08 –18 November 2012
Maybe some movement at last???
21 days after ordering our new engine mounts they have finally arrived and as I sit up in the cockpit (trying to keep out of the way) Mark and Greg the Engineer are spending hour after hour trying to get the engine aligned. Currently things don’t seem to be going too well but maybe by the time I finish typing this I will have more positive news to report.
Ticking things off “The List”
So we have spent the last three weeks doing all the other things on “the list”. The sewing machine has been out for quite some time and we now are the proud owners of new navy cockpit squabs, they look great with the bright stripy cushions that Mum donated from her outdoor chairs while we were home. Both the dodger and canopy have been off for routine repairs to rotted stitching & broken zippers – quite a challenge to get them dry, off, repaired, cleaned and back on in between tropical downpours. A new cover has been made for the binnacle, a new outboard motor cover has been completed to replace the last one that I watched fly off in the San Blas and sink before I realised what it was! I have also been removing all the upholstery covers from the saloon a couple at a time,. Some needed a few minor stitching repairs and they were all in desperate need of cleaning. We have washed 9 years of dirt out of them and they are now quite a different colour!!
Mark has installed all of the parts we brought back from New Zealand so we now have wind and depth instruments that work, the watermaker at last makes fresh water, the SSB Radio should go when we reconnect the aerial, our headsail furling drum now opens and closes at ease. We have sanded back and revarnished our shower room floor, everything is looking tip top. In addition we have replaced our anchor chain, our rusty old 100 metres was spirited away in the dark by one of the night security guards – bound for his village in the San Blas. Great that someone will have use for it.
Time out to Eat, Drink & Be Merry
All the “broken boats” around us are slowly getting fixed too but there are new arrivals with woes to tell all the time – this boating is a very “fluid situation”. On the social front things have livened up considerably with more Brit and Aussie boats turning up. Last nights Whole Pig Bar-b-que was accompanied by live entertainment provided by the “Shelter Belters”, led by Steve off Liward and a guest performance on flute by our British friend Sue off Spruce , more accustomed to playing in an orchestra than to a Status Quo number.
Sue’s husband Andy and Mark both seemed to know some ancient – well 1970’s - dance action for this particular song and certainly entertained the crowd (our American friends ~ and I ~ looked on in total amazement!!). The rain stayed away and a great night was had by all.
We could think of worse places to lose several weeks
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