S/V Koinonia Weekly Sailing Log - Hauled Out in Saint Martin Week 3 (Wed Jan 17th - Tue Jan 23th, 2024)

Highlights this week: boat work continues to progress in the yard; bottom paint removal is nearly complete; goodbye for now to friends on SV Balam; Ben gets sick; crazy winds arrive for most of the week; helping our boat neighbors with projects; installing a new VHF on Koinonia; the older girls are invited to the movies with some teen boys...

Wed Jan 17 - woke up early and got off the boat before the bottom sanding started.  Rain was off and on all morning. Went to breakfast then to the laundromat.  School was a bit light today and no trades today due to too many errands and boat projects.  In the afternoon, the kids took the VHF radio and the dinghy by themselves and met their friends at the beach (other parents were there). It was their first time being out of our sight with the dinghy (and technically they went to another country)! They did great and were very responsible, although they did forget to bring sunscreen and got a little more sun than usual, but not too bad.  Ben worked with the electrician and sorted out the problem(s) with the battery monitors. Everything is now working as expected!  For dinner, we ordered Chinese takeout.

Thu Jan 18 - regular school and trading day. Got off the boat first thing and shut all the hatches and port lights to prevent the bottom paint dust from getting into the cabin.  We worked at the covered picnic tables in the yard. We packed our lunch and kept in the refrigerator conveniently located under the picnic area.  After school, we went to Kim Sha beach to see our friends on SV Balam one more time before they depart for St Thomas tomorrow.  For dinner we had pasta with leftover bolognese with some frozen green peas added and lots of Parmesan Reggiano.  Started the movie, “The Hunt for Red October” which, surprisingly, Amber had never seen before.

Fri Jan 19 - regular school and trading day today.  Got off the boat early again and spent the bulk of the day at the yard in the picnic area. Made sandwiches for lunch and picked up some grocery essentials. The new LFP batteries are doing awesome; total game changer! For dinner, Ben made Puerto Rican beans and rice.  It looks like Ben is coming down with a cold or something.  Kids begged for Carbonara for dinner.

Sat Jan 20 - Ben was in bed most of the  day today; Amber and the girls took good care of him. Kids went to the track and field park in the afternoon and played with friends. Maddy got a pretty nasty cut on her toe and came home early, so we got her cleaned and bandaged up.  Ben and Amber made Butter Chicken with Basmati rice for dinner.  Kids watched, “The Mask of Zoro.”

Sun Jan 21 - late morning start; Ben is still pretty sick. Amber is also still dealing with the lingering effects of being sick last week. Kids go back to the track to meet with friends this morning and play baseball.  After the kids returned, we had a time of worship. Ben’s brokerage client’s had their survey and trial run today, which went well.  Made smoked sausage sizzle for dinner, which is a popular dish in Australia.

Mon Jan 22 - very windy. Regular school and trading day. Ben’s brokerage clients finished up their survey and trial run today; no major issues found, so they should close by early February. Ben and Amber hauled a big load of laundry to the laundromat. A bunch of kids gathered at the boat yard and watched a movie under the picnic tables covered by half of a wooden sailboat that was destroyed in Irma. The boat was lived on by a cruising family for a number of years and a number of cool personal items, bronze instruments, and pieces of the rigging are hung as decorations. It looks like the contractors in the yard will complete the bottom paint removal in another day or two. Prep work on the topsides of the hull are progressing as well.

Tue Jan 23 - very windy again today. Regular school and trading day. Ben is finally feeling better today. He spent a few hours in the afternoon helping a boat neighbor with some tricky boat projects. In return, he was gifted a bottle of wine and a shower token (2€ = 7 mins in a hot shower), both of which were unnecessary but greatly appreciated.  A large gaggle of the kids, including our three, assembled at the public track and field and played for a few hours.  Our teen girls were invited by some teenaged boys from another boat to the movies tonight, just as friends, over on the Dutch side of the lagoon. But we have a rule that the girls aren't allowed to go off alone with boys, especially at their age. The plan was for Amber to play the role of chaperone (unanimously supported by both girls), while Ben and Aliza went to see a different movie. Sadly, the movie Aliza wanted to see wasn’t playing, so we all wound up in the same theater, but we gave the teens their space and, after the movie, everyone played games in the arcade. Aliza won a stuffed frog toy.  A fun time was had by all, despite initial petitions of grievance by the teens.

God Bless

S/V Koinonia