Moored Bahia Quintero
Wind South F4 moderate breeze
Weather: Mostly sunny, mild

It has been windy for most of the day, but clear and sunny. I have continued with some painting and polishing the binnacle, a completely futile activity, but it gives me some momentary pleasure to see it almost gleaming for a little while, even though I know when next we cross an ocean by the time we get to the other side it will be covered in a thick verdi-gris again

I was hoping the wind would ease later in the afternoon but it persisted fresh, I ventured ashore late in the day regardless, rowing the little Walker Bay 8 dinghy across the short choppy waves, to have a shower and check my email. I had been getting the yacht club wi-fi out at the mooring but for some reason it hasn’t been working today. I popped into the office to see if I could resolve the problem but met with no success. Whilst there one of the ladies asked me how long I was staying for, at least I think that was what she was asking. I had been worrying over the last couple of days about leaving Bob Cat while I go to Buenos Aires so took the opportunity to try to explain my intentions, namely to sail to the marina in Concon on the 20^th or 21^st, there to leave the boat while I flew to Buenos Aires for three days, that I had a cat on board and was looking for someone to look after him. Now this is all very complicated when you know as little Spanish as I do, and I am not sure why I bothered to try and explain all this. I guess I was hoping that they might have a suggestion for me. The only suggestion I was met with was to go to the hotel next door, they had an internet, and I considered myself pretty lucky to have gotten this much understood between us.

I was subsequently sitting in the hotel checking my email, having a cold beer when the lady I was talking to came in with a piece of paper which read:

Traductor de Google
According to talked understand the following:
U 21 sail in his yacht to Higuerillas and 24, 25, 26 October he travelled to Buenos Aires by plane.
Need a person who takes care of the cat that will stay on board the yacht. Talk to Marcos Aguilera Higuerillas to agree with cat food.
The guestbook is you took book where all foreign yachtsmen leave us a note to the club de Yates de Quintero.
Also understand that stay two or three more days here at anchor in Qunitero.
The value of the stay in our Club, as solo yachtsmen travelling the world at no cost.
I hope your stay in Quintero was pleasant and had a good service.
Goodbye and have a long and wind good sea
Maria Elena Osses
Administrator

Well I was pretty happy with that. It seems Maria had rung the marina at Concon (Higuerillas - I cannot pronounce this for the life of me, all h‘s and ee type sounds from the back of the throat) and advised them of my need to have someone look after old BC while I go to Buenos Aires to pick up the new sail. And Maria told me that in this unpronounceable marina there is someone who speaks Inglese. No matter, I thought, the combination of my smattering of Spanish, pantomime skills and doodles seem to be adequate. Quite fun really, a bit like playing Pictionary. I am relieved that it looks like I will find someone to keep an eye on Bob Cat while I am gone.
Thank you Maria.
All is well.

Bob Cat:

A bit of tuna today. Sun shining, under the dodger was my place of choice today, out of the wind. Not a bad day at all … zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz