THE GREAT ESCAPE .........................

After two and a half weeks in Simpson's Lagoon in St. Maartin, the "ESCAPE" was planned in great detail ...............As soon as the weather moderates we are off ........... Notwithstanding, that first we need to clean the dinghy, which in two weeks had monstrous growth on its bottom from the 'sludge' lagoon ............. Oh, and yes we did our bit to celebrate "AUSTRALIA DAY" ............. Lots of Aussies work on the superyachts moored in superyacht marinas, where they congregate with other superyacht people ................. We read somewhere that "Happiness is not a purse", .............If that is true then there are an awefull lot of unhappy people on those megayachts and superyachts ........... For each one is bigger and better and fancier than the next one ............. Take this one below for instance, not sure whether it is meant to be a stairway to heaven or a piercing arrow ............. Or maybe we just don't have the right 'taste' ............







But barely had we escaped from the lagoon and exited the draw bridge on the Dutch side than we were approached by the Dutch Coast Guard in a super 25 ft(6m) inflatable and boarded ................Spray flying, all their uniforms getting soaked and us maintaining our speed ............ Told them that if they keep doing that sort of thing their guns are going to rust real fast ........... They really should teach these people in Coast Guard school to get a sense of humor ............. All they wanted to do was paperwork, check passports, check flares, check fire extinguishers and then get soaking wet all over again ............. Oh, that's not meant to be funny .............




Our first stop............... Only a small hop of 18 miles, is to the uninhabited island of "ILE FOUCHUE", comprised almost completely of volcanic breccia, a kind of jumbled mass of stone spat out in a rush but with none of the characteristics of a lava flow ............ Angular, jagged and boulder-like pieces in a matrix ........
A place of exquisite raw beauty, a place of raw earth and fire ............. A desolate place with its weathered peaks and smooth valleys ...............





The forces that created these volcanic hilltops were of such magnitude as to lift and warp the adjoining sedimentary layers into a 'syncline' ................ That bowl-like structure shown in the photo above ................ Strange to land on a dark volcanic beach instead of the usual coral white sand ..................





Having mastered the art of climbing mountains we once again conquered the top ......... This time to spectacular views of the surrounding islands and far, far below us were the yachts ............ Mini yachts, not superyachts ............





Look at the incredible angular inclusions in this volcanic breccia and imagine the forces involved in the explosions ...................... And right at the very top is the " QUEEN OF THE CASTLE" ............. This one was a serious climb over some very sharp ridges ............ The anchorage below us on the one side and a sheer drop on the other ............ Exhausting and Exhilarating ....... Where are Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tensing when you need them ? ............

So what do you do when you have an inflatable, three people and only one paddle ..................... And your yacht is anchored downwind ............ O.K, that one was easy ................ Now what do you do if your yacht is anchored upwind instead ?......... Well ??