27 Jul. 11
The night before last night the dreaded south westerly arrived in force. The wind started blowing at about 30 knots and gusted at 35 knots, steadily building through out the day and evening into a full force gale last night blowing at 45 knots with gusts of up to 55. I had to keep moving around on the deck trying to re stick the roofing plastic that covered all the holes in the boat as the wind ripped it off. Whilst I was up on deck I looked across the boatyard and watched as Mother Nature ruled her fury over the boats. People everywhere were scrambling about trying to tie down pieces of shade cloth and other materials that were being ripped to shreds. Others were knocking in extra chocks as one of the boats started falling over. Two separate walk-ons had their fingers snap and landed in the water preventing access to the boats on the water. The roof on the garage right next to our boat was ripped off and tossed so far away by the wind that I couldn’t even see where it landed. Lola and I kept an eye on the barometer whilst checking Windfinder on the internet every so often in an attempt to find out when the wind would calm down. On Windfinder the force 8 gale was going to reach its peak at 11pm and then calm down. At one point I looked at Lola and could see from her pained expression that she was having difficulty believing that we would survive. I suggested we leave the boat and go sit in the yacht club bar to wait out some of the storm.
After sitting in the club for an hour or so watching the storm rage outside we returned to the boat, turning on some loud music, in an attempt to drown out the sounds coming from outside. At this point we discussed the option of abandoning the sailing trip and rather getting a camper. We are not even on the water and already we are struggling to cope.
This morning’s breaking eye witness news “container ship breaks anchor and runs aground in four metre swells off Ballito”. Yes so perhaps our reaction was normal considering the conditions last night. I don’t know. This morning all is calm again and as we clean up around the boat the memory of last night will hopefully be forgotten soon enough. I am hoping it will be like childbirth. Excessively traumatic but soon forgotten with the rewards of a small baby as consolation.
The dream and the reality.
I am not really sure what I expected this “dream” trip to be like. I suppose it is because I never really gave it much thought except for the romantic notion of a dream holiday on a deserted beech. You know those little dreamy moments just before you go to sleep or in the morning just as you wake up before you actually wake up and get out of bed.
These dreams where usually ignited by reading about others that had done such a trip and their recollections and memories. All the thoughts that I ever had where only of such fleeting moments and the “beauty of the first land fall” the “new smells and the awesome nature and creatures of a tropical paradise.”
The reality is a little different.
We did the whole “romantic sell up and sail” routine just to find real life with all its pressure and stress waiting in the dark corners, ready to pounce and tear you out of your little dream world bringing you back to reality with a bang. The worst is that you are now out of your depth and comfort zone entirely. Nothing that you knew before is relevant and everything has to begin again from the beginning. Your new home is always damp smelling and wet with mould growing in the dark crevices that you cannot find. Leaks are everywhere when it rains and even when it doesn’t your bed has a damp feel whenever you get into it. Your outside patio is small crowded and flooded in water most days with no really comfortable settee.
Any repairs that need to be done will cost your soul and will take longer than you have to live to complete. Maybe I am having a bad day and am not yet qualified to make such judgment calls on the cruising life. I mean we haven’t even started yet so who am I to say.
29 Jul. 11
Today we went to the mall and bought a few more movies. We also looked at some cameras but decided that we will just go with the cheap one that we already have on the wait and see if we really need it basis. I also feel a bit more positive again after the male menstrual stress or mms that I had a few days ago. I decided to manufacture two boxes to fit our outside led lights into but could only measure and draw them on the wood since it is raining again today. A couple of days ago I removed one of the windows and drove all over town and all over Empangeni to find new rubber seals. Nobody could help me with the seals and it appears as if I would either have to buy new port lights, as they are named, or try to make up some sort of a rubber seal modification. We also tried to research a portable water maker that can be kept in the grab bags in the unfortunate event that we have to abandon ship but couldn’t find any.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
completing the circle
05 Jun. 11
Another fine day in paradise, slightly overcast this morning but not to cold. Yesterday the Cirrus clouds showed up from the west informing me that the good weather of the past few days was about to change. The wind in this area is predominantly from the North but every few days a South Westerly wind arrives and brings with it some foul weather. Fortunately it normally only lasts for a day or two and things quickly go back to normal.
