The week waiting for our dinghy motor part was a long one. Bill started calling Outdoor World on Monday morning for updates on shipping. On Monday, we were told it was enroute. On Tuesday, we were told it was “on the island”. On Wednesday, we were told the part should arrive at the store via FedEx “either early in the morning or last thing today”. Thursdays’ call revealed that the part was still “somewhere at the airport”. Outdoor World sent one of their employees to track down the part and he brought it back to the store so we could “pick it up”. Excitedly, we jumped into Harry and grabbed the oars to make the long, arduous trek over to Outdoor World. Mother Nature had other plans. We started with just Bill rowing. As the wind gusted every minute, we ended up behind Galt instead of moving forward. We then decided to try both of us rowing. We made 10 feet of progress for every 20 feet we were pushed backwards. Finally, after making it about 100 feet from Galt, I was exhausted so we gave up and drifted our way back to homebase. Bill called Outdoor World and asked them to send someone to get us or bring us the parts. The manager responded that no one had a “boat license” to come get us. “A what?” Bill asked, laughing, “No one in St. Maarten has a boat license and the officials certainly don’t care,” but no amount of begging could convince them to come get us. On Friday morning at 8:30am, a fellow boater came over and dragged us to Outdoor World. When we arrived, our usual helper, Dylan, heard about us being stuck on the boat on Thursday. “Why didn’t you call me? I would have come to get you! I was bored just sitting here.” Sigh, evidently no one informed him we needed a ride. Bill told the mechanic we were going to run over to Island Water World for a few items and we would return shortly.
When we returned, the mechanic told us that the parts we ordered did not match the actual engine. That piece of information meant that our used motor had been rebuilt with parts other than Yamaha parts and without knowing what parts they were, we were stuck. Finally reaching the end of our patience, we broke out the credit card and bought a brand new motor. By this time, it was 10:00am. Dylan stated they would need to pick up the motor from the warehouse so it would “take a bit”. We walked over to Lagoonies restaurant to kill time and decided to eat breakfast again since they were not yet serving lunch. After we had eaten, Dylan pulled up to Lagoonies in his dinghy and walked toward us with the look of a man who had been sent to tell someone their dog died. “Even though that particular motor was in our inventory system, we don’t have it on the island. However, I have a better engine and I’ll give it to you for the same price if that’s okay.” Needless to say, we took the deal and Dylan settled in for a quick beer before heading back to work. I guess he figured he earned a beer since his boss had sent him on a suicide mission. After lunch, we walked back over to the shop. The new motor was not on the dinghy. “We can’t put the motor on the dinghy until we get this form completed. The person who needs to complete the form isn’t responding to me yet,” Dylan informed us. So, we waited. And waited. Finally, Dylan decided the mechanic could service the motor and install it prior to the form being completed. The mechanic walked over to Bill and said, “I need you to go to Island Water World and get some fuel so I can mix it for you.” Bill and I stared at him in disbelief. We had been sitting around for at least an hour doing absolutely nothing and yet he could not tell us about the fuel run? Bill sighed and told Dylan to give him a lift over to the fuel dock. It was just before 1pm. The fuel dock worker was at lunch so it took them until 1:20 to get the fuel. The good news was that by the time Bill and Dylan returned, the elusive form had been completed so we could pay for the motor. At 2:30pm, we left the store with our shiny new motor. Only 6 hours to buy a motor! It was like buying a car in the States in the 1980s! The good news is that we finished our Harry Potter marathon for the week and Harry triumphed over Voldemort once again! Our plan to get on the move is in place so fingers crossed we escape St. Maarten this week! Otherwise, I guess we’ll have to start a Lord of the Rings marathon!
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AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
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