Incarcerated again

The chain hoist may have made the job easy for some of us, but Vinnie still had to crawl in the cockpit locker to remove the transmission. As you can see, he was not in a smiling mood.

Lifting the Motor

Before fixing the transmission we had to lift the motor and disconnect the it. Bill kindly lent us his chair hoist, since Maria was unable to manage the 300 pound motor. The hoist was more than adequate for the job. Our boat weighs 7 tons and the hoist is rated to lift 3 tons.

Master and Mechanic with Vinnie

Fortunately for us, Neville was in the neighborhood. For those of you who do not know Neville, and that certainly is too bad for you, we should explain that he developed his expertise racing motorcycles and repairing diesel engines in Wales. He was very interested in our project and certain that it could be successfully managed.

The Blessed Transmission

During one of our weekly fronts, we found that the transmission was slipping more and that this was making boat life frustrating and potentially dangerous. Fortunately, we had the diagrams for rebuilding it. This is the first of several explaining the process. All we needed were the parts.

Oh Happy Day

It is very aggravating to have long hair while living on a sailboat. Finally it was long enough to donate. We hacked it off.  The ratlike braid is waiting for mailing once we are back to the States.

Stress Management

After a couple of stormy days on the boat, it is wonderful to find a quiet place to rest and recuperate.

International Rescue Team

The winter cold fronts which howl through once or twice a week often bring high winds and rough seas into our bay. If the anchor fails it can be midnight excitment. Fortunately, our last anchor dragging event occured during the day. Here Bill and Lulu recreat their heroic efforts to help us secure the boat at Manjack. They brought out THE BIG ANCHOR and helped us get it set. We sit happy and secure to this day.

Full Moon

Most evenings are quiet, but each month when the full moon arrives, we travel across the island to watch it come up over the ocean. We build a bonfire, eat treats, and enjoy the view before heading back down a rough path in the dark, tempting orthopedic disaster at every step.

Not everyone is retired

There are some very hard working people and we watch them with awe and horror. Larry, Margo, and Amanda King are building their home on the north side of Manjack. They constructed the house in the states, disassembled it, and loaded it on a boat to reassemble here. Once all their heavy equipment, tools, and house components were dropped off on the beach; they had to clear a road through poison wood and sea grape to move it across the island to their building site. Their progress is amazing. Here they are raising 40 foot poles in holes that they've bored 9 feet into the ground. This is especially remarkable in light of the miserable poison wood rashes that they have acquired and Larry's unfortunate altercation with a chain saw.

The Big Outing

Sometimes we take a sail to town for grocery shopping. On light winds and with a congenial crew this can easily become an all day event. Green Turtle Cay is only 6 miles away, but we take our time, share a cup of tea, sail sedately, and make sure that the anchor is well set. Once in town there are 3 grocery stores to check, one of them must have onions and Irish butter. The someone buys a loaf of coconut bread and we get off the side walk and gather around to enjoy it. By the time we finally wander back to the anchorage it is late afternoon and a very good time was had by all.

Daily adventures

When we return from walking there is usually some excitement available. Garden bed construction, computer consulting, motor repairs, solar water heating unit development, peanut planting, and boat retrieval are a few of the opportunities that surround us. Here Bill and Vinnie problem solve the bad behavior of a new outboard motor. Leslie believes that the motor manual might have some helpful information, but they prefer to just have at it.

The morning ritual

We arrived at Manjack just before Christmas and continue to linger here. Although we are retired bums, there is a routine to our day. Each morning we start with a walk across the island to the ocean beach. The short walk is a couple miles, but we can take a more challenging route for 5 miles or more. Often our walk is an opportunity to see friends and talk about the deeper things of life: food and the mechanical problems that sail boats indulge in.

Two years ago

Here she is in her younger self.

Tiny Dancer

Our favorite Tiny Dancer was back.

In the crowd

We saw many familiar faces from the parade two years ago.

Drummers

The parade was driven by an irresistible beat produced by the drummers. Large barrels made a richer sound than the actual drums.

The parade

As usual the costumes were great and the dancing better than we could imagine doing our selves. Local knowledge reports that the routines were much less provocative than last year.

New Years Day

Christmas celebrations were just over when Junkanoo rolled in to Green Turtle Cay. we were there.

Moving the Sabbatical

It takes a full crew to get the Schucker off the dock and on to her mooring. Fortunately, Lulu was managing the critical points from his position in the dingy.

Merry Christmas

Thought we'd have our picture with taken with the Poinsettia Tree.

Christmas Day

We were in time for Christmas dinner. There wasn't any snow, but we did have great food and a beautiful day. Lulu and Gigi were back from the Caribbean, so were Roger and Sue. We had a reunion of friends and a happy celebration.