November
13, 2020
St.
George’s, Grenada
Spice
Island Marine/Cool Runnings Apts.
12.00 N
61.45 W
Dale made it to Pensacola last evening and
was sleeping in a real bed by midnight; much nicer than his last trip. He’s learned that Aunt Tina became weak and
unresponsive while bathing so the visiting nurse thought she was having a
diabetic issue and gave her some pudding prior to checking her blood. Thus, the high blood sugar. After being admitted to the hospital, it was
determined that she had high blood pressure and an infection. They have started antibiotics and are keeping
her for another couple of days until she becomes strong enough to be released
into rehab. Dale has spoken with the
neighbors and her best friend about moving her to a nursing home once she is
released from rehab. Its not what she
wanted, but at this point, it’s looking more and more that its what she needs.
At the boatyard, the AC technician arrived
and finished installing the main AC.
Unfortunately, until the boat is back in the water, we cannot test it,
as it is water cooled.
The boat itself was filthy. The power sanding has left a layer of black
dust over everything. I dropped the
remaining isinglass panels around the cockpit in an attempt to keep some of the
dirt out of the white area but I doubt that it will do much considering that when I
went into the locked salon, there was an even finer layer of dust on
everything.
My tomato plant is still alive and the
battery is still above 60%, so I locked everything back up and called it a
day.
Good news from Texas that my step Dad is
continuing to improve. His oxygen levels
have returned to normal and he’s eating normally.
11/15/2020 Gerry/Nicky and I take a taxi to the The Brewery for lunch and a bit of vegetable shopping as they have craft and veggie markets for local vendors in their interior courtyard. Nicky did some much needed veggie shopping as she is still without refrigeration. We all have a tasty lunch and return to our respective abodes for naps or in my case, endless Christmas movies. I love those movies and since no one can tell me no, I’m taking full advantage of the situation.
11/16/2020 I start the day early by picking flowers
for my table but have to hurry as it starts sprinkling.
Apparently, Gerry is tired of working on
his boat and makes arrangements to meet me on our boat as soon as it stops
raining. I had sent Dale a photo of the
new install which, after review, he asked that the AC guys to return and secure
a drain hose that is too high to drain anything. Gerry feels there is no need to recall the
technicians and moves the board that was initially installed a bit so that zip
ties can be utilized to tie the offending hose down. That only takes a few minutes and we’re back
to our mutual homes to ride out the on again off again rain squalls.
In Pensacola, Dale is busy moving Aunt
Tina to a rehab facility from the hospital.
Its one that one of Aunt Tina’s friends had used and recommended. It is close to her home so that her friends
can visit her.
I’m quite content to watch TV the
rest of the day but about 10pm find a drip in the bathroom. My ceiling is leaking so I turn on more
lights and start searching. My ceiling
appears to be raining. Its coming from
all over the place. It doesn’t look like
its going to collapse, so I’ll wait to morning to call the security people to
let them know that the Voodoo doll is in full swing again. Nicky is never going to believe this!
11/17/2020 I report my bathroom raining
situation. Glenda, the office
person/security guard on certain days, comes by and checks. It has to be coming from the roof as there
are no cracks or obvious ways of water penetrating the concrete ceiling. I’m located on the second floor of a three
story apartment complex, so its rather bizarre, however, if you look at the
outside of the building, you can see clearly where there is water damage right
at the juncture of two roof lines that runs down the side of the building;
right by my bathroom.
My cable TV stops working;
I was right in the middle of a good movie.
There is no signal. I resort to
playing computer games, reading and then taking a walk over to check on the
boat. Yep, still there. I can tell that people have been working on
it but at the time, there is no one to ask. When I return to my apt. I have two cable guys swapping out the cable
box. When they’re done, I have much
better reception. Apparently, they were
swapping out everyone’s cable box, thus the interruption in my Christmas movie
marathon.
