Christmas in the Caribbean

25 December 2007We pulled into Simpson Bay, on the Dutch side of St. Maarten, just after sunset. Again, we arrived at night, making anchoring difficult. But luckily, our good friends/next-door neighbors from Simi Valley were in the bay on Aquila (their Hylas 49) and they helped guide us in. After spending the night and morning cleaning up from the rough passage, we came through the bridge into Simpson Bay Lagoon through to find a number of other boats from the Caribbean 1500.

It was great to see our friends, Mike and Linda, who are headed North from Trinidad. We spent the next week with them, touring St Maarten / St Martin, shopping in Phillipsburg, walking around Margot (the French side of the island), and visiting all the local sailor hangouts, while we waited for family to join us.

As Christmas approached, the cruisers in Simpson Lagoon arranged a group caroling event. In the true spirit of Christmas, fifty people and twenty four dinghy’s drifted through the Lagoon, dressed in red and green, singing Christmas songs off key. The event ended at Shrimpy’s, the cruiser’s bar, for free beer and appetizers.

Our tradition of having lobster for Christmas Eve dinner continued with grilled Angulian lobster with Mike and Linda on Berkeley East.

Christmas day was a little different than at home, no football and NO cold weather. We spent the day at the beach swimming and drinking beer.

A great end to our Caribbean Christmas, we joined Mike and Linda aboard Aquila for a traditional Christmas dinner adapted for the Caribbean with Pain Killers.