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Larry's LogIt rained often last night and we didn't get much sleep at all. Evidently another low-pressure system was up north around the Virgins that was causing all this. It also rained almost all day; at times a deluge. Diane decided to do some hand laundry so she got the water out of the dinghy (all rainwater) and washed the clothes with it. She also caught some water off the awning by standing out in the rain, catching the runoff in some large pots and pouring it into the jerry jugs. I then emptied the jerry jugs into the tank. We did catch about 10 gallons that way; of course, we both got soaking wet. The afternoon was quieter - I read while Diane napped, although she did get up to make some brownies and I ran the engine to charge the batteries. We had heard from the dive shop that had the 2 tanks - the owner had 'overhauled' the valves and they were ready. We told him that because of the weather and my foot, we would pick them up tomorrow and he said fine. Now we just had to find BCDs and regulators. It didn't rain last night and we slept a straight 9 hours - unbelievable! We went into town in the morning today to do several things but had some problems making phone calls so it took Diane about 90 minutes to get it to work. I stayed at the small mall near the dock since I didn't want to walk around too much. My foot was getting better but it wasn't healed yet. We saw several people we knew and Bruce from Skyus sat with me while Diane was making calls. She finally got back and we saw Allen also but it started to rain a bit so we rushed back to the boat (the hatches were open) but it stopped by the time we got there - luckily it was pretty light. By that time it was noon so we ate lunch and then went back to the dive place where Diane had found the tanks. They looked OK, had been tested recently and we talked to a guy there that was knowledgeable about it so we bought them, put them in the dinghy and then went over to the place where we had bought my snorkel and other stuff. We finally made the decision to buy new equipment and tried on the BCDs. Diane found one that fit well and was made for women. I tried one that was good quality but I needed a larger size. Unfortunately, he didn't have that size and wasn't going to get one for 2-3 weeks. Great! Now I had to find something else. In the meantime, Diane bought the new regulator and spare second stage and console and we also bought a regulator for me, assuming I could find a BCD eventually. I had seen some that were lower quality and I wanted something good that would last. We went back to the boat and I was pretty bummed. My foot still hurt and I couldn't even get a new BCD even though Diane was willing to spend the money now! Oh well. Diane made a nice snack while I straightened up the cockpit since Allen and Sherna were coming over at 5. They came by and we enjoyed their company a lot - they were both very nice. They had brought a dish of conch fritters that were excellent - a different recipe than the one Diane had been using. We went into town again this morning to look for a BCD for me but didn't have too much luck. I looked at one again that I had seen before at a shop called WannaDive and spoke to the owner - he said he would take $50 off the price; it wasn't the one I really wanted, but I may have no choice. We looked at another used one but it was very old and in poor condition. Since we were in town, I decided to finally get on the Internet and cleared out about 2000 junk emails - I may need to get rid of that account since its getting to be too much work just to delete garbage. We got back to the boat and found out that the marina had broadcast a warning about potential bad winds from the southwest or west this evening. There was a low that had been upgraded to a tropical storm just west of Aruba that was tracking to the north but might affect us here in Bonaire. A lot of boats went into the marina to be safe and we considered it. I got the deck cleared and ready but there were lots of boats that weren't going in and were not too worried (Allen told us that every time they predicted a wind reversal - it never happened). I was prepared to drop the mooring lines and just motor until we could return to the mooring, and I think we will be OK. We went to the marina to drop off the garbage and looked at the forecast from Curacao and it did say that there was the potential for westerly winds locally but the rest of the forecast was for east or southeasterly wind. We listened to the weather at 4:30 on the Caribbean Weather and Cocktail Net and heard that the tropical depression 20 was now Tropical Storm Odette. It was not a very strong one and was tracking to the northeast. Of course, with a tropical cyclone, the wind rotation is counterclockwise so there was the potential for westerly or southwesterly winds but I doubted if they would be very strong, the storm was too far away. It might be uncomfortable though, with some westerly or northwesterly swell; we'll just have to see. The night was no problem at all; the