May 14, 2020
The return trip to Washington DC last Friday was a fiasco. The flight from Grenada to Miami was delayed and I would have missed the connection to DC except that flight was also delayed — as were the bags. I got home at 3am on Saturday.
But it was good to spend time with my daughter Sofia over the weekend. On Monday morning I got my second shot of the Pfizer vaccine, Tuesday morning had another PCR, and I flew back to Beirut that night. Landed here at midnight on Wednesday. A long flight despite the fact that I slept some 8 hours on the leg to Doha. I was also able to get some work done. The main disappointment was that none of the restaurants/bars at the airport in Doha were serving alcohol because of Ramadan. So I was dry during my 4 hours stay there, mainly reading “Work,” by James Suzman, a book I had just started
Not much to report since my arrival. I am adapting to this part of my life, trying to catch-up with work, but overall feeling content; it was a great trip. I missed Natalia and it’s good to be back.
The country is locked down until today at midnight. But I’m planning a romantic candlelight dinner. The store that imports wines reopened a couple of weeks ago and Natalia had the prescience to replenish our reserves of reds and whites. So, there will be choices to make in terms of what I serve. Will deal with that after after posting this and pouring myself a gin.
I am also looking forward to the weekend. Tomorrow my friend Ibrahim, her girlfriend, Natalia and I are going to go out on his boat. The plan is to motor (unfortunately it’s a motor boat) to Biblos and have lunch there, stopping somewhere in between for a swim. Once back, Natalia and I will have a date at night. Then on Sunday we are thinking about going to O Chalet in Anfeh, the beach town up north, for day. It is a place to lie under the sun, read, swim, and enjoy their seafood and wines.
Otherwise, back in Grenada Antares is being pampered. For now her teak is getting a few coats of varnish and the work is proceeding well. She will also get her deck repainted. The one who is not doing well is the dinghy; the PVC continues to fall apart. Terry, the person who is responsible for Antares during my absence, sent me an email today attaching a picture and asking me whether I would like him to bring the dingy to the repair shop. I don’t think I am going to do it. With what I’ve paid trying to fix it I could have bought a new one. So that is what I plan to do. I am thinking about a small Zodiac with a roll-up floor. I don’t want aluminum floors, which is what I had in the previous two tenders— they are hassle to install and to store — and I am not sure about inflatable floors. Will have to do some research.
Sailing to the Pacific 