Orgasmic Ribs, Day 6

Being in need of more cash I made a trip to the Dutch side of St. Maarten specifically  to Simpson Bay. The only bank on the Island that I can use without fees is Scotiabank now called Republic Bank and there happens to be a branch in Simpson bay. So I took the bus from Marigot to Cole Bay and then on to Simpson Bay which was a bit of an adventure in itself. We got stuck in traffic behind a rather large work truck that kept stalling out on a big hill and we eventually got a chance to pass it thankfully. Then I accidentally missed my stop (at one of the island's KFC locations) but thankfully I was able to get a bus going the correct direction from the next stop and the driver was even nice enough to hail the other bus for me. I then took that bus down the hill and into Simpson Bay where I got dropped off right past the blue bridge. Then I easily found the bank and got the much needed cash.

Then the hunt was on for lunch, by this time it was about 12:30 or so. I was walking down the main road in Simpson Bay looking around at the different restaurants. After evaluating a couple different options I settled on a place called Captain's Rib Shack, in part because on their sandwich board it said "Orgasmic Ribs." I ordered a rack of ribs and decided to forgo the sides simply because I didn't think I could eat everything and carrying back leftovers was not an option. I will say that the ribs were deserving of their moniker as they were exceptionally good.

After lunch I decided to keep wandering around the area for a bit and I went down to the beach by the rib shack and hung out for a little bit before continuing on. 

Then I landed at the St. Maarten Yacht Club bar for a beer which turned into hanging out for while including happy hour enjoying conversations with some new acquaintances. During happy hour I saw a familiar face walk into the bar and realized it was someone I knew from the Charleston sailing/ racing scene. We talked for a while and her husband also came for happy hour. We talked about the goings on and of course about sailing. Then at the end of happy hour they were very kind and gave me a lift back to Shrimpy's in their dinghy. The ride through the harbor at night was really cool. I was amazed to see all the wrecks on the French side of the harbor. I'm told that some of these have been there since the late 90's when the last big storm came through (pre-Irma). I found this to be fairly odd considering the hazard they pose especially at night since they are not lit in any way.

Overall it was a great day filled with good food, cold beers along with new and familiar faces, a great day indeed.