Monday 12 February, St.Maarten day 14: Boat pottering again and search for missing dinghy.
Up early, lots to get done. With a long list on my phone I set off ashore in time for businesses opening at 8am. First stop FKG to see if they can supply ball bearings to replace the rusted ones in the hydraulic fitting. They can’t. They can sell complete new fittings but not just the balls. Then to North Sails where I drop the bimini for more stitching and pick up the new sunbrella covers for the dinghy fuel tank and cutter hydraulic tubes.
Then some relax time in Lagoonies with a coffee and bacon and egg breakfast. And I find myself relaxing there quite a while, on the internet. Just as I’m about to leave, Rob from Ineffable arrives. Apparently someone stole their dinghy from the YC last night. My first thought is that’s doubtful in St. Martin and from a private dock. More like it wasn’t tied properly or was accidentally untied. Rob also tells me Ineffable came 3rd overall in class. Very good. Steve will be very pleased at that result for his first regatta on Ineffable. We had thought we were 4th.
I continue my jobs with a trip to ACE hardware and to ElecTec. Oooh ElecTech. I’ve not been in here before. It’s a paradise electrical shop. Huge and stocked for both marine and domestic. I’ve never seen such a well stocked shop. Needless to say I’m in there for almost 2 hours browsing around. They have lots of Mastervolt things including the new viewer like mine (Easyview-5). I love this screen and how I can monitor everything going on with the boat electrics and would be in serious trouble if it ever broke. The prices here are really good so I splash out to have a backup EasyView-5 on board.
Back at Lagoonies Rob is still there. He is waiting for a lift back to Ineffable. Apparently Steve has heard someone spotted a dinghy drifting last night. So I guess it was not stolen. Rob and I decide go for a search in my dinghy. It can’t be far. Someone would likely have grabbed it tied it up somewhere. We start a tour around the lagoon looking at all the small docks. About 1/3 the way around and not too far from the YC I spot what looks like their dinghy next to the dive center dock. As we near it, it’s confirmed. Rob is VERY happy! Life on a yacht at anchor without a dinghy is not fun, as we ourselves discovered last year when we lost our outboard. We fill the empty tank then I leave Rob my bailer because it’s 1/3 full of water. He says he will pass by to drop the bailer later, so I head off back to Cloudy Bay to deposit my shopping booty feeling pleased we managed to find their dinghy. A good deed for the day.
A few hours later I’m just about to go ashore again when Steve and Rob turn up in their dinghy to give me the bailer back. I was thinking there might be a “thanks for finding my dinghy”. But no, not a word on that subject. The bailer is put in my dinghy and off they go. Later, I discover the reason Steve is not happy with me!
Off back to North Sails to see how they are progressing with the spinnaker. It’s out of the sock and they are working on getting the hoop in. I ask again about putting grommets into the sock to let air out but again they say they can’t do it, and “it would be cheaper to buy a complete new sock”. I really don’t understand why not. To check, I go over to US Sails and ask them. They say they can do it no problem! Hmmm should I take the sock from North and give it to US? It would likely upset someone, is it worth the hassle? I decide to sleep on it.
As I pass Lagoonies it’s happy hour. Just can’t resist those $2 rum punches! This then extended to a bowl of soup as I can’t be bothered to cook tonight. While on the internet I see a message from Aaron. He has read our blog and not so happy about what I wrote. Likely that’s why Steve said nothing to me earlier… A few minutes later Steve and Rob arrive and then Aaron, and it’s confirmed, the blog didn’t meet with approval. Well, the blog is a reflection of our day, through our eyes and emotions. But we do chat for a while and all seems OK … on the surface. I don’t stay long … lots to do.
Back on Cloudy Bay I install new regulator capacitors into the generator. I’ve had to change these before and I didn’t have any spare ones on board. So I managed to buy some in ElecTech and decided to fit them (to check they work OK) and keep the current ones as back up. I always do this: fit the spare then keep the original as back up. That way you know your backup will work when needed. Fitting them in the top of the generator is a fiddley job, not helped by the rum punches! But eventually they are in and I test the generator. The voltage is a bit high now, but once on load it soon pulls down to 225vac where it should be.
After sorting and storing all the other bits and pieces I bought I head to bed feeling a bit uneasy. Maybe my blog text wasn’t so wise. Unnecessarily upsetting people is not in my DNA. But tomorrow will be a new day and Oana will be back in my arms in just a week now. Happy thoughts to close my eyes to.
1 comment
Hi Glen,
Just to let you know that these guys you’ve crewed with and helped out are probably good guys basically, but from what you’ve seen and experienced are not quite up to yours and Oana’s standards, unfortunately. Then again, I’m thinking you’re not going to run into a lot of people who would be in that level. “It is what it is” and your gut feeling about it is most likely the correct one. It would have pissed me off too with the no “thank you”. Try a class 8 truck stop or dealership for some hydraulic fittings and maybe even some throw away busted up ones (hose) and take those bearings out to use in your fittings……… Go with your gut feeling on the sock too. Unbelievable North Sails can’t do it???? One more week!!!
Pete
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