FROM 2-3. Dutch Harbor (Aleutians)

Supreme moments – 535235.4 1663302.2

Back in Dutch. The world about you is TU – AOT – SNAFU – the universe – the pangalactic gargleflimsy – the Boot Room, the Bus Shelter, the Vortex, the lot. Vogons are clamouring to read you their poems, you're hard aground in the position indicated, sitting in the cockpit in your wet wellies and your survival party gear in cold greasy rain (basalt lumps, sand, years of dumped crab pots, old fishing gear) – with a big g & t in your hand and Kimbra cooking you a bacon sandwich – life is good. And McQ found my Chelsea K hat – life is better still. Then a boat goes by out in the channel making wash and poor Berri bumps hard on the bottom and life isn't so good. But it means she's floating again, so can move the last 30 ft into the berth.

But where to from here? We have a diver organised to come and look at the prop to see whether we wound something less diaphanous than the Examiner's panty hose around it. We have booked ourselves into a room with a shower – I'll sleep in the boat, we can use the room as a staging bin if we really do need to lift the donk – small to-do list arising from stuff we learned after leaving – frinstance, whitters needs fleecy pants, being unable to wear thermals next to tender, seabattered bot. Cold and wet in the Bering. Was too knackered to fetch the Nik and anyway much too wet, but the cloudbase was about 200 ft coming back in and all that you could see of the island was the base and the spit. Lots of phone calls to make. Also need to unpack port q'berth to find filing box with instruction manuals – did I bring KIWIprop stuff?? 10 points if I did, and 10 points deducted if I did as well – silly additional weight…

Got back to the small boat harbour at dead low water and we're parked, on the putty (luckily – it's not basalt lumps) trying to get back to our old berth. The Harbourmaster rubbing hands and looking up my credit card number again, to keep the state of Alaska solvent at least in moorage fees (that's what they call them).If we can find the problem and fix it, we're off again – if not, a punt will be considered – no doubt in Consultation with many expert advisers.

Meantime – DON'T PANIC. We shall prevail.

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