Progress on the boat has been rather slow as with everything here at the coast as the rush and pressure that is in Gauteng doesn’t seem to exist down here although I still feel it inside me. I haven’t quite been able to let go yet as there are still things that I have to deal with pertaining to the business. The stupid cell phone that has been a burden in my life for the past few years just keeps on ringing which hasn’t helped either. I can’t wait for the day when I can stand on the foredeck with a small hammer and viciously attack and destroy the little black monster.
The freezer is still not back but has been running in the workshop on battery power for the last few days so seems to be in working order. We will probably collect it tomorrow and reinstall it on the boat. I have completed the shelf in the bathroom and Lola is now going to paint that one whilst I start with the next one in the kitchen. The boat still looks a mess but things are slowly finding homes making it a little better everyday.
About two days ago the geyser decided that we no longer require hot water on the boat so has been supplying only luke warm water. I sat staring at it for a while obviously willing it into working order again but its mind was made up and my intimidation tactic wasn’t working. Then I tried stripping off the cover to see if I could find anything wrong but the screws were rusted solid and the knobs on the front refused to come off. I decided to spray some Q20 on the screws and give up for the day. The next day we went to the supplier to ask for some assistance and they informed me that the knobs just pull off and then the cover also pulls off and then I should check for spider webs. Back on the boat the knobs just slipped off this time round and after finding the right screw driver the rusted screws came out, but no spider webs and still only luke warm water.
09 Jun. 11
We eventually made the decision to haul the boat after a few days of grinding and poking holes in some of the small cracks on the topsides. After grinding open one of the cracks we found some wood rot and had to continue grinding open just to find that it had affected the deck on the starboard bow quite extensively. We stripped the wood back and removed all the deck fitting including our cleat that keeps us tied to the dock. This isn’t a problem as long as the weather stays relatively calm but if it kicks up a notch or two we may find ourselves in deep water, literally. So the decision was made by default for us and all work stopped for now until next week Tuesday when the boat can be hauled and put on the hard.
It is a rather costly exercise getting the boat out of the water and the boat yards have found some rather ingenuous methods of making money. First they charge for the haul of the boat out of the water. Then for space on the hard, this excludes live aboard fees which would be separate. Then again a fee for putting the boat back in the water. At the same time we still need to pay towards the walk on even though we won’t be using it. All this eats at the already small cruising budget and doesn’t include any labour or materials needed for the work itself.
11 Jun. 11
My woes with the diesel engines continued again today. The engine on the starboard side has, except for the one "start myself" incident of the other day, never missed a beat and starts first time every time. That port engine however has been my nemesis from day one and always struggles to start. Today began the great mystery of the diesel engine that just plain refuses to do anything. The worst is my incompetence and lack of knowledge in anything mechanical. In the past whenever I used to do any motor repairs on my car it would land up either the same as it was, or worse than before. So years ago I gave up on the little metal beasts and took my car to experts when it needed fixing. Now I don’t have that luxury anymore and will have to learn how the annoying things work. I started by stripping out the instrument panel and after some switch and contact cleaning found a corroded wire in the main plug in the main wiring harness. I just cut the wire on both sides of the plug and joined it together bypassing the plug altogether. This however still didn’t solve the dead motor problem and my search through the fuses and relays also came up to nowhere. After a whole days fault finding and very drawn out and slow learning curve I eventually packed it up and called it a day with absolutely no answers.
25 Jun. 11
After getting some help from a neighbour we figured out that the negative wire from the battery was corroded and not enough power was getting to the starter motor. This helped to get the motor to turn over but still it wouldn’t start. We eventually used some WD40 spray in the air filter to start the motor so that we could get the boat to the slip for hauling it onto the hard.
