We arrived on Friday by midday, after suffering some GPS anomalies, in that the C Map and Navionics were different by about 10 minutes. This caused some anxiety as I got the Lat Long from Navionics to set the waypoint in C map. Must be the Bermuda triangle as now we are anchored
up they both agree. We checked in at customs OK but while we were fiddling about trying to get a wifi code to fill in the health stuff online, the health guys went home early so we had to come in today and do it, along with about thirty others. Anyway we should be clear by tomorrow morning
but the weather looks distinctly inclement with wind ,rain, thunder 20-30knots. Not good for a halfmile dinghy ride, so we shall stay on board.
Our latest info is that we should be able to continue on Wednesday, so hopefully the boat jobs should be done by then and we will have a chance for a look round. Then there is the question of the departure pcr test, I think we will just show the one we had when we came in otherwise we
will spend all our time getting tested and waiting for results.
We made good progress for us coming down from Hampton, but we could not make the waypoint to ensure we missed the bad weather and maximised the sailing potential for the onward passage, that is why we diverted here. We may have been OK but the possibility of 25knots on the
nose, or even close reaching through 6-8foot waves did not appeal, especially as we are in no rush.
Boat jobs are to change the raw water pump on the main engine and to take down the genoa and put more turns on the furlex as our exploits in the gulf stream seem to have undone some of it ,with the result that we cannot fully wind the sail in unless I can do it manually when it is not so
tight. The other little gremlin which nearly drove us both crazy was that the wind monitor alarm went off and could not be shut off. The unit has a function to monitor high and low battery voltage and the low alarm went off. Instructions followed but to no avail it just kept peeping. I couldnt turn
it off as its on the same circuit as all the instruments (GPS, wind direction and strength, AIS) all essential stuff. In the end I put a pillow over it and this reduced it a bit. I tried opening the unit up to see if there was an easy fix but there wasnt, and I was wary that we would lose all the wind
readings if I was too ambitious. However after another night of peeping I determined to have another go and unscrewed the unit from the panel and lay it flat on the chart table. Whilst wielding my screwdriver ready to attack it and to accept whatever loss of readings, it stopped peeping!
So that is where it remains and lets hope it keeps quiet. All its readings are repeated in the cockpit so its not too great an inconvenience.
More when we are on our way.