wind was from the south to southeast and a little gusty, maybe up to 20 knots, but we were fine. There were no boats on moorings to the north of us and maybe 10 to the south, out of about 35 when this all started. We went to the marina in the morning to get water and gasoline. At $4 per gallon, the gas was just a little more expensive than Venezuela (by about $3.80 per gallon!). Oh well, we weren't in Venezuela. We also picked up a small package my brother had sent and then went back to the boat. The day stayed overcast but the wind was about 10-15 knots, still from the southeast or south. It had been a little rolly but even that calmed down by around 3pm. Diane took the dinghy into town to drop off the letter I had to send back to the States and to do some shopping. When she came back, Jan, from Nerieda stopped by to say hello and since it was close to the 4:30 weather net, she came on board to listen as well. TS Odette had tracked further to the northeast and although strengthening a little, was still not very powerful although 45-knot winds were still something to avoid if possible. We wouldn't be getting that though, just the usual 15 to 20 knots from the southeast or south. I was still trying to decide about what to do about the BCD I needed to go diving. I still couldn't go in the water, but my foot was healing nicely and I wanted the equipment so I could start soon - we have the rest of gear already. That night we both slept well - no rain, a nice breeze and no swell. We were pointed south or southeast but there was no problem at all and the morning was beautiful. A little later it became very gusty though. We went to town to make a call to make sure that the rest of the regulator gear had come in and since it did, we went over to pick it up. The shop owner said the BCD I wanted (the good one) wouldn't be in until the 18th and he wasn't 100% sure about that. So after we left there, we went back to town to the shop that had the other BCD, not as nice but OK. It was still there but the hose for the inflator was missing and the intern looking after the shop didn't know anything about it. He called the other shop (near the beach) and they said we could go there and they would give us the hose and install it on the regulator but we couldn't get there except by dinghy and since I still couldn't go in the water (and they didn't have a dock yet) we agreed that we would come back on Monday and someone would have the hose and be able to install it for me. What a hassle! We went back to the boat (after an ice cream) and had lunch. We then relaxed although we did get ready for our company later. We had invited Skyus and Halliday Girl over for a little get together and they all came by around 5. We had a very nice time telling dive stories (something else to talk about now). The wind, in the meantime, had died to almost nothing. The wind stayed calm all that night and it got pretty hot. We also got some bugs - I could have put in the screens but that would cut down on what little breeze we did get below. Diane burned mosquito coils and we had some little electronic bug repellents but I don't think they work at all. I had gone out in the middle of the night to put up the 'Breeze Booster' and while I was on deck, looked at the water. There was a full moon and the water was so clear and the surface was so calm that you could see the fish and coral heads below by just moonlight. In the morning, we went to the marina again to get rid of the garbage and buy some more water. Since the wind was light generally and it was overcast, I had to run the engine to charge the batteries and I also ran the watermaker at the same time. However, the amount of time running watermaker with the engine on wasn't enough to keep up with our water demand so we had to buy some to supplement our supply. By the time we got back, stopping first at the dive shop where we signed up for air refills to get dive weights, it was almost time for lunch. Diane was going diving later with Ray (our instructor) and Gail (his wife) so we needed to get her stuff ready. I guess I'll just stay on the boat (sigh). Ray, Gail and Ashley came over at 1:30 and Diane left with them, taking Ashley in our dinghy. I dug out my wet suit (never used), weight belt (never used) and put some things away. I also moved the port side solar panel over to the starboard side so it would get the sun without any shadows from the awning. Unfortunately, the wire wasn't long enough to reach from the starboard to the port side but I did have the necessary connectors so I could just get some more wire when we went to town tomorrow. Finally, I put up a small American flag, attaching it to the windvane. By the time all that was done, I was pretty tired. Diane came back about 30 minutes after I finished, around 4pm. She had a very good time but had a problem with the tank staying on the BCD. I had attached it for her but I didn't wet down the BCD nylon strap first before tightening it. Nylon stretches when wet so it got loose. Fortunately, Ray was able to fix it while she was in the water. Oh well, I do