When we wake up we discover the air conditioning has stopped again. Mike takes the filter apart to find that has some debris again, and we are not surprised as the marina water here is filthy. After cleaning it out, it starts straight away. We probably need a new pump. Another expense to add to the list!
Today is the day to finish all the little jobs but it is so hot I find it difficult to stick to one thing as my mind keeps wandering. I get half way through one task then start another and wonder half way through that one whether I will actually get anything finished. All the tasks are housekeeping ones (or should that be boatkeeping?) so they don’t really hold my attention at the best of times.
I go off to buy a couple of things from Bobby’s, getting back in time for Mike to keep his appointment with the doctor – he needs to get a prescription for his arthritis tablets as the ones I bought out for him from the UK have now finished.
When he returns (relieved of $70 for the consultation and $16 for just one month’s supply of the drugs) he almost immediately leaves with Malcolm to go and buy the cruising permits from Customs. As we have five friends arriving for just over two weeks, these items come to over $500, a ridiculous amount of money. They stop for a beer and some lunch and it seems he is gone ages.
While I am alone I use to opportunity to call the UK using Skype. While I am talking to Victoria, Lucky launches into full talking/noise making mode. I lose count of the number of times I hear the words “Lucky want a cracker”, “bonjour”, “Come on Lucky”, “good girl”, “oops” and “bye bye Lucky”. Apparently she can say about 200 words but she does noises too – ring tones, burps, dog barks and the most amazing whistles, both pretty ones and wolf ones! Victoria and I kill ourselves laughing, and Lucky laughs too.
Rick comes over to collect Lucky, his parrot, who has been staying with us for a few days, and stays to chat for a while. Mike’s mobile rings and it is our friends; they are stuck in Antigua. Their flight arrived on time from the UK but on arrival at the Liat desk they are told that their 5pm onward flight to Beef Island has been cancelled but they can get on an earlier 3.30 flight via St Martin, an extra 40 minutes flight time, which initially seems like a good deal. However, as they are ringing at 4.20, and there is no sign of the plane, they are getting pretty fed up. Welcome to the world of Leave Island Any Time (except on time of course) or Luggage In Another Town, the two names that Liat is known by.
While we are waiting, I make some appetisers as they will be arriving too late to want a meal. Mike starts to scrub the decks of the strange stains that are all over it. I should explain that our slip is almost overhung by a tree that is laden with strange berry-like pods. With all the comings and goings over the last couple of days, loads of these berry things have been trodden on as they lay on the dock and then transferred by our feet to the boat. After washing the decks down and scrubbing them with the brush, Mike has removed the surface dirt but not the red/brown stains that the berries have made. So, just as the sun is going down and still wearing just a sarong (so the mosquitoes have lots of me to nibble at!) I get down and start scrubbing with a hand brush and cream bleach. It takes ages, but eventually most of it comes off although it may look different in the daylight.
The arrivals information on the Liat website is experiencing ‘technical difficulties’ so we can’t get any information. We wait. Just after 10pm, John phones to say they have arrived, but none of their luggage has. They deal with the paperwork, get a taxi and arrive, frustrated and exhausted by 24 hours of travelling, after 11pm.
It turns out that when they were taxiing on the runway at Antigua, an engine warning light came on that the pilot was not happy about and he turned the plane round and everyone got off. There was another plane leaving around 7.30 but there were now two planeloads of passengers to get on it. Luckily, as they were travelling with Adam, a 14-year old, they were given priority, although this was not the case for their luggage. Liat strikes again.
Adam, Rachel and Simon head almost immediately to bed; John and Allison stay up for an hour or so then go too. As for Mike and I, it is now 12.30, waaaaay past our bedtime, and after a day of scrubbing, we flop into bed.
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