We got up at 02h00 in the morning and after an almost perfect undocking Lola shouted that I had forgotten to untie one of the dock lines. Then the pandemonium and panic started with all of us running around with boat hooks and fenders trying to keep us off the docks and the other boats whilst trying to untie the forgotten line. Luckily for us there was absolutely no wind and it only took a few minutes to get the line loose and calmness could return once more.
We motored the boat over to the slip way just after 03h00 and gently touched the keels to the floor leaving her in forward gear at idle speed to ensure that she stayed on the ground and wasn’t pushed out by the receding tide. It took a while before I was satisfied that she was hard aground and wouldn’t float back out, then we killed the motors. Now we had to wait until seven in the morning for the trailer to arrive and carry us onto land. This little exercise didn’t work out quite as planned and after two attempts at loading the boat onto the trailer the whole exercise was abandoned and we had to wait on the boat for high tide at 15h00 to motor her back to our walk-on.
Whilst she was on the ground I did some inspection of the hulls and bridge deck and found some more problems to add to my list of woes. I am not quite sure how these are going to affect our future plans yet.
Anyway last week we went up to Joburg again to tie up a few loose ends and we felt like gypsies with no fixed abode. First we stayed at my brother Anthony’s then at my X wife Carol’s then at Rauen’s gran, Lela, then back at Anthony’s. I am hoping not to have to do the trip again but will probably do it a few more times before we get to leave.
This morning we went to the cruising connection in Durban and bought a cruising guide for the South Atlantic from Cape Town to St Helena, Ascension Island and on to Brazil. We also bought some other navigational gear and a diesel engine manual which I hope gives me some much needed help in that department. Glancing through the book I realised that I already know a lot of the theory. I am hoping that the book gives me the reassurance that some of my knowledge is correct and thus gives me the confidence to attempt the necessary repairs. Right now I wish we had more money and had bought a newer boat with less problems.
28 Jun. 11
Yesterday we eventually managed to get the boat out of the water and onto the dry docks but not without hiccups. In the morning we rushed around emptying everything out of the boat including anchor and chain to try make it as light as possible. Then we went off to town to buy some scaffold planks that we constructed into long square boxes that were to be used under the bridge deck to hold the boat up off the trailer. Anyway our constructed boxes collapsed and my life flashed in front off my eyes as I watched her slowly rock backwards then followed a sight that would live in my nightmares forever. A loud crash as she slipped backwards off the trailer and slammed down onto the concrete floor. All I could do was watch as our entire lives rocked and shook in front off my eyes. At this point both Lola and I couldn’t stand the pressure anymore so we just turned around and walked away. In the boatyard we found a friend and sat down to a couple of whiskeys, even Lola tried one but still couldn’t get the foul stuff down. I wonder what it would take for her to break and give herself over to drink.
01 Jul. 11
Well it’s official, now that the boat is on the hard and we have done some inspections we found that the boat has more problems that need fixing than it is worth which probably puts an end to our dream trip. We have spent the last few days pondering and trying to come up with solutions but none are viable. Hiring people to fix the boat will cost us the entire cruising budget and then we still have a boat that we can no longer sail due to two reasons. The first being the obvious, no money, and the second, having faith in the repairs done on the boat.
09 Jul. 11
Miserable cold wet and raining, the weather seems to match my mood at the moment. We have spent the last few days moping about with no real direction trying to decide what to do. Yesterday we eventually decided that we have no choice but to repair the boat ourselves if we want to save any part of the trip. We would have to do some speed reading on fibreglass repairs and perhaps even go on a quick crash course or two at the suppliers. The trip itself would have to be cut short in order to allow for the time taken to repair the boat and the money spent doing them.
11 Jul. 11
This is not really how I imagined the dream trip would be but I suppose that the reality of life is never quite the same as the dream. Instead of sailing happily down the coast line in pure bliss I am preparing to tackle a huge boat building project that I have no knowledge or experience in. Well this is how life seems to be and we will just have to make the most of our situation and carry on regardless.
