This week the rigger and boatyard have finally been identified and booked. We will be going 80 miles north to Riviera Beach where we can be hauled again. It seems one of the seals on the port saildrive is failing too – water in the oil - and that can only be replaced out of the water, making hauling a requirement rather than an option.

Nick is still struggling with customs and import taxes for getting the beam here though. As with many things we have had to deal with in the US, it is proving almost impossible to find out what is required. So far we have been told the import duty will be 0% for yachts in transit or 39% as we are not a US entity, and a few variations in between. We may or may not also require a shipping agent, a broker, a bonded delivery address and bonded agent with power of attorney, invoices, airway bills, trade tariff number and commodity codes with detailed list of all materials used in the products. The task continues but now with a time pressure as the rigger is only available Feb 3-4.

This week’s exciting event was meeting up with Nancy and Paul again (and Mr Grey). They anchored next door for a couple of nights, enroute to Key Largo where they are off to learn how best to survey and cull Lionfish with an organisation called Reef.org. These are the fish that are devastating the reef ecosystems in the Caribbean and now up the eastern seaboard. Apparently 6 individuals were released from a private aquarium several years ago. They are Pacific fish with no natural predators here and are decimating the native reef fish populations. There is a huge drive to kill them and now to eat them – delicious once you know how to deal with their very venomous spines…..