Daily report #83

St Helena day 2

First of all, of course, I slept wonderfully! Pulled the pillows out of the bed so that the full width could be used again and actually slept from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. rocked by the waves. Ton, who first walked around the boat in the morning to check the lines, discovered that the neighbors were almost loose and were only attached to the buoy with a back line. He alerted the port authorities and luckily Tara and Steve just woke up so that a little later their ship was neatly moored again between the moorings. It may happen that you wake up and look out the window and find yourself floating in the middle of the sea again or, more unfortunately, having landed on the rocks. Anyway, it ended well.
Picked up at 8 o'clock by the ferry to complete customs clearance, then to the bank to get money where we joined an old-fashioned queue for the 4 counters that were open. A lot of fun. Of course everyone knows each other there. James town exudes the atmosphere of a Midsummer murders broadcast. The English style cottages, the Arts and Crafts shop in the center of the village. A real working post office, two village hotels and small shops for food and other necessities. It is said to have the oldest library in the southern hemisphere, where Joshua Slocum, the first American solo circumnavigator, gave a lecture about his voyage. The shelves in stores are often empty...that's crazy. Yet not because the cargo ship that was anchored in the harbor is already three weeks late and has been there for days waiting for better weather so that it can moor at the small exposed quay. The population has been waiting for almost 4 weeks for fresh food, yogurt, eggs, chocolate bars, ordered gifts, etc., which is packed in the containers on board. But today redemption comes, the ship has docked and the population is in turmoil. So after getting the money we were able to pay the hotel for which we were still in debt. Isn't it great to eat and drink for 100 pounds for four people and be able to pay the next day? The pilot was also having a nice chat in the hotel yesterday after treating his passengers to 4 aborted and 1 successful landing attempts. I spent the rest of the day in the cafe preparing work for school and sending emails while Ton did his first training round on the Jacob's ladder, which takes you to the village on top of the rocks with 699 steps. Later Tara and Steve joined us to do some work, after which we drank and ate into the evening. Tomorrow the diesel and water will be delivered, it's laundry day, we'll climb the 699 steps, we'll have tea with Napoleon. It's going to be another busy day :-)

Greetings,
Ton and Mark