13 Jul. 11
Another trip up to Joburg tomorrow to drop off my son and tie up the last few loose ends on that side. My Daughter and her boyfriend paid us a surprise visit over the last few days which lifted my spirits a lot and gave us some good bonding time together. On their trip down they hit a goat in the road causing some damage to the car but fortunately no injuries to themselves. The goat apparently just casually walked away as if nothing had happened.
20 Jul. 11
I just received such a sad sms from my son telling me that he should have spent more time with me whilst he was down here on holiday. I tried to reply with some words of wisdom and inspiration but could only come up with a half corny remark as I typed out his reply with tears in my eyes. I miss my kids already and haven’t even left the hard back onto the water. It is going to be really tough to leave on this trip and I hope I will be able to control my emotions. Yes I know I sound like a girl but I think that we all have some girl in us sometimes.
25 Jul. 11
For some or other reason I woke up at 01h40 this morning and haven’t been able to get back to sleep so eventually I just got up. Its now 03h10 and I think I will make myself a cup of coffee and accept that my day has already begun. A little earlier than usual and I am sure that by this afternoon I am probably going to regret this. However sometimes your body decides something other than your mind and whilst the two of them argue you are stuck in the middle.
At the moment we are on the hard as sailors would call it, which means the boat is out of the water on dry land, quite obvious really. Well life on the hard is a lot harder than life on the water. To explain a typical day on the hard will begin with the pressing need to go to the bathroom first thing in the morning as soon as you wake up. I don’t know if we are all the same but for me that first call of nature doesn’t allow much margin for error and the sooner I can get to the bathroom the better.
The bathroom however is on the other side of the boatyard some fifty metres away and first you have to negotiate a two metre high rickety step ladder whilst your eyes are not quite ready to focus. Needless to say the trip to the bathroom in the morning can be an interesting one. After all the necessary and a quick shower its back across the boat yard and up the ladder onto the boat.
Normally at this point I would open the tap, fill the kettle and make myself a cup of coffee. No! First I have to take the kettle for a walk, down the ladder, around the boatyard looking for an available tap, then fill the kettle and back up the ladder. After two and sometimes three cups of coffee I am now ready to tackle the rest of the day. The bathroom exercise will be repeated a few times as and when required during the course of the day. Then the repair work inside the boat can begin. The repairs on the outside have to wait until about one in the afternoon so that the boat has time to dry.
Due to the high humidity here the decks are soaking wet in the mornings so every time that you go down the ladder onto the ground and back up, the ground comes back with you, turning into mud once you arrive back on deck leaving a nice big muddy trail everywhere you go. This wouldn’t be so bad if you could just use a squeegee to quickly dry up the decks but due to the none slip surfaces the squeegee just tears apart as you wipe. The more you dry up the more the condensation seems to wet. So we have learnt to patiently wait till the sun has dried the deck then broom the mud that has now turned back into sand off the decks. At about five the work on deck has to stop and be covered with roof plastic to keep dry overnight. This predicament allows very little time for deck work so progress has been slow.
During this week we are going to try our first lay up of fibreglass on the deck once we have cut out and replaced the piece of rotten plywood. The first time is always the hardest because we are not confident in our ability. Cutting out and replacing the rotten wood pieces isn’t a problem since we gained lots of experience working with wood whilst building our house. Fibreglass however is foreign to us but we will just have to try and hope for the best.
Lola baked our first bread yesterday made from raw ingredients and it was mouth watering good as only hot baked bread can be. This has been something that has concerned me as we could never stock and carry enough bread for ocean crossings. Not the amount of bread our family requires.
At least we seem to have come a full circle at this point. First the absolute shock and horror of discovering the problems on the boat. Then added to this the damage caused during the two different haul outs. Next disbelief followed by anger. Anger at ourselves for being so stupid and naïve to believe that we didn’t need to have a professional survey done on the boat. Anger that we believed that Greg whom we bought the boat from was honest and above board. And to complete the circle accepting the situation that we find ourselves in.
