We are at Big Majors just off Staniel Cay. Weather has kept us on a very slow move. The push to Florida is all set to happen except for the weather. It has been blowing 25 - 30 out of the east and squalls brought us 2 inches of rain today. But we and about 4 other boats here are ready to go.

We had some scary times last week when wind from the west was forecasted at 30 plus knots and there was no place to seek shelter around Staniel Cay. We finally got a reservation at Compass Cay Marina with the help of some locals making calls. Compass Cay is a very expensive Marina with nothing on the Island. Just when I though all was good and we were safe the transmission on the boat went as I was trying to get into that marina. The boat was doing 1.5 knots as we called ahead to ask for some help getting into a slip. They put us in a nice slip with a straight forward approach and got us tied up and I had a beer (a big one).

We were safe but we were paying a hundred dollars a day for the slip, fifty dollars a day for electric, sixty cents a gallon for water and a hundred and fifty dollars for a ride to Staniel Cay that has an airport and maybe a mechanic. Out of the blue I get a call on the radio for Brandon on 'Solmate'. We have been traveling with them on and off from Grenada but I didn't know he was in the area. He dingied to the marina the next day, looked at the transmission and pronounced it dead. At that point the plan was to pull the trans and ship it Florida have it rebuilt shipped back then installed. I was figuring two weeks. I made some calls for a mechanic but it is regatta week in Georgetown and everybody was down there partying or racing. Then Brandon says 'oh I can take it out'. In about three hours he had it out. In the mean time I made calls to everyone possible and found a rebuilt transmission in St Petersburgs had it shipped to Ft. Lauderdale and put on the little plane that flies to Staniel Cay. I had it in three days. As I was trying (with no luck) to get a mechanic to put it in Brandon says 'oh I can put it in'.

Brandon took his boat to Staniel Cay, picked up the trans from the airport and dingied to our marina with his wife and Rob and Kathy from Quatico. It took him an hour and a half to get it in and align the engine. We were about to have a new transmission party when I tested it at the dock. Little problem. When I put the boat in forward it went backward and in reverse it went forward. No party.

The next day I called back the guy who sent it to me. After a lot of diagnosis and Brandon's help it was determined the old transmission had been doctored to operate opposite the way it was built and putting the lever at the helm in reverse is actually putting the trans in forward the way it should be. So that afternoon I put the boat in forward and backed out of the slip, put it reverse and drove back over to Staniel.

At this point I don't know if I am coming or going. We have been anchored off Big Majors for the past four days. Big wind, rain and squalls have kept us on the boat for 3 days and should start to clear up on Wednesday. After that we will make our push for Florida. In reverse but going forward.