92. Hanging by a Thread

According to Parcel force my police clearance has arrived on the island and should be delivered soon. I submitted all my other paperwork and I bought a prepaid phone, so I have a contact number. As well as paying 50 bucks to renew my visitor’s visa, I had to pay customs another 100 for an extension for Sonic Boom. Now it looks like I will have to leave the island while the permit is being processed.

My first idea was to sail away, but the other Cayman Islands are no good, and Cuba wouldn’t work either. I would have to sail back to Jamaica, which would be a two-day sail, three if I went via Cayman Brac. I would probably stay two nights in Montego Bay and head straight back again. The other option is to fly. So far Havana seems the cheapest destination (about 350 bucks).

91. Work Permits

There is a lot of paperwork for my work permit, including a request for UK police clearance. I managed to find that online, apply (and pay) and have one sent to me here via my Mum and sister, but not in time for my current visa that runs out on Monday. So I will have to renew that first. Luckily I had proof of a home address (two), and an up to date medical with me.

Seven Mile beach gets busy with 3 cruise ships in George Town

I managed to fill my gas bottle – it’s very confusing here asking for the gas station. I didn’t mean gasoline, but propane. To add to the confusion it turns out gas (petrol) stations do actually fill gas bottles with propane, but not my kind. I needed the Home Gas depot. Once I found it they filled it right there in front of me. Easy. No, now carrying a full bottle of gas, no bus drivers would let me back on their bus, so had to disguise it.

Eventually I managed. I carried the bottle (now a beer keg), from the bus stop to the marina, jumped in my dinghy and dropped it off. I picked up my laundry, jumped back in the dinghy and headed back to the marina. Back to the bus stop, I went to the West Bay launderette so I could have a swim while I waited for the washing. I also went to a roadside café and got mashed potato, mac and cheese, and coleslaw for three bucks.

West Bay Beach

90. Engines

I had a very frustrating day, walking miles through the industrial part of George Town in flip-flops on a very hot and humid day in Grand Cayman, going round in circles and seemingly accomplishing nothing. Feeling broke and grumpy, it seemed like I was going two steps forward and one step backward, as soon as one thing gets fixed something else crops up.

I made it to Barcadere marina, had a shower and cooled down. In the chandlery I managed to find one fuel filter for my Yanmar, and another in a place round the corner. Back on the boat though, when I drained the bowl I managed to drop the plug nut into the bilge, and just cannot reach it, so now I’m searching for a new filter bowl, which apparently are even more difficult to find. I’ll try looking for a nut replacement. Although there doesn’t seem to be any water in my fuel, I’ve still got cleaning the fuel tank and polishing the fuel down on my list. That can wait until I get somewhere where it’s cheaper to do.

While messing up all my filters I noticed that my seawater pump is leaking. It’s probably just a seal but it’s an important pump, it keeps the engine cool, so I will look into a replacement. My propane ran out, so now I need to get that filled, and it seems like I’ll need to take my bottle to the gas company back in George Town…

The outboard seemed to be suffering from not being stored properly. Clifton, the guy I bought it from, told me he hadn’t emptied the fuel tank when he stopped using it. So I went to the Suzuki dealer and arranged for them to come to the boat and clean the carburetor and fuel jet. Even though the engine was still under warranty they charged me sixty bucks, but better to fix it now before it causes another problem, and good to get a Suzuki guy to show me so I can do it next time.

After that was done, I went to Morgan’s and had a Skype interview with one of the Diver’s Supply managers (in Canada), and have been offered a job in their store – sales and equipment servicing. Next up will be immigration and getting a work permit. Luckily Diver’s Supply do it properly with their own lawyers; I’m slightly concerned about the boat being my address and possibly having to pay 12% import duty on it if it stays here beyond a certain length of time. Nevertheless, it’s great news, and a massive relief – it’ll be good to have some income, pay down credit cards and save a bit for what comes after here.

89. West Bay

West Bay cafe

West Bay is one of my favorite places on Grand Cayman – a really nice place to wander around and there’s a nice beach with amazing snorkeling, private showers and a dinghy dock. There’s also a good supermarket. It seems like it hasn’t changed as much over the years as other places here; there is still an old Caribbean feel. I bumped into my pirate friend; he called out from across the street, and we hung out for a while. I may sail round to Seven Mile Beach again, and then I can get to West Bay by dinghy.

S/V Jolly Roger 

No news from Diver’s Supply – I guess that’s good. In the meantime I’m still looking for jobs, and I’ve started the varnishing on Sonic Boom. I’ve left it too long and so instead of a light sanding, it will take a long time. I need more sandpaper. I will go to Barcadere chandlery soon.