Date: 05/18/2011
Local time: 2217
Location: Virgin Gorda, BVI
Weather: Gentle Breeze, Hot
Title: Final Preparations for Sea

Today the major task was to take the dingy out of the water and clean it. The first thing I had to do was take this rope out that was forming a sling. It had about 6 knots in it, none of which were proper, and all of which were completely jammed up. If I hadn't had my marlin spike, they would still be there. Even with the spike, it took me a good hour to work them all out.

Then we hoisted out the outboard and mounted it on the port quarter. When everything was out, we lifted the dingy out and set it on the dock upside down. That's when the real work began. We had to scrub barnacles and sea growth off every square inch of the bottom. By noon, we were exhausted from the hard work and the blistering sun.

I told Barry that we needed new sponges and I could pick up some fresh fruit for lunch while I was at it. He gave me $20 and off I went. The grocery store was only a stone's throw away so it didn't take long. Man was that cold fruit good!

After lunch we had to flip the dingy over and clean the inside, which wasn't nearly as hard as scraping the barnacles off the bottom. When we were done, we rinsed the whole thing with fresh water and let it dry.

While the boat was drying, I went to get my email and met Dudley and Becky who have been sailing the islands for the sat 3 years. They are now heading home to Miami. Becky showed me the greatest little camera for cruising. It's called the Canon Power Shot D10 and takes great pictures, even underwater to 20 meters.

I spent the rest of the evening doing laundry in a very poor excuse for a laundrymat. The change machine doesn't work, 5 out of 9 washers are out of order and 7 out of 8 dryers are out of order. The "attendant" acts like it's a major imposition if you need help. God forbid she would have to stop reading her book. The water took 20 minutes to fill the tank. For this, I had to pump in $3.50 worth of quarters. Luckily, I had made friends with the bartender last night and remembered his name. That's how I got my change. Oh well, at least all my clothes are clean for the trip to Bermuda.