Chikungunya New Dodger and Who Screwed the Pooch [ $10 million ]

I have been hearing reports of this chikungunya disease but it has suddenly become an epidemic out in the Eastern Caribbean.

These figures below will be well under true totals because people know that all you can do is go to bed, stay hydrated, and take painkillers.

The number of chikungunya cases in parts of the Caribbean continued to surge last week, pushing past 170,000 cases, with the first cases confirmed in El Salvador, west of the main outbreak area, and more imported cases detected in the United States and other countries.

The outbreak has grown to 170,566 suspected or confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne disease, which is 35,139 higher than the 135,427 cases reported the previous week, according to a Jun 13 report from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The number of deaths remained the same, at 14.

Chris who is going to make my new dodger has had it as have all her family. She has been unable to work for more than two weeks as her hands were seized up and it was difficult for her to even get out of bed. The new dodger is overdue but I should get it done here in Bequia.

WHO SCREWED THE POOCH?

This brand new mobo which was to be the home for the owner as he took a year away from his business to motor it around the world was launched by the builders New World Yacht Builders in Anacortes.

Someone got their stability calculations wrong, yup they screwed the pooch.

GOING

GOING

GONE


There is an unconfirmed report from one of the workers involved in salvaging the vessel who said something along the lines of ;-

We got her upright pumped her out but as soon as we relaxed the tension on the slings she started to turn turtle again.

OOPS

I wonder who owns the boat at this point? I bet lawyers are studying the fine print of the contract at this moment in time.

Apparently one of the common clauses requires the boat to be afloat after launch. Well did it sink?

Re my previous WHO SCREWED THE POOCH at Park City I read that the judge may decide tomorrow if the current owners of the ski lifts at Park City who do not own the land on which they are built have to leave the land.

In which case the current owners are of the lifts are threatening to dismantle them and take them away.

A good old fixtures and fittings dispute.

Some very deep pockets and very big egos are involved.

SAIL SEVENTY MILES - GET HARASSED BY LOCALS - WHO SCREWED THE POOCH?

Conditions were good so I left Marigot Bay just after dawn and headed South. Keeping the 'pedal to the metal' meant some sail changing in the lee of St Lucia and St Vincent as conditions got fluky but we made good time and I was able to pass my bail out spots of Chateabelair and Wallilabou and be happy about getting into Bequia in daylight. As it was we rounded the Devils Table reef and headed into the anchorage at 4 pm so we had plenty in hand. Seventy miles in 10 hours. Of course having been diligently fishing all the way down with little success mostly due to the vast quantities of Sargassum muticum which may provide good hiding for bait fish also meant that I was forever pulling in the line to remove weed from the hook I caught something just as I was reeling in prior to dropping sail. It jumped a couple of times then threw the hook. Ah well it looked like a barracuda.

I checked in next morning and rewarded my self with a roti at the Sweety Bird Cafe followed by a coconut icecream at Mariannes served by Marianne herself. However I was under some serious harassment from locals who made it very clear that they wanted a piece of my action. The big black guy was really quite agressive and made two or three passes at my feet. He then called in his gang and they looked menacingly on from their vantage points.

Talk about angry birds.

WHO SCREWED THE POOCH?

Someone was late making a lease payment. This payment was for the lease of the mountain slopes that the Park City ski resort has it's lifts and runs on. The leasor then took the opportunity to say that the leasee had broken the contract and instead of $155,000 now had to pay market value of $25 million. When no such payment of $25 m was received the leasor presented the leasee with an ultimatum pay up or take your ski lifts and vamoose. Who screwed the pooch? Well I guess it would be the guy who was late making the payment

The machinations around ski resorts in the USA are the stuff of a Grisham novel except they are less believable.

Anyway we have a great sunset. It really is that colour, no Photoshop involved.

Marigot Bay St Lucia to Bequia or Wallilabou tomorrow.

Got my shiny new Nissan 18HP. It is GOOD to be fast again. I had forgotten how much drier it is to be on the plane.

Propane tanks are full, books are swapped and supermarkets checked for Branston Pickle.

So I fled to Marigot Bay to escape the noise of the Friday night street party in Gros Islet. They bring the speakers in on lorries.

I should have gone South today but should still be beam reaching tomorrow!

RODNEY BAY ST LUCIA

Quiet conditions for the sail down from Martinique. 12 to 15 knts and only a small swell. I arrived in time to get checked in which is no hassle here.

I guess I will buy another big OB here as the price is good and MAYBE if something goes wrong I can get it fixed under warranty.

St LUCIA BOUND ON WEDNESDAY

Ear infection has finally gone although some tinnitus remains. I have never experienced tinnitus before and at it's worst it was LOUD!

So I have stocked up on pate, camenbert, red wine, good coffee and other local goodies before heading on South.

I had problems with my clockwork yoyo otherwise known as the small outboard I bought in Antigua to tide me over while I w2aited more in hope than expectation for Budget Marine to come through on the warranty.

It has been good so far but objected to a diet of 80% water and 18% petrol. A French cruiser towed me back and ran me ashore to get some good fuel.

Anyway bound for Rodney Bay tomorrow. As you can see we have very settled conditions at the moment.