Another Delay

This cold that has been developing for the last three days seems to be at its peak but is laying me pretty low with the familiar syndrome: coughing, wheezing, sneezing, fever, shivering, low energy, tight head.  I don't think that it is prudent to set off on a solo sail of 1000 miles to Brazil and up to 200  miles of the coast while I am feeling like this, so I've decided to set sail when I set sail and in the meantime pamper myself  in the hopes of speeding up the recovery process.  Yesterday I broke out the two water bottles that I had purchased in Seattle and I must say that a warm water bottle on my feet and one on my chest felt marvelous.

This morning I hobbled into to town to deal with two commitments.  I visited Electronica Naval and settled my account with Carlos.  I thanked him, complimented him on his staff who never give up, and paid for 5 hours of labor which I considered generous to me.

I then walked up the hill past Edison St to El Alborito hardware and the proprietor hesitantly told me that he had my cylinders “vacio”.  “No lleno?” I asked, to make sure that I had understood correctly.  Presumably because of a backlog after the truck strike the cylinders had not been filled.  He must have remembered that I had told him that I needed the cylinders today, full or not, because he had had them returned to his premises.  I told him that I was “enfermo”, gesturing to my throat and head, and told him that I would be remaining in MdP for at least 3 more days.  While I was leaving he told me that it wasn't his fault and I replied “claro”.  I am to check on the cylinders tomorrow.

After a cup of hot soup over toast and cheese I had a long nap then grabbed my bucket of materials and went to the barbecue area where the tail of the wind charger was hanging, took it down and sanded it, then strung it up again and laid a third coat of paint on it.  On the way back to the boat I dropped by the office and gave the small but nearly full can of  new paint to Salvatore.  The marina staff have been good to me.  Last night at 4 AM the night watchman let me into the cozy pine-paneled meeting room with the router just over my head where I had a wonderful Skype conversation with my friend May in the hospital in Australia and her nephew Stephen, who has flown out from England. 

This came about because an English speaking boating neighbor saw me outside in the cold wind with my netbook dodging rain showers and told me that the meeting room was for club members to use.  He got the key, let me in, then helped arrange access to the room even in the middle of the night. 

Besides allowing me to put a third coat of paint on that wind charger tail the delay has allowed me to download “WXTIDE32” to my first line computers.  It is a wonderful piece of software that will give me accurate tide information at any time in any part of the world.  I'll want this information when sailing in Angra dos Reis, with its  shallow waters.

This is Monday evening.  I'll lay low for a couple of days before decided on my departure date.  I'm hoping for Saturday, which would mean provisioning with perishables on Thursday and Friday, settling my accounts with Yacht Club Argentino on Friday, and clearing with the authorities on Saturday morning, starting at 9 AM.  I must get clearance from the Prefectura (Coast Guard) and Immigration; and I'm told that it is a relatively quick process.  Once I get my clearance I'll have 24 hours in which to depart.  They are serious about this and if there is a delay I'll have to notify them.  High tide on Saturday is at 3.06 PM, which is when I would motor out of this shallow marina.