Mishaps to blessings

​Those of you who have been following us on the SPOT Tracker may have noticed it hasn’t moved in five days. Two possibilities arise. One, we really love where we are and haven’t moved on. Or, two, we’re stranded. Well, it’s one and two. Monday night we started the engine to charge the batteries as we usually do and the alternator gave out. Mike will give the Captain/mechanical version of the story much better than I can. Essentially, we lost all power. We have no charging capability to keep the engine ignition charged. Cell phones, chart plotter, auto pilot, navigational lights, everything electrical on the boat required the alternator to keep them running. That means we can’t go anywhere safely.
We spent the rest of the night tearing apart the boat looking for spares. Mike spent all day Tuesday running alternative wires to see what he could make work. By Tuesday afternoon, the gracious folks of the island were coming by trying to find way to help us. We are hooked up to electric (even though there is no electric hook ups here). We have had the aid of a couple of local mechanics. The only answer was to get a new one.
It is now Thursday evening. After three days of trying to find a dealer who had the part and could ship it we landed on a person in Clearwater. We ordered it. Now we just don’t know when it will arrive in Inagua. There are plans here on Fridays and Mondays. This makes us think we will not have the part and be able to be underway until April 30.
What do cruisers do when required to remain in a port longer than planned? We learn more about the people and the place where we are. We learn to appreciate the gift of the place that many people call home. We discover in detail a part of the world we would only have appreciated in a brief passing. We get to cook more fun things, swim more, walk around town more, and just hang out and read more.
Granted we will miss out on the island hopping adventure we planned. But, God is in the midst of all our encounters. There is an adventure of wonder within this one island that 900 people call home. We are grateful for this opportunity. So continue to stay tuned and follow us on our adventure. Life is as good as you make it. Find joy in each moment. There is always joy in the journey.