There's one benefit of being somewhere quiet. You get through the boat jobs.

Yesterday's was the stern gland. It had been leaking so bad we were having to hand pump the bilge every shift to stop the bilge pump running. It's one of these jobs that easily gets put off, especially in an Island Packet where the shaft is deep in the keel moulding and you really need 8 foot arms and he grip of the Hulk as there's no room to use scanners and wrenches.

In preparation I'd been giving it a WD40 bath several times a day for the last week. I also hack sawed notches in the locking nut and gland nut. It must have worked as after a few whacks with a length of stainless rod and a hammer it came loose. (note: another use of a pointless bit of marina yard rubbish I carry for no good reason). New Gore packing in, bottom hosed clean, new anodes, seacocks greased.....splash. Back in the water just past 11am, less than three hours later.

"Should we fill up?"

"It will be cheaper in Columbia"

"But it's right here.........."

So, OK, Mr pump operator, give us about 50 gallons of diesel.

Where possible I try and filter what goes in. It doesn't please the pump attendants as it's very slow through the Baja filter but.....tough.

Fortunately this was one of the times I did filter; slowly, as 5 gallons in the guy says, "you did want Gas didn't you?"

No I bloody didn't.

We then spent an hour trying to get a connection to Google the likelihood of a problem. I've done it in a car in the distant past and I know that all advice says don't start the engine. Failing to get online from the yard we texted home and the kids did it on our behalf. I also texted my Phil who knows everything about engines.

End result was 50/50. Half saying just top up and don't worry. Half saying run your engine and it's doomed.

As it wasn't my fault and we weren't going anywhere we pumped the tank dry, removing the gas/diesel mix then filtered and refilled 160 gallons. Five hours later we got back to our berth. Oh joy.

Nest to us is Rochade. A nice big Suoeryacht. They've been waiting here for a week in a weather window to get across the Caribbean to Costa Rica to pick up the owners. It's about 150ft and I was surprised they needed to wait for any weather. They left yesterday, stuck their nose out the corner of the island, got some nasty salt water all over their polish, turned around and came back.

I think they need a bigger boat!