When he returned I asked if everything was good. “I’ll tell you about in just a sec”. This was not the answer I was hoping for. Yes, we were cleared in but our furry child was not. It seems that there was a certain department of Agriculture stamp missing from Cricket’s paperwork. Funny, I thought that was all taken care of in Miami. A vet would have to be called in (on a Sunday) to verify everything. Uh oh! I can hear those dollars signs. Could we please keep our radio turned on and they would let us know when the vet arrived.
Meanwhile we, (not Cricket) were free to go ashore and do whatever we wanted. We don’t very often indulge in souvenirs, but in this case I a trip to Pusser’s (the rum company) was warranted. A painkiller in a Pusser’s cup was my treat. How can you go to the Virgin Islands and not try a painkiller?
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| a painkiller |
You have your choice of 2, 3 or 4 ounces of Pusser’s rum, mixed with 4oz pineapple juice, 1oz cream of coconut, 1oz orange juice, over ice with fresh grated nutmeg on top. A little indulgence. Yum!
So, remember that things move sloooowly in the islands. We were just about back on the boat when we received a call from immigration that the vet had arrived and would we please bring the feline to shore for an inspection. Into the carry bag she went and into the dinghy. This is not her activity of choice. She meowed in her quiet voice (as opposed to her “I WANT BREAKFAST” voice) and let the vet take a look. Oh, she’s a big one isn’t she? Yes, she looks very healthy. Does that mean fat? Ha ha.
He agreed that she could be quarantined on the boat. If she were a dog however, she would need a blood test to confirm that she had received all her shots. This blood test would need to be flown to Kansas to the Center for Disease Control at a cost of $250. Oh my! This little 5 minute visit was worth $60. No receipt. Thank you very much.
OK Cricket, you can’t leave the boat. So just where exactly was she going to go? She’s quite happy to laze on the floor and let the breeze ruffle her fur. When the sun goes down she had been known to explore a little. Many nights I have found her sitting on the bow just looking around. Just like a toddler, we have to keep the baby gate in and keep her confined. Some days she does get really hot and Brian thought she might enjoy having a shorter haircut. I don’t think so!
Early this morning a boat came alongside us and asked that we turn on our VHF radio because customs was trying to call us. They said that we needed to come back into the office to pick up our paperwork. Once there, they told us that they had not cleared us in yesterday. If we had decided to leave, boy would we have had a fine and it would have been their fault. Excuse me?
We asked if we could extend the length of our visit. Well, if you could bring cookies we could do that. No, just kidding, that would be bribery the agent laughed. End of story…we have until May 7th in the BVI’s.
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| customs cleared |
At the end of the day we just have to look around and see where we are and where we have come from. It’s a little mind boggling. Relax and enjoy the view.
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| our sunset view |
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| Katie - this one's for you sitting just outside the harbour |
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