12th March

18 20 N
64 56 W

Weather: overcast, wind n/a, waves n/a

Well we are back to just the 2 of us onboard this morning, having made the coffee Gerry realized that there was a little too much - good job I like iced coffee, it will come in handy a bit later on today. It was so quiet without Maz reading the latest news on the corona Virus and Gerry answering with all the theories that are floating around the place. Today was going to be the day that we gathered up all the laundry and made a trip into the washboard launderette. It's amazing how a couple more towels and sheets increase the wash load - we filled the normal 2 large bags plus an additional backpack and that still wasn't all of the stuff that needs washing - the rest is going to have to wait until next time around! The dinghy got loaded up, I reminded Gerry to bring the nut and bolt with him for the stern ladder to see if we could get a replacement at the nearby chandlery and we set off for the dinghy dock. There was just one cruise liner in dock today so it was a good day to go ashore - not quite so many tourists as yesterday with any luck, the unfortunate thing was that every boat owner in the harbor obviously had the same idea as the dinghy dock was the most crowded we have ever seen it, we literally had to push and shove our way between the dinghies already tied up to get close enough to step ashore but we managed it somehow. The first stop was the chandlery, crapped out on the nut and bolt but he did manage to buy a few oil absorbing pads to drop into the bilge to rid it of the film of oil that has been lingering there for a while. We trudged up the hill to the laundry which was fairly busy but I managed to snaffle 2 machines and set them on their cycles whilst Gerry took off to pick up some drinks, go back to the boat to refill the dinghy fuel tank and then make a trip across the bay to where he had been told that there was a hardware store to see if he could get the nuts and bolts. By the time he returned the laundry was in a couple of driers but nowhere near finished, Gerry was soaked from sea spray from going across the harbor with the wind and swell moving in different directions and causing quite a chop - it's usually me that cops the soaking as I sit in front of Gerry but without me there he got soaked for a change and wanted a change of polo shirt as soon as one was dry! The trip had been partly successful, he managed to get 2 new nuts and bolts which were the right diameter but were fractionally too long - the tweaker was going to MacGyver them to fit! He also surprised me with a present - a cruising guide to the Virgin Islands which would have been very useful about 2 months ago, but I would now be able to check out some places that we haven't visited. We got chatting to a man who was also waiting for his laundry to dry - he is a sailing captain from one of the charter boats and he told us that the BVI's have just announced a change to their checking in procedure, effective immediately, and we now have to apply at least 24 hours prior to arrival for customs and immigration clearance to check in, and then we have to wait for approval from them to actually approve us checking in, making it even more of a hassle than it already was, I'm not sure how this is going to affect us as we transit through and I'm sure there will be an extra fee involved somehow! With the laundry finished, folded and stashed into the bags and backpack we set off for the dinghy stopping on the way to fill our outboard fuel container. It was just about lunchtime so Gerry suggested we stop at Wendy's for a burger - neither of us were too sure if we would be chucked out because of the fuel container but we snuck in and I sat at a table down the back of the place, with fuel container hidden under the table, whilst Gerry went to order food. I'd like to say we had a fabulous lunch but it was just a chicken burger after all. Refreshed and full we then headed back to the dinghy and out to our boat where we unloaded everything, stashed the stuff away and then relaxed for a short while. I got comfortable with my Virgin Islands cruising guide and Gerry got out the Dremel and vanished out into the cockpit where he attacked the bolts, cutting them to the correct size or near as damn it. Then I hear a yell for me to come and assist, he was in the dinghy and trying to get the nuts and bolts in place but the swell was knocking the dinghy all over the place and he needed me to hold the dinghy in place whilst he got them sorted. Hanging on to the painter and keeping the dinghy, complete with the outboard and Gerry aboard, steady and close to the stern of the boat is no mean feat when the swell was making everything move up and down in opposite directions but we got there in the end and the ladder now has 2 new bolts which should last the rest of its life. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and reading in the cockpit until we got too hot and retreated down below for a while. We had our sundowner cocktail but didn't actually see the sun go down - it was behind cloud yet again so still no green flash folks!
Dale and Lorie have left Ocean World and are on their way to Puerto Rico, hopefully without having to stop at Samana on the way.