Sunday 25 August 2019

Thus proceeds the last morning of our longest passage for awhile, perhaps for a great while in this boat. Wind has picked up and veered as expected so we're on port tack and, having snuffed the spinnaker at 0400, are making excellent progress with reefed main and genoa plus staysail. Anticipate arrival anchorage at Ile Saint-Joseph by midafternoon. Even with bobbing about for several hours like a bathtub ducky and barely moving for very many more as well as listening for too long to generator charging lame batteries, this has been in total a very agreeable nine day passage. Anticipate good sailing conditions to prevail as we approach the Caribbean.

First orders of business tomorrow (maybe today) will be to determine if transportation is available to carry diesel mechanic to and from the island and then find one who will agree to come with appropriate tools and parts. Otherwise it will be necessary to either go up river to anchor near Les Balourous, an always full marina, or sail to Suriname where Domburg is even further up a river, but where help is more likely. Winds are forecast a few days hence to be good for that single overnight trip, but probably not for either river jaunt.

The one opinion received so far concerning running engine with compression leak is that no harm will accrue for a considerable time using low power. Although diesel engines reportedly produce little CO, exhaust smells like the devil and, try as hard as we may, breathing is most often not optional. Await additional input Monday morning via email reply and contemplated call to diesel expert(s) in Florida using Iridium Go (yet another shameless plug - perhaps the company will be so appreciative as to offer us a free, unlimited, lifetime subscription).

Golly Gee (or stronger words to that effect) it's hot. Yesterday and today have been warmest encountered probably since Darwin. Ile du Salut is reportedly a couple of degrees C cooler than up river, so hope to remain there for duration of stay. And there's clean seawater available for our swimming pleasure.

Jack & Jan