This morning the rain had gone and it was nice sunny day. The sails had dried to I put the covers on and went to shore.
Got a cab to drive me to the port captains office. Sounds easy, but the cab driver did not understand where I wanted to go. After some asking around, driving around, reading my paperwork from Kudat, we ended up at the right place.
The customs guy was not very happy with the lack of paperwork from Kudat customs, and they had taken the wrong piece of paper from my exit clearance. Then he sent me off next door to the port captain’s office. There the guard questioned my reason to go there and wanted to send me back to customs. I convinced him I had just been there so I got in. In the building was no one at the desk, so I waited until some worker showed up and they told me to go to the 2nd floor. There some frowning over the only piece of paperwork I was left with. In the end they sent me back to customs to get back my clearance from Kudat. So I go back, but instead he returns me a copy of my Cebu clearance. Found out halfway in between, so back once more. Then I got the A-okay and got cleared in with the port captain. Phew, my optimism about Malaysian bureaucrats has evaporated by now.
Took the bus into town for a quick lunch and then a cab to the Sutera Marina. There I learned that Angelique II had left on Sunday. Went into the marina office to inform about there rates (quite pricy, but definitely is nice, with all the luxuries I am not looking for). They were nice enough to give me the address of a local diesel mechanic.
Took a cab to drive me to the mechanics shop, but the cab driver did not know where it was (even though I had the address). So he called the mechanic and talked to him, he ended up handing the phone to me, so I talked to him. They were out for their lunch break, instead he suggested he would come meet me at the Yacht Club.
He showed up just half an hour ago, and we talked about the problems and possible remedies. Have a good feel about this guy. Assuming the engine starts, tomorrow I will motor to the Sutera Marina and take docking space for the duration of the engine repair.
That was pretty much my day’s work.