Nov 14, 2004: Nicaragua

NICARAGUA


I'm back in the land of the living!! It may take me a few weeks to recover, but I launched today and the boat is floating (still) in the harbor...

that might be stretching the truth because I cant actually see in the dark, to where she's anchored.... but Im assuming that if it sank, the caretaker who sleeps aboard at night would have swum ashore and hiked up the hill to tell me the bad news...

So let's assume the best, that all is well...

We were hauled on Sept 27, and I'm only one week late going back in... general picture: working in a third world Machismo country is NOT fun... I say things and somehow its not important enough to be remembered, because Im just a girl... especially by

and anything said also needs to be written down, so two weeks later when none of the connections are correct (although you directly asked the mecanic to be CERTAIN that all were correct) you can point to a signature...

dailies: Crew arrives at 7am at the dock (muelle), me with the truck (if it hasnt broken down the day before) full of tools, supplies and breakfast... everything had to be kept in a locked shed off the shipyard so nothing would be stolen (of course things were taken anyway, the tool box is lighter including the missing voltmeter)...

start, with much convincing the lame ass mate gets work going... my spanish, especially knowledge of vulgar words got much better... hope that the carpenter, mechanic, electrician, whoever isnt too hungover to arrive...

and whatever supplies need buying, off I go to get them... silicone, sandpaper, paint etc... if Im lucky, one of the three hardware places in tiny San Juan del Sur has what I need,.... if not its a phone call to the buyer in Managua, who spends the day looking and then puts it in a cab to get it to me... yup, that adds to the price...

by 11am, I'm at the office organizing paperwork or talking to the accountants or calling the US, usually California to figure out where ordered parts have ended up... "And you sent it where??"... pick up lunch and return to the shipyard to give it to the sailors... its better not to allow them to leave (and get drunk) and not return for hours...

after lunch, more difficulties in kick starting the crew to work... but then considering the temperture is something over 80F usually, on a full stomach nothing happens quickly... often felt like we fed the whole dock, the extra lunchas would be consumed by anyone the crew wanted to share with... more work--painting, scraping, sanding,etc....

by 3:30pm the day is winding down, things are being cleaned up and all is away back to the shed by 4pm... I of course would then return for another few hours trying to put the electric plumbing or whatever system back in...

then I would spend last few hours before sleeping, working on the computer looking for whatever, portlights, stainless bits and pieces (I dont think stainless exists here in Nicaragua)... and get up and do it all again the next day

luckily the captain next door was invaluable helping me make things happen... he re-did the water line and spray painted the hull... and fix the few weird mistakes that happened (someone pulled up the sink and destroyed the corner metal, and he managed to bang it back into place)....


other than my frustrations with crew and contractors things are okay... launch day, my mechanic wouldnt come in because it was Sunday, and only some of the crew showed up, most of them drunk (that's just what is done on Sunday, their excuse is its a day with family, HA!)

theres still more to do, ... the trannie parts werent correct, so someone has to re-do that... I'll probably fire the regular mechanic tomorrow I'm so upset with him, so it will have to be someone else... and there's things the carpenter needs to finish...

bothers me that so many people here, smile at me and hope that's enough for me to say "yes of course I'll okay that you get paid for this"... cant pay if its not finished... no one has ever heard of an invoice... ah, all to be dealt with in a 9 - 5 sort of day... the boat is in, we sail with passengers on Wed...

so now I can have a life... and get back to reading and writing and massage practice... only practiced a few times when I got here...

write and tell me whats up...
love to you

Laurel