In Pensacola, Dale is getting a
lesson regarding the opposite side of the medical field. He’s getting the run around of being told one
thing but finding out that just because he was told something, doesn’t mean it
is so. He had gone to great lengths to
make sure he and Aunt Tina’s friends could visit her in the rehab facility he
checked her into but the next day, he’s told that he, in fact, cannot visit her
when he wants, he has to call and make an appointment. He can’t check on her in her room to make
sure it to his specifications and he is told that he needs a “traveling notary”
for her to sign their specific Power of Attorney as they don’t recognize the
one previously created by an attorney.
He’s frustrated. Then twice
within 12 hours, he’s contacted by the rehab facility that Aunt Tina has
fallen; now he’s livid and threatening to pull her out and return her to her
own home with visiting rehab services.
Port Louis confirms that they have received the part numbers for ordering the surge protector and gauges damaged in the power surge and will be ordering the parts. We're making progress.
11/19/2020 I go to do my daily check on the boat and
as soon as I turn the corner to where it had been, its gone. It was there yesterday. I about-face to march into the office to
question its location and find it along the way. As it happens, the owner/general manager that
Dale first spoke with sees me and asks how things are going. We discuss the boat and his feeling that
things are on schedule. I ask/tell him
to let me know the next time they move the boat so that I don’t have heart
attack when I find it missing. Truth be
told, Gerry had seen it in the slings and alerted me that something was afoot
and I might want to investigate. I think
if he hadn’t given me the heads up, I would have had that panicked sensation
upon seeing that it was no longer where I had left it; like knowing where you
parked your car but on return to the parking lot, it’s not there; until you
realize you’re in the wrong row.
In Pensacola, Dale says he’s having
a much better day. He was able to locate
a “traveling notary” who met him at the rehab facility and Aunt Tina was
brought to them for her to sign their documents. He said that they have been able to get Aunt
Tina to eat and as a result she is looking much better, stronger, and he’s
feeling better today about her staying with them although he still isn’t happy about
not being able to visit her spontaneously.
11/20/2020 Today, Friday, is another shopping day. Gerry and Nicky pick me up in front of the
apt building and we go looking for the “Treasure Trove” a type of marine second-hand
shop. If you recall, Gerry had his refrigeration
system worked on in St. Thomas and when it continued to make disturbing noises when
in use, they gave him a spare compressor in the event his died. Since he decided that he wants to upgrade
their system, he’s selling his “spare” unused compressor.
Next, we returned to Port Louis Marina to
the Customs’ office where I was to extend our Cruising Permit. What I didn’t recall was that Dale had
extended it on one of this walk abouts with Gerry prior to his fly backs to
Pensacola. So, I turned it in and ask
for an extension, the officer goes through all of the documentation and returns
it to me and says that we are cleared already until the end of the year. I thank him for his time and return to the
car, just in time for Gerry to return from his quick trip to the bakery to pick
up meat pastries for all of us for lunch.
Our next stop is at the Immigration office
where all 3 of us need to extend our visas.
It’s a 3 step process. First you go to the office at the top of the hill
from where you have to park to obtain the extension application; fill out said
application and leave it with your passport to go to the Treasury Dept to pay
for said extension. Of course, the
Treasury Dept is at the bottom of the hill via a staircase built many years ago
over the roots of a huge tree. We fork over the money for our visas and while
waiting for our receipts note a sign that says the Treasury Dept closes between
the hours of 1-3pm for lunch. Its 12:56pm. We hold our breath until our receipts are in
hand. Then back up the hill to turn over
the receipt and collect our passports with extended visas.
We make our customary stops at the bank
for refilling our wallets and the pharmacy for refilling our meds before finally
making it to the supermarket where I had a small list but still managed to fill
the basket.
We return to our respective abodes to put away the groceries and check our eyelids for light leaks before meeting once again to go in search of dinner. This time we have a wonderful dinner at True Blue marina at the Dodgy Dock. I love gazing at the hillside of flowering trees and shrubs as much as I did when we first came here 14 years ago and position myself so that I can indulge in my virtual gardening while Gerry and Nicky gaze at the sunset beyond the anchorage. We finish the evening by checking a different set of container fast food places and come away with take-out chicken tikka masala for tomorrow night’s dinner.
