Today was a BIG DAY

I have been in Sint Maarten for a little over 48 hours. Since I have arrived, Sint Maarten has begun its own virus protection protocol. One thing that I have gotten so used to as an American is getting information in real time. I didn’t know how much I took that for granted. Yesterday, I heard at the marine store that all of the kids had been sent home mid-day and that the French side of the island was on lock down. The Prime Minister of the Dutch side of the island sent communication that all businesses that “were not of necessities” were to close that day and would be closed until further notice. Judging by what we had seen in the states with grocery stores being bare, we knew we needed to start preparing. So we went ahead and provisioned for 3-4 weeks with non-perishables, bought some meat to freeze, and stocked up on the most essential of all: coffee and water. Since marine supply stores don’t fall into the category of necessary (matter of opinion!), we bought fuel cans, solar panels, and radar – all purchases that we had planned, just not in the 4 hour window we had. We were trying to buy everything we could think that we needed in case we didn’t have the opportunity to buy anything before we wanted to (or had to) sail off.

Turns out, there was a new list sent late yesterday to all businesses closing lots, but not all. Day cares, schools, clothing stores are closed until further notice. Grocery stores, pharmacies, hardware and MARINE stores are not. Restaurants are only allowed to serve takeout (Uber Eats hasn’t made it here yet) and there was an officer walking door to door to make sure there were no patrons. According to my new friends at the marine store, the looting was so terrible after Irma, the government reconsidered the definition of necessity.

Fortunately, the yard that our boat has lived in for the last 4 years agreed to still splash (put her in the water) on schedule today. So, our big day? Our big girl went into the water!!

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That gentleman in the photo waving? That’s Marlon Brando. Yep.

I don’t have words for how happy we were in this moment. All of the panic over COVID 19 and all the running around. This last year of our lives that we have devoted to Marionette. All of this was okay in that moment.

Not only was she in the water. The engine runs great and we put the first hour on it during testing.

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The rattling and clinking of a brand new diesel may actually be the sweetest sound in the world – at least in that moment. Over the last 6 months, we have sent 3 pallets to Sint Maarten – tools, pots and pans, charts, sleeping bags, clothes, books – all major necessities. The final shipment showed up yesterday too!

The last 2 boats that we have lived on have been a home first and a boat second. So the nesting period was pretty much instantaneous. Even before living on boats, this was the case. I was immediately able to make beds, hang photos, arrange the kitchen, and essentially settled in. Make our home fit our life. Living on a boat, while different in many ways, is the same in this respect. It is still our home and making beds, hanging photos, and arranging the kitchen is the way we make it our own. Put our life stamp on it. With our personal belongings back in our possession, I stocked cabinets, cleaned the kitchen, and put books on shelves. We have owned Marionette for almost a year now and today, she became home.