Turns out Manny didn’t make it into Carriacou last night but is arriving on the ferry this morning. Says to call him after lunch.

So we go snorkeling at Sandy Island. On the beach we run into George and Susan who we met at the restaurant last night. They’re anchored here altho we can’t figure out why you would anchor in the rough seas of Sandy Island when Paradise Beach is a dinghy ride away. Their story about being locked down on Sandy Island for 3 months during COVID is interesting. They tell us where the best snorkeling is so we venture to the north end of the island and, well, snorkel. It’s pretty good, but we don’t have a ton of time. I think it would be good to snorkel all around the island.

We call Manny and he tells us to meet him on the gas dock at Carriacou Marine so off we go. It’s blowing hard but we manage to land it with a little help from the gas jockey. Manny comes aboard, takes one look at the leaking gasket and tells us we need a new one, Budget in the bay has it. He can install it while we’re still in the water. You’re kidding. Nope, we drive over in his car, I buy it and he will install it after 4 pm, when the gas dock closes. We use his mooring ball and chill for an hour.

It’s a tricky install but he’s done and having a cold beer in about 2 hours. US$200 + US$50 for the part which is a slight improvement over US$8,000. Hopefully that was it!

We anchor in the bay and cross all fingers and toes. For sure the stuffing box and environs are bone dry at least.