Bahamian Time

It started on Wed. I got an email that my parts would be on the Wed plane arriving about 3:00 so it could be picked up at the airport about 4. I contacted Taxi 4 (Junior something-or-other) the agent for Reggie Express. After several tries on the radio, we met by the market and I gave him the cruising permit. He told me "the plane was late" which, I soon discovered, meant that he would do it tomorrow. He also told me that I could get the parts by going to his house, close by, in the morning. OK so far. Next morning I went to his house and the parts were not there. I was told that he would bring them when he came in for lunch. Yeah right! Anyway, can you guess, no parts at 12, 2, & 4. The last time I spoke with someone I assume was his son who asked me if I had given Junior the cruising permit as he didn't have it. I assured him that I did. By this time I was not only ticked off but scared that he had lost my papers. To be fair, about 6 I did get a call on the radio. Junior told me that he had lost my papers but he found them again so all is OK and I can pick up the parts on Friday morning. No apology. I guess he heard something in my voice as he said something about these things happening and it was not over the limits of expectations.
If all goes well we will be at an anchorage on the other side of the harbor but may not have a connection to the internet for a few days. Later that next day we got a radio call from another boat that Junior was distracted because he has just lost a daughter to diabetes. Somehow, coconut telegraph?, the word was out that I was not happy. Talk about feeling guilty.
Well, all did not go well. The parts worked fine and we paid our dock bill, etc and made ready to leave. Florrie went up and got Junior a sympathy card so maybe we will be on better terms with the coconut. Now the Starboard engine isn't working and we are still at the dock. Cleaned off all the engine grounds...fun job. Nothing! Well maybe a small eeeerrr. Today has been spent tracing down the electrical system hoping that that was the problem. Finally, well not finally, I took off the starter, put the spare part we had just bought on it and reinstalled the starter. Nope. Took it off and hooked it up, read Rube Goldberg, to a battery by itself and it did not spin. Even opened up the starter as far as I could and looked inside. Yuck and it smelled like electrical fire which may have been because earlier I got the starter jumped directly to a battery and the ground. I was told there might be a little spark but no big deal. Anyway, after I put out the fire on the jumper cable I know that the starter was getting plenty of electricity.
I called Ft. Lauderdale but they seem to be closed on Saturdays. I did send them an email and, maybe, we will have a new starter by Wed. after the cold front blows through with high winds blowing us onto the dock It looks like a few restless nights.
It is a good thing the grandchildren weren’t around as they might have learned a few new words today.