked at some of the behemoths out there. There was a lot of room around his spot so I planned on returning to “Zanshin” to put the dinghy engine inside and prepare for the passage, then anchor off Gustavia and let Mark play chauffeur.
Unfortunately a charter catamaran had anchored so as to be over my chain, making it impossible for me to leave without them moving their boat forward or away. And, as things would have it, their dinghy was gone and nobody was aboard. So I had to wait – and they didn’t return until late enough to let me stay in my spot for the night, but I’d warned them that I’d be leaving at about 06:30 and that they would either need to move now or move forward the next morning; they said that they were early risers.
