All the "captains" on the boats that are going on the rally headed into town to get theirs and their crews passport stamped for leaving on Saturday. They had to make a stop at the Indonesian Embassy first to get the passports back that had been left there so the cruising permits could be glued into them. Well, that took almost two hours. The reps for the rally and marina were in the embassy while the rest sat in the van waiting. Once that was done, they all went to lunch and then to Philippine Immigration. Here is where the rest of the day fell apart. The officer at Immigration put the first person that they talked to under the third degree. Questions like: When did you enter the country, Where have you visited and when and how long did you stay at each place? Do you have the paperwork to prove that? It wasn't a simple--Here's my passport, I want to leave your country. Oh no, this officer had question after question for each of the "captains". The organizers of the rally tried to explain about what was happening but the officer could not have cared less. In the end, no one got their passport stamped. It was decided by Immigration that officers would come to the marina on Saturday(the day they were supposed to leave) and inspect each boat and interview each person that wanted their passport stamped. It could take hours and they were supposed to leave and sail past the city with the Mayor of Davao in a boat to inspect and wave good bye to every one. No more!! Here is where it really goes off the tracks. Once they get their passports stamped, they then have to wait till Monday to go to Customs as they are closed on Saturday and you can't visit Customs till your passport is stamped. What a cluster f__k! Since we have now bailed from the rally(still no chain and still no batteries) we got our passports back from the Indonesian Embassy. We are cleared to enter their country when ever we can get down there(or within the next 90 days). Needless to say, the "captains" all came back really frustrated.

Meanwhile we continued doing chores on board. Donald put two more coats of teak oil/sealer on the port side in the morning and a fifth and final coat on in the afternoon. It's now done and looks great. Once that job was done, he started waxing the hull. So far, it looks great too.

Tracy and I grabbed our water filters and started refilling the freshwater tanks. Every bit of water that comes on board goes through a paper filter and then a charcoal filter. We've got good water and want to make sure it stays that way. The water here is pumped from a well right on the premises. A bit high in calcium but tastes fine to me. All the drinking water on board goes through another filter just in case.
We had been told by Chardon that our chain was finally back and he was going to organize a trip over and would get back with us in an hour to let us know when we would be going in. That was at 0800 this morning and it's now 2200. We're still waiting.
As to our batteries, we have no clue as to when they might so up. Apparently, there has been some major flooding in Manila(where the batteries are coming from) and the entire town has shut down. I texted the company and they told me that they would see what they could find out and let me know but it would be Thursday at the earliest before they might have any info. Once they get here, we have to install them and then put them through some charge/discharge runs to make sure they hold a charge and are working properly.
We lost power again at the marina today for several hours. Happened yesterday also. Just a fact of life out here.
Tomorrow, off to town to get Tracy's new glasses and a trip back to the hardware store for some more parts.
The picture today is of the fruit and veggie market at Babak, a small town about 8 kilometers from the marina. Get there early to get the best stuff.