Another fine day in paradise, slightly overcast this morning but not to cold. Yesterday the Cirrus clouds showed up from the west informing me that the good weather of the past few days was about to change. The wind in this area is predominantly from the North but every few days a South Westerly wind arrives and brings with it some foul weather. Fortunately it normally only lasts for a day or two and things quickly go back to normal.
Progress on the boat has been rather slow as with everything here at the coast as the rush and pressure that is in Gauteng doesn’t seem to exist down here although I still feel it inside me. I haven’t quite been able to let go yet as there are still things that I have to deal with pertaining to the business. The stupid cell phone that has been a burden in my life for the past few years just keeps on ringing which hasn’t helped either. I can’t wait for the day when I can stand on the foredeck with a small hammer and viciously attack and destroy the little black monster.
The freezer is still not back but has been running in the workshop on battery power for the last few days so seems to be in working order. We will probably collect it tomorrow and reinstall it on the boat. I have completed the shelf in the bathroom and Lola is now going to paint that one whilst I start with the next one in the kitchen. The boat still looks a mess but things are slowly finding homes making it a little better everyday.
About two days ago the geyser decided that we no longer require hot water on the boat so has been supplying only luke warm water. I sat staring at it for a while obviously willing it into working order again but its mind was made up and my intimidation tactic wasn’t working. Then I tried stripping off the cover to see if I could find anything wrong but the screws were rusted solid and the knobs on the front refused to come off. I decided to spray some Q20 on the screws and give up for the day. The next day we went to the supplier to ask for some assistance and they informed me that the knobs just pull off and then the cover also pulls off and then I should check for spider webs. Back on the boat the knobs just slipped off this time round and after finding the right screw driver the rusted screws came out, but no spider webs and still only luke warm water.
09 Jun. 11
We eventually made the decision to haul the boat after a few days of grinding and poking holes in some of the small cracks on the topsides. After grinding open one of the cracks we found some wood rot and had to continue grinding open just to find that it had affected the deck on the starboard bow quite extensively. We stripped the wood back and removed all the deck fitting including our cleat that keeps us tied to the dock. This isn’t a problem as long as the weather stays relatively calm but if it kicks up a notch or two we may find ourselves in deep water, literally. So the decision was made by default for us and all work stopped for now until next week Tuesday when the boat can be hauled and put on the hard.
It is a rather costly exercise getting the boat out of the water and the boat yards have found some rather ingenuous methods of making money. First they charge for the haul of the boat out of the water. Then for space on the hard, this excludes live aboard fees which would be separate. Then again a fee for putting the boat back in the water. At the same time we still need to pay towards the walk on even though we won’t be using it. All this eats at the already small cruising budget and doesn’t include any labour or materials needed for the work itself.
11 Jun. 11
My woes with the diesel engines continued again today. The engine on the starboard side has, except for the one "start myself" incident of the other day, never missed a beat and starts first time every time. That port engine however has been my nemesis from day one and always struggles to start. Today began the great mystery of the diesel engine that just plain refuses to do anything. The worst is my incompetence and lack of knowledge in anything mechanical. In the past whenever I used to do any motor repairs on my car it would land up either the same as it was, or worse than before. So years ago I gave up on the little metal beasts and took my car to experts when it needed fixing. Now I don’t have that luxury anymore and will have to learn how the annoying things work. I started by stripping out the instrument panel and after some switch and contact cleaning found a corroded wire in the main plug in the main wiring harness. I just cut the wire on both sides of the plug and joined it together bypassing the plug altogether. This however still didn’t solve the dead motor problem and my search through the fuses and relays also came up to nowhere. After a whole days fault finding and very drawn out and slow learning curve I eventually packed it up and called it a day with absolutely no answers.
25 Jun. 11
After getting some help from a neighbour we figured out that the negative wire from the battery was corroded and not enough power was getting to the starter motor. This helped to get the motor to turn over but still it wouldn’t start. We eventually used some WD40 spray in the air filter to start the motor so that we could get the boat to the slip for hauling it onto the hard.
