Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve
A few years ago Normandie and I were leaving to go sailing and Will gave us a collection of about ten discs with music, all types of music. Will, that stack of DVDs is still on the boat, and occasionally I still go to it for some music. Two of those discs are Christmas music. Thank you Will.
A few days ago I was anchored at the island of Nevis, and surprizingly got a really strong wifi signal. I googled kiteboarding St Kitts, I got nothing on St Kitts, but what I got was kiteboarding Saint Martin, and some good pictures of flat water, good wind, even sailboats in the background. So Saint Martin became my destination. Just about this time the wind startred blowing Beaufort force 6, 22-27 knots. Downwind sailing in that is not a problem; Sterling and I had quite a bit of that, especially from Canaries to Cape Verde, but from Statia (ST Eustatius) (I have never heard of Saint Eustatius) up to Saint Martin it was a close reach of 30 nm. Wind blowing 25 knots and had been for three days, very bouncy and very wet. Continuous spray over the bow, spray over the cockpit every three minutes, solid water over the cabin and into the cockpit every half hour. We arrived at Simpson Bay, Dutch Sint Maarten, Wet and salty. It was good to get there but the anchorage was blasted by willie-waws form the wind coming around the mountain. And, something I read said that the French were doing all the good kiteboarding, so the next day I moved around to the French side, Marigot Bay. And that was hard. Some of it motoring sdirectly into strong wind and ocean waves. Marigot Bay is on the west side of Saint Martin, and I thought that it would be a good peaceful anchorage. The wind continues to blast, of course, but the waves are odd. Here I am not having the rolly waves that make life aboard so difficult. The waves are like a hundred motorboat waves all around all the time. The water is so dense with waves Advent hardly rocks at all. But it is very difficult, to the point of being almost not doable, to get in or out of the dinghy. And, the wind continues to blow, really hard. While I was writing this I heard a crash up front, and the wind had lifted the open front hatch, the prop had fallen, then the hatch slammed shut.
I am going to a mooring ball at one of the marinas. While in the marina office I got a rental car, and spent most of the day on a double quest, to go look at Orient Bay, where the kiteboarding is, and find a church. I did find Orient Bay, and i found about six kiters, and I also found one of the kiteboarding schools. I was going to take a lesson to learn the particulars about this location, but he said he was booked up solid for weeks, and that the wind had forced cancellations so he was trying to fit present students in whenever he could. That is not a problem, but the beach is only about 50 feet wide, and literally beach lounge chairs are side-by-side, four rows deep. There is a gap in the chairs and umbrellas wide enough to launch a kite, but the instructor said that you had to go out 200 feet, not kite within 200 feet of the beach. Students are taken by boat out to a shallow bar about 1/2 mile out. And people everywhere. The instructor, however, tried to talk me into joining them on there weekly trip to Anguilla, "where the water is flat and there are no tourists on the beach". I think that is where the pictures I saw were taken. So I don't know what I do with that information. I don't think kiting will be my pleasure while here.
The other goal, find a church. I did not appreciate the congestion on the roadways. Today I drove the circle of the island, maybe 20 miles around. I think I spent two hours either sitting still in traffic or moving at a walking pace. I found two churches with schedules posted, none local, I would have to drive to another part of the island. Also it would be dark when the service ended, and I did not like the thought of first getting back to the marina, and second safely getting out of the dinghy and back on the boat. Barbara, You gave us, for the boat, a beautiful miniature manger scene, with Mary, Joseph and the Baby, tiny works of art. I don't have that with me but I visualize it set up on the settee, as it was back then. But Will, I do have your music. Tonight I will read the Christmas story, and have the blessing of your gift of music.
Happy Birthday Jesus.
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II