Feb 20...?

Good morning: It's Saturday, right?

After we moved the little boat off our bow, we turned on the engine to head over to drop off Quentin for baseball and pick up the laundry. That was Thursday, but I had no classes because they were in exam week.

When the engine turned over there was a definite rattle/squeak that wasn't there before. Rats, rats, rats!!! Rick cleaned the junk off the motor lid, opened it and listened. I KNOW his hearing is going because he pretended he could hear it, put on his glasses, poked at the belts and said, "Huh, it'll be fine."

Ok, I'm sick of being always the one hearing the noise, smelling the smell, complaining about stuff that isn't working, so I said nothing. Off we go.

We got over to Kidd Bay and our favourite spot was taken...there was a big trawler in there, so I head across to the spot in front of the Exuma Yacht Club, and just as I cross in front of the bridge to Lake Victoria, the engine dies.  There is wind pushing us toward the docks and the bridge and we are right in the path of the dinghies and sport boats that run in and out of the Lake. Well, at least they have to slow done now before getting in and coming out.

Rick is on the bow and turns to yell at me because he thought I cut the engine too soon. I yell at him before he gets a chance and tell him to drop the anchor... right THERE!!   TOLD YA SO!!!!!!

Quentin comes out and asks the intelligent question: "Are we out of gas?" He runs down to the galley to check the gauge which doesn't work anyway, and says we are, but we tell him that gauge doesn't work. So he scoops all the crap off the fuel fill, opens it and dips the tank. He used the wrong end of the fuel stick gauge but luckily the tank is so dry he can't get a reading anyway.

So now I know what the engine sounds like when the fuel is running low. I just don't know why the engine panel with all those amazing little red icons DIDN"T TELL ME!!!! We had two full jerry cans of diesel on the boat and we haven't added fuel since we got here, but heck we're just running the mile across the harbour and back, and running the engine to charge the batteries, and heading out the sound to empty our tanks...shouldn't need fuel?!?

We got our shopping done, came back over to the island, and Quentin did some work before going ashore. Beguiler was having problems with his dinghy motor so he called and came to get the 8 hp to take his 15 into the shop. He wanted to borrow the 5 hp but it was way too rough and the 5 hp is too small for his dinghy. It would have taken him all afternoon with the 5 hp. More about that later...

We had dropped off the parsley and melons for Stephane and came back to the boat, when C-Soul called. They were trying to decide if they should move closer down to the town site. It was pretty rough up north at the beach in the northeast winds. They came down and parked beside us.

Stephane had called a little earlier to tell us to come for supper, and we went over to spend some time with him and Angelica. It was great evening. Quentin can talk to him quite easily in French and it's getting better. Sometimes I can catch what they are saying and even add a few words.

Feb 19

Today Dad would have been 90 years old. Miss you Dad!

We had coffee with C-Soul until around 10. Quentin had come back to the boat to do some more work, and called us to say Stephane was looking for us, so we went over to help him out. I found a Spanish-to-English dictionary that I took over to Angelica. It's backwards for her but she says it will help her learn her English. 

Then we came back to the boat to get some work done, but ended up going to shore with Mark and Gail. We met Pearl over there and spent a couple of hours talking.

We are NOT getting any closer to solving the battery issue, mostly because "we" are not actually looking at the problem. But...tomorrow is another day, right?

Today we were supposed to go up to Rolleville with Cordell to tour the top end of the island and check out his farm. But today is too windy to cross the harbour and leave the boat for that long so we'll have to do it another day.

Back to Beguiler...Rob brought the 8 hp back and told us about his harrowing trip over...he got just out into the channel when the 8 hp motor died [the one we had just had tuned up] and he ended up rowing across the harbour to the Lake Victoria, to get to Minn's, the motor repair place. He made it just in time, and they fixed both motors right there...he had a dribble of diesel fuel in his gas tank and it was too rich for both of the engines. They are both fine now and well oiled!!

Conch horn duet

C-Soul & OtherGoose...together again!

So today I have some work to do to get the list ready for the scavenger hunt and get it printed.  I SERIOUSLY need to clean/organize this boat!!! And today is going to be windy/stormy so we aren't going anywhere...no excuses! Ttyl.