We got up at 02h00 in the morning and after an almost perfect undocking Lola shouted that I had forgotten to untie one of the dock lines. Then the pandemonium and panic started with all of us running around with boat hooks and fenders trying to keep us off the docks and the other boats whilst trying to untie the forgotten line. Luckily for us there was absolutely no wind and it only took a few minutes to get the line loose and calmness could return once more.
We motored the boat over to the slip way just after 03h00 and gently touched the keels to the floor leaving her in forward gear at idle speed to ensure that she stayed on the ground and wasn’t pushed out by the receding tide. It took a while before I was satisfied that she was hard aground and wouldn’t float back out, then we killed the motors. Now we had to wait until seven in the morning for the trailer to arrive and carry us onto land. This little exercise didn’t work out quite as planned and after two attempts at loading the boat onto the trailer the whole exercise was abandoned and we had to wait on the boat for high tide at 15h00 to motor her back to our walk-on.
Whilst she was on the ground I did some inspection of the hulls and bridge deck and found some more problems to add to my list of woes. I am not quite sure how these are going to affect our future plans yet.
Anyway last week we went up to Joburg again to tie up a few loose ends and we felt like gypsies with no fixed abode. First we stayed at my brother Anthony’s then at my X wife Carol’s then at Rauen’s gran, Lela, then back at Anthony’s. I am hoping not to have to do the trip again but will probably do it a few more times before we get to leave.
This morning we went to the cruising connection in Durban and bought a cruising guide for the South Atlantic from Cape Town to St Helena, Ascension Island and on to Brazil. We also bought some other navigational gear and a diesel engine manual which I hope gives me some much needed help in that department. Glancing through the book I realised that I already know a lot of the theory. I am hoping that the book gives me the reassurance that some of my knowledge is correct and thus gives me the confidence to attempt the necessary repairs. Right now I wish we had more money and had bought a newer boat with less problems.
28 Jun. 11
Yesterday we eventually managed to get the boat out of the water and onto the dry docks but not without hiccups. In the morning we rushed around emptying everything out of the boat including anchor and chain to try make it as light as possible. Then we went off to town to buy some scaffold planks that we constructed into long square boxes that were to be used under the bridge deck to hold the boat up off the trailer. Anyway our constructed boxes collapsed and my life flashed in front off my eyes as I watched her slowly rock backwards then followed a sight that would live in my nightmares forever. A loud crash as she slipped backwards off the trailer and slammed down onto the concrete floor. All I could do was watch as our entire lives rocked and shook in front off my eyes. At this point both Lola and I couldn’t stand the pressure anymore so we just turned around and walked away. In the boatyard we found a friend and sat down to a couple of whiskeys, even Lola tried one but still couldn’t get the foul stuff down. I wonder what it would take for her to break and give herself over to drink.
01 Jul. 11
Well it’s official, now that the boat is on the hard and we have done some inspections we found that the boat has more problems that need fixing than it is worth which probably puts an end to our dream trip. We have spent the last few days pondering and trying to come up with solutions but none are viable. Hiring people to fix the boat will cost us the entire cruising budget and then we still have a boat that we can no longer sail due to two reasons. The first being the obvious, no money, and the second, having faith in the repairs done on the boat.
09 Jul. 11
Miserable cold wet and raining, the weather seems to match my mood at the moment. We have spent the last few days moping about with no real direction trying to decide what to do. Yesterday we eventually decided that we have no choice but to repair the boat ourselves if we want to save any part of the trip. We would have to do some speed reading on fibreglass repairs and perhaps even go on a quick crash course or two at the suppliers. The trip itself would have to be cut short in order to allow for the time taken to repair the boat and the money spent doing them.
11 Jul. 11
This is not really how I imagined the dream trip would be but I suppose that the reality of life is never quite the same as the dream. Instead of sailing happily down the coast line in pure bliss I am preparing to tackle a huge boat building project that I have no knowledge or experience in. Well this is how life seems to be and we will just have to make the most of our situation and carry on regardless.
