Well we headed back to BSB to satisfy the Immigration folks at the Ferry Terminal. Yes we had new passports and yes we had our old passports with us with our entry stamps all current and valid but we didn't have anything in the new passport and thats just not allowed. We needed the head of Immigration to stamp our new passports to make them "legit". So off for Immigration!

We pulled up to the offices about 1020 and headed in. We finally found someone on the first floor(second to those of you in the US) that would tell us what we needed to do. And that was to take some forms and start filling them in and then get a number and join the crowd of people waiting. Our number was 1065 and they were helping 1030. As there was no one at the desk to even help anyone, we had a long wait ahead of us.

The forms they gave us were to get a "temporary" visa to stay in Brunei even though we still had 7 weeks left on our current visa/passport. We filled out the forms and then sat. Two women finally showed up and started helping people. Number 1032 then 1033 and so on, the numbers were called and the time passed. It was obvious that they were trying to get every one out by lunch. We were finally seen and then handed over to one of the main supervisors who looked at our paperwork. When they handed us the forms to fill in, they also told us to go get copies made of our old and new passports. Luckily, there was a copy office down the hall. With copies in hand, we sat and talked to the supervisor. He looked at the new passports and the old. He looked at our application for a temporary visa and asked us if we had a "Sponsor". Say what! We didn't need a sponsor when we came in. Well, now we did! In the end, since the US Embassy had provided the new passports, they became our official sponsor. Another hurdle jumped. He took our paperwork back to one of the ladies at the counter and show her what heeded to be done. By now, it was after 1200 and we were the last people in the office. As it was, they never got to our number of 1065 as no one came forward to the counter after 1059. No clue what happened to the people that got 1059 to 1064. Any how, they finally stamped our passports and we were officially "in" Brunei--again without even leaving. BUT--we had to go back to the Ferry Terminal to get checked out of the country. They wouldn't do it there!
Back to McDonalds for one last lunch and then back to the bus terminal and then back to Maura and onto another bus and over to the Ferry Terminal. It was now 1530 with the Ferry Terminal to close at 1600! In we went and the Immigration official looked at our passports and all the paperwork that everyone else had given us the day before. Hey-- guess what? The clearance papers that the Jabatan Laut(Harbor master) were stamped for the 4th and today was the 5th. Well, that just won't do. We need another set of papers with the correct date. Time was ticking! Off we went to the Jabatan Laut's office. We tried talking to him through the small hole in his window and he eventually came out of his office. We explained about what the Immigration officer wanted and the Jabatan Laut just shook his head. These papers should be just fine he told us but he grabbed his stamp and restamped the exact same forms with a new date and sent us back to Immigration. With the new forms, the officer at Immigration looked through them and then stamped our passports. We were officially out of the country!!!! It had taken 28 hours from when we entered the offices yesterday to get it done.
When the bus driver dropped us off at the Ferry, we got a promise from him that he would come back and get us in an hour and take us to the Yacht Club. Well, he showed up just about one hour after dropping us off and a few minutes later we were at the Yacht Club where we had a soft drink, turned on our temporary membership cards for the club and headed back to Zephyr to get everything set for tomorrows leaving. It took a while but we are now all packed and ready to go.
I'll be posting as we cross the South China Sea on our SSB radio so you will know how it's going but the forecast is for great winds and small seas and that is just perfect for a good run. We figure the spinnaker will do a great deal of the work. The bad thing is that I can't post any pictures while we are out there but I will once we get to Tioman Island in a week or so. It's about 800 miles so it will take a while to get there. Stay tuned. We are on the road again!