We started out this morning taking a different tack to Sucia and Saniti. We thought we'd meander our way inside the islands on the banks while the others took to the open ocean and made a run for Emerald Bay. Ray and I were happy to arrive a day later and enjoy the islands at a more leisurely pace in the shallows where our cat feels right at home. All was going well until both alternators spiked and then dropped out completely...not a good look with no charge going to the batteries. So the decision was to either keep treking in the remote islands or make a dash for civilisation and the potential for help. The Skipper made the call and we turned our nose out through Square Cut and into the Atlantic for an hour and a half run for Emerald Bay. I wasn't happy because I had about 30 seconds to batten down the hatches and prepare for the open ocean. We had our sights set on Emerald Bay for some time as we'd heard from other cruisers that it was a new marina with FREE laundry. You can imagine our excitement as the smelly clothes continued to mount. We just made it ahead of the others and were met by O'Neill Rolle, who helped us tie up to the dock, gave us our welcome pack and escorted me in the golf cart to the Dockmasters office to fill in the necessary paperwork. What a great place. The showers are fantastic and definitely 5-star with large, spacious rooms and all the necessities of life provided. We made a run for the washing machines and managed to wade through our extraordinary amount of washing. I could see us settling in here ...if we had more money.