13 Jul. 11
Another trip up to Joburg tomorrow to drop off my son and tie up the last few loose ends on that side. My Daughter and her boyfriend paid us a surprise visit over the last few days which lifted my spirits a lot and gave us some good bonding time together. On their trip down they hit a goat in the road causing some damage to the car but fortunately no injuries to themselves. The goat apparently just casually walked away as if nothing had happened.
20 Jul. 11
I just received such a sad sms from my son telling me that he should have spent more time with me whilst he was down here on holiday. I tried to reply with some words of wisdom and inspiration but could only come up with a half corny remark as I typed out his reply with tears in my eyes. I miss my kids already and haven’t even left the hard back onto the water. It is going to be really tough to leave on this trip and I hope I will be able to control my emotions. Yes I know I sound like a girl but I think that we all have some girl in us sometimes.
25 Jul. 11
For some or other reason I woke up at 01h40 this morning and haven’t been able to get back to sleep so eventually I just got up. Its now 03h10 and I think I will make myself a cup of coffee and accept that my day has already begun. A little earlier than usual and I am sure that by this afternoon I am probably going to regret this. However sometimes your body decides something other than your mind and whilst the two of them argue you are stuck in the middle.
At the moment we are on the hard as sailors would call it, which means the boat is out of the water on dry land, quite obvious really. Well life on the hard is a lot harder than life on the water. To explain a typical day on the hard will begin with the pressing need to go to the bathroom first thing in the morning as soon as you wake up. I don’t know if we are all the same but for me that first call of nature doesn’t allow much margin for error and the sooner I can get to the bathroom the better.
The bathroom however is on the other side of the boatyard some fifty metres away and first you have to negotiate a two metre high rickety step ladder whilst your eyes are not quite ready to focus. Needless to say the trip to the bathroom in the morning can be an interesting one. After all the necessary and a quick shower its back across the boat yard and up the ladder onto the boat.
Normally at this point I would open the tap, fill the kettle and make myself a cup of coffee. No! First I have to take the kettle for a walk, down the ladder, around the boatyard looking for an available tap, then fill the kettle and back up the ladder. After two and sometimes three cups of coffee I am now ready to tackle the rest of the day. The bathroom exercise will be repeated a few times as and when required during the course of the day. Then the repair work inside the boat can begin. The repairs on the outside have to wait until about one in the afternoon so that the boat has time to dry.
Due to the high humidity here the decks are soaking wet in the mornings so every time that you go down the ladder onto the ground and back up, the ground comes back with you, turning into mud once you arrive back on deck leaving a nice big muddy trail everywhere you go. This wouldn’t be so bad if you could just use a squeegee to quickly dry up the decks but due to the none slip surfaces the squeegee just tears apart as you wipe. The more you dry up the more the condensation seems to wet. So we have learnt to patiently wait till the sun has dried the deck then broom the mud that has now turned back into sand off the decks. At about five the work on deck has to stop and be covered with roof plastic to keep dry overnight. This predicament allows very little time for deck work so progress has been slow.
During this week we are going to try our first lay up of fibreglass on the deck once we have cut out and replaced the piece of rotten plywood. The first time is always the hardest because we are not confident in our ability. Cutting out and replacing the rotten wood pieces isn’t a problem since we gained lots of experience working with wood whilst building our house. Fibreglass however is foreign to us but we will just have to try and hope for the best.
Lola baked our first bread yesterday made from raw ingredients and it was mouth watering good as only hot baked bread can be. This has been something that has concerned me as we could never stock and carry enough bread for ocean crossings. Not the amount of bread our family requires.
At least we seem to have come a full circle at this point. First the absolute shock and horror of discovering the problems on the boat. Then added to this the damage caused during the two different haul outs. Next disbelief followed by anger. Anger at ourselves for being so stupid and naïve to believe that we didn’t need to have a professional survey done on the boat. Anger that we believed that Greg whom we bought the boat from was honest and above board. And to complete the circle accepting the situation that we find ourselves in.
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