remember reading that somewhere but forgot this morning. Other than that, she said she did well and was getting more confidence. My foot was almost better, so I figured that Tuesday I could get back in the water. We went into town again the next morning and finished several errands. I got on the Internet while Diane went to get another phone card. Then we went to buy my BCD finally; the owner was there and he attached the inflator hose to the regulator and I was now all set - I could go diving tomorrow. We then walked to Budget Marine, the chandlery here and while Diane went shopping at the market nearby, I bought some things. I got the wire for the extension for the solar panel that I moved one to the other side and also got some other hardware I might need. Back at the boat, we ate lunch and I made up the special extension for the solar panel. Since they were both on the starboard side (facing south) we could now get full use of both panels instead of just 1 when the sun was low and the awning cast shadows. In the afternoon, Diane went diving again with Ray and Suzanne (Skyus) while I stayed on the boat and ran the engine to charge the batteries - the wind was still very light. I was getting really depressed staying aboard while everyone else was diving but I will go soon - I hope. Tuesday, and this morning, we went first to the marina dive shop where we had signed up for air refills and the guy very nicely filled the tanks for us immediately and then helped me get them back in the dinghy. We then dropped them back at the boat, went to buy tank boots in town (plastic covers for the bottoms of the dive tanks to protect the deck and keep them from rolling when on their side) and then went back to Divi Dive to pay for second tank (after being told that there was a mistake when we were charged for only one). We finished our errands and came back to the boat and while Diane made some chili, I tried to put the tank boots on - we wanted to go diving later and they would help. I got one on (the blue one for my tank) but the pink one for Diane's was tough. After lunch and I tried again with the tank boot and finally persuaded it to go on, using a little dishwashing liquid as a lubricant. After that, we finally went diving - hallelujah. We wanted to just go to a site close to the boat (Something Special) but after loading all the gear into the dinghy and going over, there was a dive boat on it already. So, we went further down the coast. We found the further mooring, tied up and started getting the gear ready. I helped Diane with her stuff and then put mine together, put it in the water and eventually maneuvered it on. Normally, you put some air in the BCD to prevent it from sinking when you put it in the water prior to putting it on but there was a lot of air in it that I didn't think I had put in (I had to let a lot out to get it on) but we were ready and I was finally going to use my new equipment. We agreed to only go to 40 feet and just look around locally but I started having trouble with the BCD from the start. I let the air out to go down but it would start to reinflate by itself. I couldn't go down and stay there. After 10 minutes of that, I signaled to Diane to surface and we did. I explained the problem, and we took off our gear, got back in the dinghy and I looked at the equipment. The valve on the BCD had to be defective so went back to the dive shop where I bought it. Although we bought it in town, the main shop was near the shore (the same one that we had gotten equipment from during our course) but they were now building a dock and we couldn't get near the dock framework (just angle iron at that point) nor could we beach the dinghy - just a rock ledge that would really beat the dinghy bottom. So we went around to the marina, tied up the dinghy and I walked the BCD and the regulator to the shop while Diane waited by the dinghy in the shade. I explained the problem to the guy in the shop and he opened up the inflator valve and saw that the valve pin and spring weren't good so he replaced them very quickly, replaced the inflator hose that was too long, tested everything and said it should now be OK. I thanked him, walked back to the dinghy (still in my fin boots) and we went to the dive site we originally wanted to go to - the other boat had left. We had wanted to go to the slide presentation on reef fish, given every Tuesday night, but we went in the water instead for about 30 minutes and checked out all my gear that now seemed OK. We swam around a bit, seeing a very pretty new species, a Longsnout Butterflyfish, and got to the marina dive shop (where we got the air fills) at 5:30, rinsed the equipment, took showers and finally got back to the boat around 6. They close at 4 so we'll have to bring the tanks back tomorrow to get filled. Taking off the dive boots, I looked closely at my toe and it was OK although the skin around it was partially 'off' from the long immersion. When we got back to Destiny, I cleaned it, put more antibiotic ointment on and I think it will be fine. Tomorrow we'll try diving again near the boat. |