Tuesday 28 January 2025

After being "hung down, brung down, hung up, and all kinds of mean nasty ugly things" (if you haven't heard Arlo Gutherie's Alice's Restaurant Massacree, go listen immediately) attitudinal improvement is manifest.

Rudder framing complete. Fine job by Maxie, who welded it together with galvanized steel. Not appropriate to survive twenty three years like original, but cheaper and stronger for four to five day passage. Cory will begin fiberglassing tomorrow. May be ready for departure next week. Confidence runs stratospherically above original expectation. Anti-fouling to cover new appliance would require trip to Kingston, which may be a bridge too far for value obtained. Bottom still well protected, thanks to Shawn in St. Maarten, and temporary rudder, however fouled, will come out for replacement. Still contemplating.

Aussie mates arrived Grand Cayman from Cayo Largo, Cuba, today. They expect departure to reach Shelter Bay, Panama, by mid February, about when we aspire to get there. Hey, it's all possible until it's not.

Wednesday

Happy Lunar New Year.

Mama P will make early breakfast for us this morning. The more discriminating crew get eggs, bacon and toast. The rest have requested gruel - Jan refers to this as porridge. Whatever. Expect to arrive boat early to discuss with Cory how to finish rudder.

Walls in guest house don't require much insulation for temperature and thus have little to block sound. Besides people in hallway talking and slamming doors, caterwauling felines entertain us during the night, dogs bark and cocks crow incessantly, not just in the morning. Apparently roosters are very territorial so probably too many for the available area. Once thought they cocked their doodle-do to attract hens, but no chicken could be that horny. Some of us mostly sleep through, others are more sensitive.

Jack & Jan