I set the alarm and got up early. By 6:30 I was headed for the airstrip (this time with an insulated mug of coffee). By 7:30 it was apparent that the 6:45 was not coming and the next flight would probably be 8:15 or so. So I went back tot he boat and had a couple Blueberry muffins and more coffee. When I saw a bigger crowd gathering at the airstrip, I returned. There was a LOT of cargo on that plane, but I instantly recognized my ETD still packed in the styrofoam container that it had now made four flights in. It was clearly labeled for me, but it didn't matter as I just walked up to where they had set it on the ground, picked it up and left. No one checked any idea, asked any questions or anything. I was back at the boat by 9:00, ETD in hand. We decided to go into town and try to get some fresh veggies and fruit before leaving. Our first several stops were all strike outs. No limes where I had got them before, no pineapples or papaya anywhere. As we were walking to the last store we knew of, we ran into a Kuna who had promised to bring pineapples and bananas yesterday. We had moved our boat to get the water (why I am not sure, but Federico insisted) and assumed he just didn't find us in our new location. He said he would get them, “Hoy, media dia.” We agreed we would wait until noon to get them. We then went onto the last store and found a wonderful selection of fruit and veggies including a big basket of our favorite orange lines (which some people call sour oranges, but they look and taste more like limes except for the orange color of their pulp.) We stocked up. Everything except pineapples and bananas. On the way back I tried the school again. This time it WAS open, school was in session, but the internet was down and no one seemed to know or care when it would be back up. Definitely not today or tomorrow. Since we had to wait for our Kuna friend to bring fruit, I went ahead and installed the watermaker then. I checked every connection and fitting three times. I reconnected the intake hose and opened the seacock. Finally I pushed the START button and the pump came on. Initially it shut off on “Low Pressure” safety as the system filled with water, but this was normal for initial start up. I canceled the safety and started it up again. It began to build pressure. I could hear the ETD working. The pre- and post- intake gauges were beginning to approach normal values, much better than any time previously. Then, suddenly, “BAM!!!” something exploded. I wasn't hurt. I shut it down immediately and looked around. It appeared that the rubber safety plug had blown out of the high pressure guage. Why? I had just started to look at it and noticed that is was not registering yet (just before it blew). Did sitting so long screw something up inside the guage or was my system now OVER pressurizing? I put the plug back in and tried it again. Same explosion. Amazing how much noise a 1/2” rubber plug can make. OK, I remember Einstein so I won't try it a third time, but if I replace the plug and wrap a towel around it so that it won't go anywhere and try to hold it what will happen? Well, the pump ran, the gauge got up to nearly 600# with only minor leakage around the plug and then the rear seal of the gauge started leaking as well. And we still were not making good water. The pressures were not through the roof though. Normal pressure for the ETD is 850 or so and given the leak, 600 indicated was probably close to that. What if I just eliminate the gauge? I mean it is not like I sit and monitor it all the time the watermaker is running. I just check it at start up. OK, I cannot just remove it, I have to plug the hose which uses a special high pressure compression fitting on a plastic hose. Not something I can mess with. But the other end it 1/4” NPT. But the only pipe plug I have is 3/8”. Finally I cut a tiny circle of gasket material, just big enough to cover the hole in the gauge, hold it in place with Teflon tape that I put on the threads as well and reassemble it all. I wrap the gauge in a towel and place it where I don't think it can do any harm and push the Start button while backing away lest anything else explode. I tell Deb to stand by the remote control to turn it off it I yell. The pump runs. The pressures build. The pre- and post – input gauges stabilize in their normal operating ranges of ~150 psi. The ETD chugs like ti should. Nothing bad is happening. It runs for a while like this with me peering at the gauges from a distance and Deb ready to shut everything down at an instant's notice. And then the green “Fresh water” light comes on and we are making good water! Cautiously, I crawl back in beside the watermaker (it is installed in a space next to the port engine compartment with somewhat cramped access, especially if you are still afraid of something exploding @ 1000 psi!). The water flow gauge shows almost 18 gph water production. Fantastic! (It is rated @ 15 gph.) I ran it for an hour while using water for another load of laundry and all seems well. I guess I will run it without the meter until I return to the US and get one then. I still have to deal with Sea Recovery (the manufacturer), Ocean Options (the original dealer) and Yacht Service (the guys who finally fixed it on the second try after a variety of fiascoes) and see if I can recover any of the nearly $3000 it has cost to get this thing running again. With the watermaker fixed (sort of) and the laundry done, we just needed our Kuna friend to bring our fruit and we could be off to a pretty little deserted island instead of the heavily populated one. We waited. And waited. By 2:30 we gave up and left. I know things are on “island time” but 2 ½ hours seemed a bit much. We have other fruit to last a week or so and we will get more then. It only took ~1/2 hr. so motor sail back to Garnirguinnitdup where we had found several conch. Since the ban on taking all shell fish goes into effect soon, we wanted to stock up. We have lots of lobster, but no conch, so it was time to get the hookah going and get some. Unfortunately the hookah did not cooperate. It started easily but then died. Several times. Since the hour was getting late, I put off fixing it until later and we just snorkeled around looking for conch, but found none. After that disappointment, I tinkered with the hookah throttle and it ran fine. I am not sure what the issue is, but if I get the throttle just right, all is well. If it is off a bit, it starts and then stalls. It must be something with the carburetor. If I can nurse it through this trip, I'll have a Honda mechanic look at it back in Bocas. I'm sure glad it worked well when Dave & Lisa were he as we used it daily.