Things are looking up

Thanks to the Internet, John found a new transmission for us, in stock, in Seattle. Our regular mechanic’s supplier wasn’t going to have one for ten more days, so we had to look around. Good thing we did! Not only is this one being shipped today via DHL, but it’s enough less expensive that the difference covers the shipping. It’s DHL one-day service, but we don’t know how long it will take to get through customs.

Today a cruise ship is coming in, so all of the little shops in the marina will be open. It arrives at 9:00 am and leaves again at midnight. We hope we’ll be able to arrange a trip to Antigua with whoever is taking the cruise ship people.

We get our news from a girl who waits tables at the marina restaurant. Ashley is originally from Belize and speaks perfect English. John learned yesterday that she’s only 14, but her big 15^th birthday is next week. I’ve been concerned about how we will get provisions. The town is not within walking distance and it wouldn't be safe to walk if it were. There’s no supermarket, so we’ll have to visit several little stores and the open-air market to get what we need. The taxi we used to go to the ATM and get cash for our clearance fees charged $15 roundtrip and spoke possibly less English than I do Spanish. Ashley told us that there’s a van that runs regularly for 10 Quetzales (the Guatemalan currency that converts at 7.25 to the dollar). She agreed to go with us and help us shop tomorrow (her day off).

In other news, KetelUp continued north yesterday. We got the name and phone number of Roberto, the first mate, who is from Panama and will be back there in about three weeks. He’s eager to help us in any way he can and if he’s around, we’ll definitely hire him as one of our line handlers. Kokopelli continued south this morning at 0600. She’s a racing Santa Cruz 40 with six guys on board. They’re looking for a safe harbor closer to Panama to leave her so they can go back to work. Fayaway is still here for a few days. They’ll be going through the canal later in the spring, so we’re likely to see them again. They’re headed to the Chesapeake and on to Europe next year.