Lazarus Returns Again

While the oyster gatherer was being laid to rest in a painted plywood coffin, our 15 horsepower outboard made a miraculous recovery. The seized engine unseized itself, transmission parts that were impossible to obtain appeared. The full week we wasted in a fruitless search for an alternative is history. 
The dinghy however decided it wasn’t through with us yet. When we splashed it, water trickled in. Further investigation revealed a hairline crack in the hull. While another repair and subsequent trip back to the Sosua Discotheques was tempting, we decided on the Dominican solution. We let it sit in the harbor. Within a few days barnacles attached themselves over the fissure. Problem solved.
Afterwards, I dinghied into Luperon for the baseball tournament finals. Rain though cancelled the event. No one seemed bothered as they gathered around the nearest bar. Weather may affect baseball but it never impinges on drinking.
High seas have delayed our departure much to the delight of the local tavern owners. We’ve spent this valuable bonus time amassing spare parts & alcohol. I’ve crisscrossed the north coast in rental cars, jeeps, a motorcycle (which I wouldn’t recommend) & numerous gua-guas, the uniquely Dominican form of public transportation. I counted twenty-seven people, including myself, stuffed in a twelve passenger van over the Easter weekend (which they stretch into a week by calling it Semana Santa). That was preferable to a Toyota compact that seats four & carries eight. Either way, you really get to know the locals.
Our hold is now bursting with boxes of canned beans & spaghetti, sixteen packs of cookies and, due to budget constraints, a mere ten cases of beer. While we wait for a weather window to begin the return voyage, it’s full speed ahead here in the DR, where anything can happen.