Monday:
Stuart: "What's wrong with this b****y outboard?"
Me: "It's a two-stroke."Tuesday:
Stuart: "What's wrong with this b****y outboard?"
Me: "It's a two-stroke."

Wednesday:
Stuart: "What's wrong with this b****y outboard?"
Me: "It's a two-stroke."

.
.
.

Friday:
Stuart: "Wow aren't four-stroke aircooled outboards light and easy to start!"

All the work's been done. I've been up that 60-foot mast four times. Katya and Gustavas have made everything really tidy. The electrics and electronics all work more or less as they should (and it'll be my fault if they don't). All the leaks and broken bits have been fixed. Aransas is ready for anything.

You remember Santi, the Spanish chap who sorted me a bed for the night down south when I came back from Belize? Well, he was here in Cancùn when we arrived, and came over to the island with his girlfriend for dinner with us. It was great to able to do a proper thank-you to someone who'd helped me out.

I'm not usually a great fish-eater, but I've been converted. First there was the stuffed flounder in Port Aransas, then the barbecued barracuda that Alan caught, then Santi came over on Saturday and took me for lunch - wonderful stuffed grouper on the beach.

So this morning "Aransas" sailed for Havana and I sailed to Cancùn and got my new passport. And tomorrow I'm flying back to Port Aransas and The Old Dear. Santi's picking me up from the ferry to take me to the airport tomorrow lunchtime, Jeff is picking me up at Corpus Christi tomorrow evening, bless him, I'm getting my old room back at The Captain's Quarters, and Janie will be glad to get the space back in her lockup.