We had a very relaxing day sail to Statia (St Eustatius) on Sunday and checked in yesterday morning. A dolphin saw us off as we rounded the point of St Martin. It was a very clear day, with none of that Saharan dust to haze up the air, and we could see Saba, St Barts, and St Kitts, as well as St Martin and Statia. Very scenic. No fish on the line while enroute, but when I reeled in the lure, the wire leader was cut about a foot from where the lure used to be - must have been a shark, I guess. We encountered a few small boats and one Tropical cargo ship near St Martin, but then no other boats until we neared Statia, where we had to go out and around several huge oil tankers and tugs. They have a very large oil trans-shipment and storage facility on the northwest side of the island. I still can't figure out why it's here, but it has the capacity for 13 million barrels of petroleum product. I really like the island, though - the little town is quaint and clean, and there is almost no risk of crime, quite unlike St Martin. One day I hiked up the dormant volcano and into the rain forest crater along with Ari and Mya of Skye. The next day Judy and I went SCUBA diving. You are required to go with a dive shop here, since it is all protected park. The coral was a lot more colorful that what we've been seeing while snorkeling. It worked out perfectly, because we had our own private dive master, which was a great way to get back into it. It was very enjoyable, and we hope to do more soon. I feel so relaxed down there! We would have loved to stay longer, but it was time to head south.
A wild Papaya growing in The Quill crater.
Silk Cottonwood tree with Strangler vines.
Ari and Mya, of Skye (They left New York in May, and are heading around the world).
The only town on the Island is very quaint.
We'll be back to Statia!
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