These days are spent trying to fix the boat:

-       The broken front hatch is neatly fixed by loosening the hatch proper.  This is taken to shore in the dinghy and fixed over night.  A new, perfectly translucent plexiplass sheet is inserted and the hatch is as good as new, at €250. Perfect.

-       The generator is examined by Mon. Thierry Apelat and the diagnosis is water influx in some critical parts.  He cannot fix it on board and it is decided to take the entire unit ashore.  A catamaran dinghy approaches and the generator, including casing and all, 60 kg, is lifted over-board using a halyard.  Simple thing.  I will recuperate this on my return in about a month time.

-       Charging.  Caraibes Marin is enormously well equipped and they sell solar panels.  They short of it is that 2 panels of 150 W each are installed between the davits, where they sit perfectly exposed to the sun, no shadowing and completely out of the way.  The guys make a fine job of wiring it to the batteries and additionally a amp-meter is installed.  Now one can see how much energy that flows in, or out, of the batteries.  I measure up to 13 Amps.

Thursday morning skipper prepares for Fort de France and at 10 o’clock the anchor is hoisted.  It is a dead run to the west-north-west around the corner, up north and into the Cul-de-sac-de-Fort de France.  At 1500 hours I again enter the Marina Plaisance d’Etang z’Abricots.  I am told to moor stern-to with a thick permanent rope up at the bow.  The dinghy is easily lowered to the pontoon.  The outboarder is taken up on the boat and the dinghy is covered and attached to the davits.

On Friday morning the covers are bought up from the hold and, starting up front, the boat is put under cover.  These are cotton covers that are perfectly sewed to measure. They cover the entire boat, over the side wires and down to deck level.  Very  good protection from the sun.

At 5 o’clock skipper leaves for the airport.