On the mend.
13 June 2022 | Ste. Anne. Martinique.
Les Farge
So, there I was. Struggling with a broken rib. Yes, broken. Not fractured or dislocated. Broken. This big fella, while reaching deep into the fridge, not while trying to find the last bottle of rum Charles, rolled the rib over the wooden fiddle and It went bang! I was cleaning. Really. This is not the first time this has happened to me. It’s about the fourth. Boats not only eat your bank account, they also slowly eat you! This happened about a week ago. Only now am I able to breathe and walk around properly. Luckily I have very considerate friends around me who have done shopping and garbage drop offs for me. Thanks Harm and Lizzie, David and Trina. So it’s rest for me. Until the rib stops clicking. Then it’s more rest. I’ve actually been “resting” since April 2019!
I’m in a good place, here in Martinique. The covid numbers are going through the roof though. In the last 24 hours there have been over 700 new cases and a huge spike in deaths. Where I’m anchored is away from the madding crowd. If I went to the hospital for my rib, they would not give me the time of day. They are very understaffed with the pandemic as is, and there is not much that can be done
Right! Jumping ahead to late April 2022.
I’ve been anchored in the mangroves, behind Club Med for months now. Last week, after much encouragement, I came out and anchored in St. Anne. Great swimming here and lots of friends.
While in the mangroves, I replaced the bilge pump float switch and a section of the bilge hose. All good now.
Forgot to mention. I’m recovering from Long Covid. It’s very debilitating and hard to shake off.
I’ve taking down the Genoa to have the sacrificial canvas restitched. And I’ve also started to scrape the bottom of the boat , which is full of barnacles etc. It’s been nearly 3 years since I last hauled out to repaint the bottom and sitting at anchor for long periods of time doesn’t help. I’ll have it finished in a day or two.