Missions Accomplished For Today

George Town   

Chased away by swarming mosquitoes yesterday, we were undeterred and came back this morning better prepared for a second attempt at hiking to the monument atop Stocking Island. After landing the dinghy on the beach, I coated myself in Off! and we ventured back into the jungle. Thankfully the bug spray worked as advertised and the mosquitoes stayed away. The termites in the large mound we passed also paid us no mind. With Barry as my climbing partner, there was no meandering. We took the express trail to the top. It is well travelled and even has an assist rope to get us through a particularly steep stretch. As we climbed, glimpses of the harbor would burst through openings in the vegetation. I couldn't help but marvel at the scenery. The stone beacon stands mid-island and served as a marker for ships dating back to the salt industry era of the 1800s. 

The beacon is interesting, but the view is why we climb. From this point all the shades, tints, and hues of blue are on display. One quick selfie later, we were retracing our steps down the hill ...

while still enjoying the view from every angle. At the bottom I gave the rope swing a try before we hopped back in the dinghy. This morning was the "Treasures from the Bilge" swap meet at Chat N Chill. It seemed like every dinghy in the anchorage had come to shore. Parking spaces were filling up fast. Barry checked out all the tables, but found nothing. I visited with Trish and Walter (Puffcard) for a while only to find out after 30 minutes that they are from Newport News. White Stone neighbor Debi (River Rat) stopped by to say hello during this time. The world truly is a small space. Walter gave Barry some tips for his afternoon project, then we all went back to our respective mothership for lunch.

With all the supplies purchased, newly-acquired advice processed, and the afternoon set aside, it was time for Barry to work on our leaky muffler. He laid all his materials out in surgical fashion, descended into the commissary, and began by sanding the paint from the muffler seam to expose raw fiberglass. Next step was to mix the fiberglass resin and hardener at a precise ratio. This proved to be the biggest challenge as a digital scale never gets a true fix while on a rocking boat. He coated the muffler surface with resin, then coated his bands of fiberglass matting, before wrapping the seam in a large bandage. He repeated the process until three layers were applied. After cleanup we watched the sunset from the flybridge and celebrated two items being checked off our To-Do list.   

Just a note of clarification about my contact information: When we checked into The Bahamas, I installed a new SIM card in my phone -- which gave me a local Bahamian phone number. My "804" Virginia number is no longer active to text or call. My email remains the same and I can still be reached through Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, or through the comment section below. It is not that I'm ignoring your calls or texts, I just won't receive them until we check back into the United States in May. Just to confuse matters even more, you can reach Barry exactly the same way as when he's home. His phone number did not change.