Sint Maarten to Puerto Rico!

So our schedule was adjusted slightly – again, a normal part of cruising – but we still made it to Puerto Rico! We left Sint Maarten one day later than planned because the day we were to leave Sint Maarten, the refridgerator guy finally showed up and then needed another day to get our main fridge working. However, we were excited that he was able to fix it at all! We had previously been told to just have it removed and buy a new one. But it is a built-in specialized for the boat so would be difficult to replace. He wasn’t able to get the freezer working (previously it had been working but turns out the refridgerator guy in Carriacou had put the wrong refrigerant in and ruined the compressor). The guy in Sint Maarten did replace the compressor for the freezer, but we still need a new expansion valve (I don’t know what that is either. . .) before it will work. This we will get in Florida. We also delayed a day because we had to provision, fuel up, clean up and exit the lagoon by the last opening of the bridge at 4pm. We just weren’t that organized. Luckily, we managed the next day. Fueling up this time meant several trips to the gas station to fill our jerry cans with diesel because the fuel docks were closed due to another holiday (Carribeans will admit, they love their holidays). This ate up a lot of our time.

We managed to visit Maho beach in Sint Maarten two days before we left. It is a beach just next to some of the resorts that is at the end of the runway for the airport. So you can play in the water while airplanes fly right over your head. We went just as the sun was going down and only stood in the waves because they were bigger than we expected.

When we left the marina, we went to anchor just outside the lagoon that evening so we could leave the next morning for Saint Thomas, USVI. The anchorage was very rocky that night! This was despite trying to re-anchor closer into the shore for more shelter. Unfortunately, that was the start of several nauseating days for some of us, myself included. We left bright and early the next morning and headed to Saint Thomas. It was projected to be 108 nautical miles to get there and we wanted to arrive when it was still light out. There was very little wind. Actually, there has been very little wind for the last 3 days so we ended up motoring the whole way. We realize that some people could probably make their sails work for them in the wind, but we are newbies at this and have a bit of a time line, so we motored. It meant getting more fuel again in Saint Thomas. We arrived at 6:30pm just as the sun was setting and found a lovely looking anchorage just outside the main harbor, in front of the Westin Hotel. It was still pretty wavy, but better than the previous night. I managed to make dinner despite the waves and nausea. Owen just decided to sleep the whole day away and to avoid the nausea all together.

In Saint Thomas we had initially planned to just anchor for the night and then head onto Puerto Rico the next day, but after that long motor and all the nausea, we decided to take a day to actually enjoy this island. First, we had to check in. Saint Thomas is a territory of the US, so it is like checking into the US. It is a lot easier for us, being Canadian, than many other foreigners, who have to get a visa. There is an online check-in app available as well but it seems that it only sometimes works as it should. We wanted to sign up for an annual cruising permit that would allow us to move between US ports without having to check in every time. But then it is often denied when issued in USVI and easier to get when you arrive in the US or Puerto Rico. So our application stalled out on the online application. Therefore, we went in person to check in. This time every member on board had to go. We saw a man who quickly gave us the thumbs up after looking at our application and then sent us on our way. It wasn’t until we tried to check into Puerto Rico (and yes, we had to check in there as well despite also being a territory of the US) that we discovered that our application was still stalled and not properly done in Saint Thomas. Fortuantely, after over an hour on the phone standing in the San Juan Marina office, a guy at the Puerto Rico Customs managed to get us all sorted out.

Our dinghy ride to the customs in Saint Thomas was our most adventurous yet! The water was so choppy that morning that it was difficult to get into our dinghy and then we kept crashing into waves and getting drenched! We were soaking wet by the time we got there and especially when we got back to our boat. We also got more fuel, which took some time because the fuel dock was hidden behind several megayachts (apparently 2 of which were owned by the same person).

After fueling up we took another dinghy ride, this time in our bathing suits, back to the harbour to check out the town and go to the beach. It was Sunday so most things were closed, but there was a dance party happening at one of the bars despite it being 1pm on a Sunday. We caught a taxi to Magens Bay on the other side of the island. This is a well maintained beach that is 1.5miles long. It is mostly white sand, but has some reefs on either side. It also has a food stand and shop and several washrooms and change rooms. It costs $5US for individuals over 12 years of age. We had a lovely afternoon swimming in the water. We saw a turtle! We have already noticed a drop in the temperature of the water here compared to that in Carriacou. We can see that Saint Thomas has more money than the other islands we have been to so far. It also was hit hard by hurrican Irma in 2017, but has managed to do much more rebuilding in that time. Here they also have proper sidewalks and street lights (there wasn’t a single streetlight on Saint Martin/Sint Maarten).

This morning we got up early again and left Saint Thomas for Puerto Rico. It was a shorter trip. The waves were much calmer today so my nausea was a bit better, but along with the minimal waves was even less wind. So, more motoring. Right as we arrived at the San Juan harbor entrance, a raincloud blew in. It made for a wet entrance, but it was clear by the time we anchored. We chose to anchor right up by end of the harbor and airport. The water is so calm here, I think I will finally get some repreive from the nausea. Although, I wonder if I just wait it out, if it will get better. I tried dimenhydrinate today but it made no difference. So far, we have found dill pickles to be the most helpful! It also helps to stay out on deck, with a breeze, laying down. Poor Kevin has done the most time at the helm as a result. Although, he is lucky not to be feeling poorly!

I think the next few days will be more touristy for us. We plan to be here for three days and see all the sites. Then, we will be moving on with longer passages through the Bahamas. If our nausea lets up then we can do some more schooling and boat projects while on passage.