Morning
I didn’t wake up early this morning, but was still drinking my first coffee by 08:00. Last night’s revelry with Marjorie and Mark had left some traces, despite my drinking water upon return to Zanshin. I’ll stick aboard off Sandy Island on Sunday.
After doing some work on the computer, I went to locate and fix the water ingress at the mast. My big rubberized insert has come loose, allowing some water to come in when it rains. The water flows along the mast and instead of getting diverted goes straight inside. I need a big mallet to get that seal back in place, so I’ve done some temporary fixes with tape – until I get to a yard or a place with tools. The prices at the chandleries here are quite high, and that’s before the 40% duty that is paid on marine items unless one is a visiting boat with clearance.
There’s a free water taxi to the restaurant/bar ashore which I might try later today, or tomorrow.
Noon
What a beautiful location, but I’ve got work aboard to complete son can’t fully enjoy it yet. The park fee collection boat came by earlier. I paid XCD53 (~US$20) for the night. I didn’t expect to pay for anchoring, but Sandy Island this Sunday is well worth that price.
The new bimini strap connectors aren’t as beefy as I would have liked, but they are made of better steel than the previous ones. After fixing those, that I removed the solar panel cables that are no longer in use after the panel went walkabout during storm on Friday. I worked a bit on the generator, but gave up quickly. I’m going to have to hire someone to do that. I’ve taken out the rust remover kit but haven’t mustered the energy to start that job. Once I start that job I’ll have a long and arduous time ahead of me. Perhaps I’ll take a nap first…
Afternoon
I didn’t take a nap, but somehow managed to be active and end up doing very little actual work and making even less progress. The anchorage has gotten crowded. I’d read that there were 7 moorings and that anchoring wasn’t allowed because this is a national park. It seems that the locals now allow anchoring in the sand and prefer to collect fees over protecting the bottom. And I only see 3 moorings in the area, the others are gone. I was careful to anchor in a patch of clean sand, but boats that have now anchored in front of and behind me haven’t been that considerate and are in mixed grass and sand.
I’d two pre-made hamburger patties left in the freezer which I thawed out for dinner. The Magma BBQ needed some cleaning beforehand and I finally managed to make dinner before dark, although it was a close call. The meal was filling, but uninspiring. I’ve got no steaks left aboard, and will have to see if I can get some good beef at the store; I’m yearning for a steak and potato dinner.
Night
I read on deck for a while and enjoyed the wonderful breeze and stars here in Grenada. And the sunset was pretty as well. All in all a great location.