Delivery to St Maarten

So first thing I check out and get all my luggage down to the dock in Antigua and onto my new boat Southern Child, this is a First 40.7 that the previous owner Jamie has tuned for racing, it's only 2 years old and used to be Smile and Wave.... Which last year won the Heineken Regatta in its class. So, no pressure!!!!
Once done with preparing to leave, we hop on board and start to head out. Once into open water I get the chance to take the helm.... Marcus is sleeping off another late night!!! It's good to be back behind the helm, I looking forward to just sailing now and this boat is just a dream if I am honest, turns on a penny as they say so it's hardly any effort what so ever.
We stop in Jolly Harbour up the coast of I hand over my passport and the skippers head to customs to play crew tennis, moving people between the various 3 boats being delivered to St Maarten for racing. We load and unload whatever is or is not required for racing and head to the pool for a swim and dinner. It's about 7pm by the time we leave finally for an overnight sail to St Maarten.
It's a pleasant night, not too cold and nice to helm through the night and enjoy a good easy sail. There is hardly any wind, and under white sails reaching the boat is doing between 7-8 knots which is pretty good. I'm excited to race on her, this will be fun.
St Maarten, Simpsons Bay is the destination and the problem here is that there is a bridge into the Marina which opens daily, coming in and going out so timing is everything. We don't want to be too early and sit around, but more important you don't want to be late and miss the bridge at 9!! We get there about 8... And there are a few familiar faces already around. Scarlet Logic belonging to Ross, a beautiful red hulled oyster and Lancelot II with Jacko at the helm... So cool he doesn't even take his wheel cover off to sail!! Haha
Not so long after we arrive EH01 and Northern Child are behind us and we are soon told by the marina we can't enter the gate till 11am despite having booked in advance! This is typical Caribbean. So, we all ignore that and barge in at 9 anyway... Now we potter around the marina, trying to avoid running out of water as we go. Marcus manages to get a cup of tea from Skylarke of London also waiting in the Marina, we pinch a few rolls too and have a quick breakfast cheese and ham roll... Well needed at this point.
Then we dock, finally... Not without a little scrape between northern and southern child.... No major damage thank goodness. Skippers head to customs again and we are all checked in to St Maarten on yet another beautiful sunny day.

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