I’ve been checking on the boat each day keeping
watch on our battery power as we’ve left the refrigerator/freezer running. It is slowly declining with each cloudy day,
so I try turning off the refrigeration system at night to see if that will help
bring the batteries back above 50%.
11/21/2020 I awake to rain and when I check on the boat
decide that I’m going to leave the refrigeration system off for a full 24 hours
as it certainly will not have an opportunity to recharge without the sun. What little wind we get won’t be enough to
keep the refrigeration system running and charge the batteries. I bump into Gerry who is in the process of
running a couple of more errands before turning the rental car back in, so I tag
along. I had seen a route to the Brewery
that was less than a mile from the apt. Gerry
was a little hesitant to turn down one of the streets as it was more dirt than
street but we followed the Google map and did, in fact, end up at the
Brewery. However, the route was fraught
with steep hills that Nicky’s knee would not be able to negotiate, so strike it
off our list of possibilities. Since we
were exploring, Gerry decided he wanted to check out where they could beach
their dinghy to accomplish the same thing.
Again, it would involve negotiating a hill, although smaller, and on a
good day, I think she could make it.
11/22/2020 It’s a sunny day, so I make my journey
over to the boat early in the morning and turn the refrigeration system back
on. I open the freezer to make sure that
everything is still solid before locking everything back up. I’ll return at sunset to turn everything back
off again to save what charging we get. As
today is Sunday, we’ve started the habit of hailing a taxi to the Brewery to peruse
their veggie market, bread and egg offerings, plus a quick trip around the local
crafts. We have lunch there and as they
were out of Ginger beer, Nicky and I had mimosas. Its healthy!
Orange juice with a little bubbly to tickle your nose. Gerry and Nicky have salads but my selection is
a bacon and egg sandwich. Yum! Then back to my Christmas movies for the
afternoon.
11/23/2020 It’s my birthday and after confirming a
great start to the day with the sun shining and amps going into the can, the
voodoo doll decided it was time for another present! The yard guys added working on the leaking
sail drives to their bottom painting and then had the owner/general manager summon
me to come look at what they had found (they must have heard about my
temper). One of the sail drives (the one
leaking oil out of the boat) had a nest of fishing line way up around the
shaft. Once cleared, a change of seals
should take care of that problem. The
other sail drive (the one leaking water into the boat) had developed a leak
that the Manta folks knew about and offered a fix which required dropping the
sail drive to reposition the gasket.
However, when they pulled the prop off, the hard plastic part it screwed
into was chewed up and needed replacing.
Unfortunately, on islands, they don’t replace little parts, they replace
the entire sail drive. So, my question
of whether we were talking hundreds or thousands was answered with “depends.” To make a long story short, I asked the
general manager to work his end of finding replacement parts and I would see if
I could get Dale to find one stateside to bring back with him.
I head back to the apt. for my WiFi signal
and send a text to Dale in Pensacola that I needed to talk with him, he confirmed
receipt and said that he would move to the local McDonalds for his WiFi signal
and call. I explained the situation, to
which he of course asked, if I knew the part numbers. Being my smart aleck self, tell him of course
they’re in my back pocket, just let me pull it out. He says he’ll hit the internet to see if he
can find a schematic and I head back to the boat to pull manuals to see if I can
find a parts list. Although the manual
didn’t have a parts list it did indicate that serial numbers on the engine and
sail drive were required and where said serial numbers were located. Thus, began the clearing of the bunk the
engine is under to open the access doors and using a flashlight to search the
engine/sail drive for the metal placards that contain the serial numbers. Once found, it became a question of holding my
cell phone at the right angle to photograph the numbers without washing them out
in the flash. I head back to the apt to send Dale my latest
findings. Between the two of us, we did
it. He found a parts list on line,
needed the serial numbers of the sail drive to narrow down the specific one,
located a warehouse that had one in stock and requested that it be overnighted
to him. Barring any hiccups, he should
be bringing the part with him on Thursday and I can take it to the yard dudes
on Friday. Most ladies get little red
teddies or shiny baubles for presents on their birthdays, I get a big ol’ hunk
of black plastic. I think this
officially makes me a sea hag!
