We hope this email finds everyone well, happy, and enjoying some nice spring weather. It’s hard to believe it is the middle of March. We are still in Aruba. We got our water maker working, and are now anchored in the harbour, have been here for about two weeks. We have befriended a young couple who are working as Captain and Crew on a charter catamaran called “Rum Boogie”, Mike and Kelly, and have been hanging out with them most of the time. They have the same make of water maker (Spectra), that we have, and Mike knows the owner. He and Greg called him on Skype from our boat one day. Greg has spent months trying to get this beast working, and along with the cost of parts and shipping (none of which worked) they shamed Spectra into sending us a brand new water maker. They installed it and it worked perfectly right off. We sent them the old unit along with all the spare parts, for which we will be reimbursed.
Having the water maker working means we now have a lot more freedom. We no longer have to worry about running out of water and getting into the dock to get more. This makes us pretty much self sufficient on long passages as well. Greg has been doing maintenance in the engine room, and I have been cleaning up a mad storm. It is funny how even without a physical change of seasons, I have been bit by the spring cleaning bug. I have managed to put my back out in this cleaning frenzy, so now am forced to take it easy while recovering. Fortunately, there is a great book exchange at the marina, so I have been pouring through book after book.
In between working, we try and get to the beach at least once a week for some time off and to lie in the sun. The beaches here are so incredibly beautiful, fine white sand. The boys love to swim, and spend most of their time in the water, either the pool or the ocean. Most of the time, it is too windy to swim off the boat. The only anchorage close to town is quite open to the wind, and there is some current, so it’s not very comfortable swimming unless it is fairly calm. They are busy on their school work, and Brett has been helping download charts from Mike and Kelly. The more navigational information we have, the better!
Brett had his eyes checked, as he couldn’t see properly at a distance, and now wears glasses. He has a lazy left eye, where the vision is very poor. The glasses correct the vision in his right eye, and slightly the left. They can’t give him perfect vision in both eyes, as he wouldn’t be able to see at all. Hopefully over time, and with new prescriptions, his left eye will improve. He is amazed at the difference, and is a happy camper. We went to Pearle Vision, they give free eye exams and the glasses are very reasonable. I had my eyes tested as well, and again, the vision in my left eye improved slightly, but not enough to change prescriptions. I am happy that my vision is NOT on a downward spiral along with everything else as I get older! I got prescription sunglasses, which are AWESOME! Last year in Samana, DR my clip-on sunglasses fell in the ocean and became fish food, so I have been without any kind of sunglasses for almost a year. I am also a very happy camper!
The boys continue to work on their music, and write songs together, that they play and sing along with on the guitar. The hammock is a great spot to relax on the boat, and the boys like sleeping there some nights. There are very few mosquitoes here, which is nice. They also help with boat chores as needed, and right now are in the water with their masks and snorkels cleaning the bottom of the dinghy, before it gets too windy and uncomfortable. Greg donned his dive gear last week and cleaned the bottom of Dutch Dreamer. After almost a month at the dock, she really needed it. It makes a big difference in speed while travelling, and it is surprising how quickly it gets gummed up. He also checked and replaced zincs as needed. This is really important, as it keeps the steel hull from rust and corrosion.
Mike and Kelly have taken us sailing a couple of times, and Dylan and Mike have been catching fish while on our trips. We have feasted on tuna and wahoo, done on the grill. Mike is a professional chef as well, so we have been enjoying his cooking tremendously, and I have been gleaning as many tips from him as I can. I may even get a promotion from Admiral Galley Wench to Fleet Admiral Galley Wench : ) Mike also filets fish very well, chef style, so that is another bonus! The owner of the catamaran is now here in Aruba. We plan on leaving with them for Columbia as soon as the next weather window appears, hopefully next week. Instead of a big passage, we can do five day hops, stopping to anchor in bays for the night. This will be a lot easier on everyone, and there is safety in numbers, it will be nice to be “buddy boating” with someone. Our destination will be Cartagena, where we plan to stay for a while. We are looking into hauling our boat out, and having the bottom paint redone. Rum Boogie also plan on having some work done on their boat. We have been in Aruba a while, and are looking forward to change in scenery.
From Cartagena, we will head together to the San Blas islands, and mainland Panama. We hope to leave on Thursday, weather permitting of course. We will email before we leave, and again upon arrival in Cartagena, unless we can get internet before then.
By the way, if we don’t always mention it, we always welcome visits from friends and family, hint, hint!!!! My Dad had a great time here, and there’s nothing like the quality time we get to visit while having our loved ones captive on the boat : ) I am an amazing cook, and love to pamper our guests! So just let us know if and when you are thinking of coming to visit, and we will do everything we can to make it happen!
Love from the Dutch Dreamers
No comments:
Post a Comment