S/V Koinonia Weekly Sailing Log - Carnival in Saint Martin (Wed Feb 7th - Tue Feb 13th, 2024)
Updated: Mar 6
Highlights this week: work continues in the boat yard as we prep for paint; hosting cruisers worship service in St Martin; the Grande Parade for Carnival in Marigot, St Martin; Super Bowl Sunday; baking cookies and kid picnic for Valentine’s Day.
Wed Feb 7 - windy and rainy today. Contractors in the yard finished fairing the port side of the boat before the rain shut them down. Ben and Amber removed two of the stem fitting/ chainplate bolts to allow us to mark the anchor roller extension so it can be thru-bolted to the stem of the bow. Removal of the nuts required Ben to climb into the chain locker under the foredeck, which is a tight space. The kids had several visitors come by the yard today, including friends on SV Quazami and SV Curtiseas. The kids also befriended a stray dog that they named “Roger.” He has decided to follow them everywhere and waits for them at the base of the boarding ladder. Rainfall was close to 1-inch today, leaving a lot of standing water in the yard. Amber made enchilada casserole for dinner.
Thu Feb 8 - washout; heavy rain and strong winds all day and all night. Regular school day. Ben bought some stocks and REITs that are trading at a good value. Largely a relaxing and uneventful day.
Fri Feb 9 - Sanding the topsides and bottom is now complete; Buccaneers for kids night; enjoyed a meal and good conversation with friends on SV Quazami and SV Courtiseas.
Sat Feb 10 - washed the boat to remove the dust from sanding to help prep for masking and priming the topside, kids played at the track/field, laundry day on a busy Saturday; two guys got into a fight because while one guy was leaving the laundry, he let a puppy out the door and the building is near the road, so the owner of the dog got extremely mad and started pushing and punching the guy. Amber made Coq au vin blanc (braised chicken in a white wine sauce) with mashed potatoes for dinner.
Sun Feb 11 - Ben led cruisers worship at the track and field this morning, then we all went for breakfast at Le Croissant Royal, then walked to downtown Marigot to watch the Grande Parade for Carnaval. We returned to the boat yard around 3:30pm but the kids wanted to play with their friends at the field, so the Dad’s hung out, tossed a baseball, and chatted. Ben made mushroom asparagus risotto for dinner.
Mon Feb 12 - regular school day; finished washing the boat down to remove dust from sanding. Ben has a dental cleaning appointment, which is fortunate since he had a tooth that started bothering him yesterday. Windy and rainy in the afternoon. Dentist repaired the tooth and he didn't need a root canal. Otherwise, a largely uneventful day.
Tue Feb 13 - the kids baked cookies for Valentine’s Day. Regular school day. Contractors started taping off the deck of the boat. Ben disassembled the galley sink to replace the drains because the seals have started leaking. Made a trip to Ace Hardware to get all the parts we needed for the sink; kids met up with friends at the park. Ben installed the new sink drains then Ben and Amber tag teamed making homemade pizza for dinner.
God Bless,
SV Koinonia