May 07- 10, 2001 -- St. Martin

May 7- 10, 2001 -- St. Martin We took today to do work on boat maintenance. We have been moving so quickly, or reprovisioning that there are several things that have had to wait. So, today was the day to do them. After boat maintenance, we took the dinghy over to the Dutch side via the Simpson Bay Lagoon. First, we stopped by Sojourner to visit with them for a bit. They introduced us to Steve and Nancy from Tahoe. Next we headed to Budget Marine and Electec. St. Martin has the best marine stores we have ever seen! They actually carry, in stock, items for larger boats! We bought a number of different things that we had been looking for. Then we went to Electec. They carry the breakers and fuses that we have been looking for, for the last several years! After zipping all about, we finally headed back to the boat for a quiet afternoon. On May 8, we worked on our raw water wash down pump. We hooked everything up, turned on the pump and discovered that it didn't have enough pressure to do anything! So, off we went to the Dutch side again in search of a bigger, better wash down pump. We found one that does 40 PSI and pumps 4.4 GPM. We purchased it. Then, instead of heading back to the boat, we took a tour of the Simpson Bay Lagoon since we were going to dinner with Sue and Leon on the Dutch side of the island this time. Sue called on the VHF to let us know they were ready. We headed to pick them up, then into the dinghy dock. We stopped by the Mailbox, a shipping place, and then had drinks at The Crew Bar. Finally, we headed for Indian food. It was the first good Indian food we have had since Charleston, SC! It was a fun evening. On May 9, we installed our second new wash down pump. This one worked much better. We spent the rest of the day quietly aboard the boat. On May 10, we checked out of St. Martin. We returned to the boat and put the dinghy back on deck. Then, while I got the boat ready to travel, Mike installed string lighting in the aft state room. We had an early dinner, then watched a movie before bed.