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American Spirit II - Day 293; 'HASH' into Town & Don't Go Swimming in the Marina - Sharks; Saturday, October 25, 2014



Up at 5:07 AM. The howling wind woke me up early. Coffee and reading. Peaceful.

Jeremy gets up around 7:30 AM, and we both walk down the wharf to a 'collection' area where other crew are also accumulating for a 'HASH.' This is a walk/run into town led by Paul from Rally control. The route is marked with flour and various symbols in the roadway. Some of the route is a false one, so that after you head in a particular direction you find out its a false route. You then have to back track. A pad of paper is passed around so each boat can register if they're here and how many crew are involved. Seems as though all boats are represented, with Polaris perhaps the most at 6. There are two groups, the runners and the walkers. Jeremy and I are in the latter. Normally a HASH lasts an hour. Today it will last longer because the town is located further away.

A little after 8:00 AM we're off. One of the first things we see are signs in our marina that state: 'Danger Requins,' which translated means 'Caution Sharks.' Then 'Baignade Interdite,' 'No Swimming.' With a symbol of a black shark fin, a wavy black line representing the surface of the water and a red circle enclosing both. Two of the Rally participants tell me that it used to be a criminal offense to swim in the waters of Reunion; and that these waters are perhaps the most dangerous waters to swim in in the world. So how are we going to clean our boat bottom before leaving for South Africa? I'm glad Joel cleaned the bottom before we left Mauritius.

Along the way we walk a route that I'm familiar with as Joel and I went into town yesterday to use an ATM. In town again I try to use an ATM, but it refuses to give me money because I am allowed only one transaction every 24 hours; so I can't use the ATM machine again until 4:30 PM. Joel, who has a credit union he takes his money out of, has his 'ATM Clock' start at midnight. So he wouldn't have the same sort of problem I have. At midnight his 24 hours are up, even if its only been 5 minutes before midnight. I need 1,000 Euros to pay the rigger, who insists on cash only. No credit card. Jeremy and I are walking with the crew from Folie a Deux: Tim, Tracey, Brian and Lucy. We stop in a bakery and buy a pastry for instant gratification; and a baguette for the boat. A loaf of French bread. You know, the long hard roll. Very tasty. The best. Other stops we make are at a phone store, where we buy SIM cards. The person we deal with speaks no English, so Jeremy and I, after getting our SIM cards installed, neglect to load 20 Euros onto our phones so we can call the USA. Fumble. Joel will do this later on his own phone, because he has someone he's dealing with who speaks English. Jeremy and I will have to walk back into town, 1 1/2 hours round trip, to get this done on Monday, as we're taking a tour Sunday and won't have time. The next stop is into a grocery store for eggs. No luck. Then a store where I buy a duffel bag so Jeremy can carry home my 'ship' that I was given by Rally control during the prize giving in Mauritius; and Joel has an item that needs careful transport. I'm not going to mention what it is because it might be a gift for someone. We're also looking for costumes for a Halloween party to be held Thursday at the wharf area. I buy a vampire mask and a roll of black paper that I hope to use to make a black cape. Tracy with Folie a Deux is a world renown costume maker, and will help me put together a winning outfit. Maybe. I haven't had that conversation with her yet.

Back at the boat around 10:30 AM; then breakfast: scrambled eggs; potato; and chilled 'Two Fruit' cocktail. Plus the very tasty French bread that we bought. Russ from Nexus stops by after breakfast and shares a coffee with us. Bali coffee.

At 12:15 PM Joel continues on with a project he started yesterday; fixing a block used for our traveler that broke during our passage from Cocos Keeling to Mauritius. The second time this block has needed to be replaced. To 'fix' it he has to take a couple of sections of our ceiling in the main cabin down to access it from below the deck level.

From 12:15 PM to 3:15 PM I nap. Joel is in town when I wake up, with the Nexus crew, getting more Euros (that I'll buy from him for repairs), and to get his phone properly activated. He returns by 4:00 PM or so.

We head to the restaurant at the end of the wharf to use the free Wifi we've been given by the marina. It's free but we have to move down the dock for it to work. Doesn't work from where we're located. Too far from the signal I guess. At any rate, I open up my email and find two things, one good and one bad. The good: Vlado from Civetta II tells me that the Norseman fittings he gave me, that he hadn't ordered new ones yet, so I'll save myself 600 Euros or so by giving them back to him. He swears that they will fit the cable he gave me, but the rigger in Reunion says they don't fit. We'll see when Vlado gets here form Mauritius on Sunday. The bad email is that my parts in Mauritius are being held in Customs for 'duty and tax.' I hope the rigger in Mauritius put 'boat in transit' on the shipping label because I shouldn't have to pay duty and tax if that's the case. We'll see.

Dinner at 6:00 PM consists of 6 blackened chicken legs cooked on the grill by chef Joel after I marinate them with 'Poultry Magic,' a spice concoction that I purchased from Publix made by 'Chef Paul Prudhomme.' You know, the fat New Orleans chef. That and olive oil. Jeremy gets involved and talks me in to letting him put some Curry Powder on the chicken, also. Joel is OK with that as long as its not too much. Its that gallbladder thing. With the chicken I cook up some garlic potatoes in a skillet; plus we have the rest of the two fruit cocktail and French bread. We have a casualty during the chicken preparation. One of the chicken legs decides to 'jump ship.' you know, leave the boat to go swimming. Joel can't believe it; neither can we. We're all mortified. We've cooked in 12 foot seas, and being tied up to a wharf is a lot easier to cook at than under sail. Jeremy volunteers to eat only one chicken leg for dinner. What a guy! Joel dodges a bullet.

After dinner we head to the wharf area where some of the other boaters are cooking dinner on a yacht club's grills. I visit and then head back to the boat to read and watch a movie. Jeremy returns in a couple of hours, followed by Joel 30 minutes after him. Its now 9:30 PM, and they join me watching a moving in progress, 'True Lies' starring Arnold what's his name and Jaime Lee Curtis. A very good movie.

After the movie Joel showers on the boat. Since water is available and free; we're using the boat to shower instead of the 'free' showers at the wharf as the wharf showers are a little bit too 'rustic' for us.

After the movie I read for a while. I'm still reading the James Michener book 'The Covenant' about the history of South Africa.

To bed at around midnight.

Brian Fox

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