Monday 17 March 2025

Time flies when you're doing boat jobs all day then having fun drinking heavily with friends... think that's how the saying goes. Maybe it will slow a bit now that many of our mates are leaving here for Galapagos and French Polynesia so drinking eases. May cut down on liver damage. Suspect excessive work coming up will really slam on brakes.

Rudder finished and on the way. Due Wednesday. Haul-out scheduled for following Tuesday, six days later (what? do we not trust DHL and Panama customs for promised delivery date?). Epoxy barrier coat to be slapped on after delivery. Once aground will install rudder, add its fairing blocks, then sand & anti-foul it and bottom. Value survey scheduled for that Thursday with rig check after splash. Hope to be moving north on April Fools Day. Who believes that will happen? Show of hands... Rube.

Tuesday

Took marina bus to Novey for painting paraphernalia. This followed by sanding and varnishing hatch frames. Varnishing has instant gratification. Like that.

Thursday

According to DHL website tracking, rudder arrived Panama City Monday. Sent to Colon (destination) Tuesday. Sent back to Panama City Wednesday. Later showed "Clearance processing complete" at 08:34. At 14:25, "Shipment on hold". Spent all morning chasing it down. Eventually told on chat that processing was completed. Website still indicates hold. DHL blames Shelter Bay. Shelter Bay blames DHL. Shelter Bay checking with DHL. No rudder. Arrrrrghhhh! Murderous thoughts flick through mind, but don't know who and probably wouldn't help. Anyway, no matter how pleasing at the moment, probably not worth spending rest of life in Panama prison.

After wasting hours finally got hatch frames sanded and varnished this afternoon. One more coat and done.

All-you-can eat pork ribs tonight at The Dock restaurant. Plan to eat until exploding.

Friday

Did.

Couple of interesting tidbits from Shelter Bay. Bad: convenience store has Guinness Extra Stout in cans. Cost is only a dollar, but they have no aerating widget with taste worse than O'Doul's - cruel hoax. Good: For a unique experience you can walk under their trees, listen to their roars and get peed on by howler monkeys. Compare taste to local Guinness.

Jack & Jan