Amazingly I still feel a bit hung over - I think it’s a little over the top of my body to exact it’s revenge quite so sadistically.
Today the fresh fruit and vegetables which we all ordered in Bali should be at the supermarket on Home Island. Although there is a ferry which leaves the anchorage at 10 am, if we take it, we have to wait until about 3 pm to get back. As everything seems to shut on Saturdays here, there will be nothing for us to do for hours, so we decide to dingy across the lagoon instead. It takes about 15 minutes and just as we arrive near the jetty we manage to scrape the outboard propeller on the coral as it’s so shallow. Mike manages to manoeuvre us off without any damage though.
We arrive just as the ferry does and I notice that most people have heeded the advice about dressing conservatively in town. This is a Muslim community and we have been asked to cover our shoulders and knees as a mark of respect.
Home Island has a total population of around 120 people and the mode of transport is what looks like golf carts. We go to the post office first to get some money then to the supermarket to get our fresh stuff. Some of it is not very good (somewhat past it’s sell by date as it has been flown in from Perth) so I sort out some better stuff for us. Our two carrier bags of food, which does not contain any alcohol (perish the thought), meat or fish, comes to about £70. Thank goodness we did a good stock up in Darwin.
There’s a bench outside the supermarket, and when I come out, it is full of crew using the free wifi on their laptops. Although the internet shop is closed, someone, somewhere has an unencrypted system and we all make use of it. I only get to use it for about 10 minutes before the connection dies and don’t even manage to get all the blog published, and I can’t get Skype working, but it’s better than nothing.
Photo: Jenny, Dick, David and me using the free wifi outside the supermarket while John waits his turn
One reason people are so frantic to get to the internet today is that they want to find out about the potential cyclonic activity that may be forming over the next few days as we head to Mauritius. Grib files are downloaded and inspected and there is a lot of talk about leaving this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Mike decides to wait and see what tomorrow’s forecast looks like before making a decision. We have been on the end of incorrect weather forecasts three times now as far as hurricanes are concerned. They are notoriously difficult to predict and cyclones will be no different.
Jenny and John from Tzigane (a new yacht that joined the fleet in Bali) invite us to a pot luck supper on their boat, along with Susan and David who they know well from the Blue Water Rally four years ago. I decide to do the marinated tiger prawns with mango mayonnaise but can’t find any fresh on tinned mango. Then I remember the three little mangos which I picked when we were in Darwin. Perfect. Hopefully they will be ripe by now.
We give Dick and Irene a lift back to Direction Island. With the four of us and all the bags of shopping, the dinghy goes a lot slower than it did on the way over but we make it back without mishap.
Photo: A pristine desert island in the lagoon at Cocos Keeling
Sean and Casey arrive to help Mike take down the two genoas and swap them over. There’s some chafing by the lines as they are two different sizes and seeing as when they are both out it is usually on the starboard side, it makes sense to put the larger one on that side and the smaller one fit within it. While they are doing this, I set about doing the of laundry. I was going to do this tomorrow but as there is a chance that we might leave it needs ploughing through now.
Mike and Sean unroll the genoas by hand and realise it is very stiff. Mike looks to see what is causing the problem and discovers that the bolt that keeps the furler at the correct height in the furling drum has stripped its thread allowing the furler to drop through the drum almost to deck level. This is then causing it to bind at the forestay fitting at the deck. When they lift it to its correct position it turns easily but a lump of the aluminium cracks away. Sean goes back to Wild Tigris a tap and die set so that they can cut a new thread and fit a bigger bolt which fixes the problem. Once the genoas are back on, Mike goes back with them to Wild Tigris in an attempt to fix the problems with their satellite phone and e-mail system – one good turn deserves another and all that!
Once the washing is all done and hanging out to dry, I make the food for tonight. When Mike gets back we both hurriedly get ready then go over to Tzigane, trying to go nice and slowly so we don’t get soaked in the dinghy and have to sit for the evening in salt drenched clothes. We have a lovely evening, and I watch my wine intake very carefully. I don’t want a repeat of the other evening especially if we are heading off in the morning.
Photo: Susan, Mike, John, Jenny and David aboard Tzigane
We get back to Jeannius way past our bedtime and with very full and satisfied tummies. The diet will start one day - soon.
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