11/24/2020 Dale confirms that he has received the
sail drive part and will bring it back with him. Aunt Tina appears to be continuing to
improve, so fingers crossed, she will be released from rehab on schedule. In the meantime, the yard dudes have rearranged
the boat. I had arranged the two
staterooms so that they could access the engines below the bunks but
apparently, they needed more room and moved the mattresses to the
hallways. Now I can’t get into my pantry
and with one of the mattresses on top of the refrigerator/freezer, I can’t
slide my hand in to confirm that all is well. Guess that I'll have to trust that the freezer is staying frozen and buy new for any pantry items I might need at the apt.
11/25/2020 To be on the safe side, I resend copies of the receipts for the AC repair to PLM and request a status on the ordered parts. I had originally sent them to her on 11/23 but can't tell that she opened the email.
11/26/2020 Thanksgiving Day. As Dale confirmed that he caught his flight
back without incident, I ask the apt. manager to allow me to stock Dale’s quarantine
apt. with food, beverages and tropical clothing before he arrives. I see his taxi come into the locked area and
watch from my window as they check him in.
Unfortunately, we learn that his apt. does not have a telephone or a
TV. Nothing to do about that now and he
does have the ability to connect to internet and can watch TV from his computer
and down load more books to his Kindle.
I begin the routine of making dinner and taking it to him each
evening. I have to place the meal in a
bag, put it on the ground, then knock on the door, step back 6 feet so that he
can retrieve it. As he does this, he reverses
the process to give me the sail drive part that has been wrapped in several
plastic bags (thank you customs) so that I can take it to the yard dudes. Surprisingly, today one of the other security
guards is on duty and tells me I can take things to Dale but he is not to give
me anything. After telling him what I
have in my hands, we come to the agreement to spray the whole thing down with disinfectant
(to the point its dripping from the bags) and I’m allowed to continue on. I happen to bump into the yard supervisor on
my trip to turn the refrigeration off for the evening and tell him that I’ll leave the part on
the cockpit table.
11/27/2020 Today when I open up the boat and turn on
the refrigeration, I take photos of all of the gauges and forward them on to
Dale in quarantine. He says that
everything looks good. I take photos of
the work that’s been done to date and send those along as well. Gerry and Nicky are busy preparing to receive
their new refrigeration system.
I haven't heard from PLM about the ordered parts and send another email asking for a status.
11/28/2020 Quiet day.
I made my routine trip to the boat to turn on refrigeration, then again in
the evening to turn it back off and added a trip up the hill with Gerry in the middle of the day for a trip to the mini mart half way to the container store. I needed a loaf of bread and found some
Reeces Pieces that had my name on them. Certainly
getting my steps in for the day. I drop off dinner to Dale.
11/29/2020 Its Sunday and our (Gerry, Nicky and my) customary
trek to the Brewery for brunch. We met
up with Chris and Helen (some people we had met in St. Thomas), plus some new cruisers and spent the
next couple of hours just chit chatting and watching the Grand Prix race on the
big screen TV. People seem to be dividing
into groups. Those who are throwing in
the towel and heading back, those who are going to stay in the Grenadian bubble
(Grenada, Carriacou, and Grenadines) for the next year, and those who are
tentatively continuing on. No matter
which direction you take, the restrictions; penalties for not following the
restrictions; and the constantly changing restrictions, were the at the top of
the list for discussion. Other than
that, Nicky and I made our veggie and egg purchases before settling in for our
meals. I had hoped that Dale would have
been given his PCR test today, but no dice.
11/30/2020 The biggest thing today is that Dale finally
had his PCR test. Apparently, they were
so aggressive, he startled them with his cry of pain and then his discourse on
how to properly administer the test. He
said it was his worst experience to date.
I started getting worried as they hadn’t shown up until late afternoon
but at least its done. I had given some
thought to walking to the container store to pick up some roti’s for dinner but
as soon as I sent a text to Gerry/Nicky, the sky turned black and then a
torrent of rain descended. Gerry and Nicky
think they may have a leak in one of their water tanks; not good.
