Too Much of a Good Thing is Juuust Right!

A beautiful day at sea - leaving Grand Cayman for Cuba Grand Cayman.

The time came to leave Grand Cayman for Cuba when a perfect weather window presented itself and we had completely run out of money (just kidding on the latter, though Grand Cayman is by no means a cheap place to visit). We left Grand Cayman heavyhearted to be honest, waving goodbye to new friends and feeling that the time to go came too soon. Even the boat felt a little sluggish on departure. I said "Kianda is heavyhearted too" but the weight of $2,500 in groceries might have had something to do with it (we're ready for you, Cuba). As we sailed out to sea, Grand Cayman Port Control's final transmission on the VHF was: "Come back soon Kianda! And tell your friends about us!" Just then a police helicopter buzzed our mast, dipped the chopper to the side and the pilot waved. Quite a friendly sendoff. Little did we know we'd be back in about 18 hours...

The crossing started off wonderfully with perfect conditions. We had great sailing all day until 6pm when the wind died down a bit (perfection never lasts at sea), so we started the motor to maintain our speed. That's when Dave noticed a leak in the engine.

A diesel engine can still run with a leak; it depends on what's leaking. As a British friend we met in Havana said about the oil leak on his boat: "That's what diesel engines do! I'd be concerned if my engine wasn't leaking!" Haha! But Dave has spent more hours in our boat's engine room than he cares to tally - he knows her engine doesn't normally leak and that this was likely the fresh water pump calling it quits. We shut down the iron jenny right away ('iron jenny' is old salt talk for 'engine', and 'old salt' is old salt talk for 'sailor').

Nice thing about sailboats: they have sails! We could still navigate despite a disabled engine. We were only a quarter of the way into our passage to Cuba so we made the easy decision to turn back to Grand Cayman to tend to the repairs. There was just enough wind to get us there - slowly, but surely.

Since we had officially left Grand Cayman territorial waters, we needed permission to re-enter North Sound (normally requiring 48 hours notice). We were still out of VHF range so with our trusty satellite system, Dave called his mother in New Brunswick to do an internet search for Port Security contact phone numbers, one of which paned out. We were able to call the authorities who were totally understanding about our sudden change in plan. They said an agent would meet us at the dock in the morning and asked if we were okay managing the reef at night, to which we responded yes as the weather was cooperating. We pulled in at 5am.

We've never before been happy about engine troubles but in this case it came with more Grand Cayman time! Woohoo! 

Our 18 hour loop de loop.

We're back!
Putting up our Q flag before morning light.

Our boat hasn't seen a professional mechanic in over five years (because Dave gives her a lot of preventative maintenance to ensure she stays happy). In the last six months alone we've traveled over 5000 miles without a hitch. So we aren't complaining! That old water pump was due to fail at some point. The part did its part. We're so lucky it failed when it did and not a day later in Cuba. Cuba is not a good place to be when in need of engine parts (or when in need of anything for that matter!) Once back in Grand Cayman, we ordered a replacement pump and had a mechanic lined up to install it when it arrived. In the meantime, we got him to change some hoses and install the new alternator and fuel pump that we had brought along as spares, why not. Luck favours the well prepared.

Our mechanic Alan is from the Philippines. He's small and can easily morph himself into the tight spots of our engine room. Dave, assisting as helper, is picking up little tricks of the trade here and there. Alan has been living in Grand Cayman for 5 years. Before that he had moved to Montreal but it was "too cold!" He said he had to wear a jacket every day and he didn't like that.  He went to great lengths to avoid any great lengths (in clothing - like long sleeves and pants).

New pump arrives.
(Old pump feels drop in self-esteem.)

We weren't the only ones "stuck" at the marina due to repairs; two of our cruising friends' boats were having work done as well. Even the fancy charter yacht's engine wouldn't start one morning. Dave joked: "It's spreading!"

Don't tell me it's March already! Leaving Grand Cayman isn't getting any easier with time. In fact it's getting harder because of the little community we've formed and the pleasant routine of life on the island. We've been here nearly a month - and to think we only came to do a quick provisioning run! But alas, our repairs are complete and the weather forecast shows promising sea conditions for an upcoming departure. Saying goodbye is one of the less pleasant parts of the cruising lifestyle. We meet people we connect with and want to spend more time with, but we're all in transit to somewhere else. Our adventures only merge for a short time but we're happy for the new friends found and the memories made with them. We promise to keep in touch!

It's time to return to Cuba and we're ready for Round Two. We've got everything we need to make a great go of it: food/water/propane of course and as bonus munition we have: experience, adjusted expectations and a new machete. Coconuts beware. 

Where we have important discussions about important things.

Waiting for the green flash at sunset.

Bobbi said she once saw a "big green flash!"
Craig countered: "Maybe that was the green bottle you were looking through."

Pretty drinks! 

(PS nice idea: dehydrate pineapple slices to make edible 'flowers' for your drinks
- for when feeling fancy-pantsy.)

Bobbi and Dave at the Red Sky At Night event.

Another new friend, the Caybrew Pirate.
He said he'd write. 
Message in a bottle, most likely.

Having a coco at my happy place.

He begged me to get him one.

Watching contenders of the Swordfish Challenge weight their catch
at our marina.  This one came in at 70lbs.  It took them 2 hours to reel him in.
Look at that sword! 
They caught a strange red fish while they were out there as well, not contest related.

S/V Mara (from Seattle) and little old us.

Great ideas just flow freely around here lately.