We left Toronto last night after an amazing five months back in Canada. We were on the go almost every single day and spent time with family and friends we hadn’t seen for six years. Some of the friends we met and spent time with were Caribbean cruisers that were home for the summer just like us.
We weren’t sure if we could assimilate back into the hectic pace of city life. We did without any problem! In fact, I am totally exhausted from attending almost every free event that took place in downtown Toronto. We both have gained weight from visiting too many restaurants as well as dinner parties with friends. We loved every minute of our visit until the very last week when the temperatures dropped to almost freezing. It was time to leave.
We had a great flight from Toronto to Trinidad once the plane finally took off. It left the gate on time but didn’t get as far as the runway when the pilot had to turn it around and take us back to the gate due to an engine fire alarm. The mechanics and engineers arrived and determined that it was probably only a short circuit. They were absolutely right but it took them over five hours to find and fix it. We meanwhile, watched from our seats in the plane as the cowling was removed and the engine pulled apart.
We fared a little better in Trinidad where the plane to Grenada was only one hour late departing. Our friends, Susan and Jeff, the Raggy’s and Luciana from Kima were waiting in Grenada to greet us. We only had few minutes to spend with them before running off to catch our flight to Carriacou. In that few minutes we were able to unpack and give them a couple of items from Canada that they had requested along with a large box of Tim Bits from Tim Horton’s Donuts as a surprise for Jeff. I think that made his day.
In Carriacou, it felt wonderful to step out and feel the warm tropic air again. Our friend Fitzroy was waiting for us at the airport. He drove us to the yacht club and dropped us at the cottage. When we stay in the cottage its fun because not only is the cottage a very nice place to stay, but its right next door to Fitzroy’s house. This works well for us because we like to spend time with him and we even enjoy the music he plays, albeit a little loud, but that’s the island way.
We were a little tired and although Wind-Borne III is just steps away from the cottage we will wait until tomorrow to begin the job of getting everything ship shape for launch.
You may have noticed that the web site updates I promised are not visible. They are coming and are even better than I expected. The web-mistress (Kelly) has decided to redesign the site completely and from what I have seen it looks great. We kept her a little busy during our visit and left her no time to work on it but she’ll have time to finish it now that we are out of her hair. So I’m sorry for the delay but it will be worth the wait. There will be lots of new tips and links as well as additional sections. Stay tuned.
It was daylight when we awoke a little after 6AM to the sound of birds rather than the traffic noises we would normally awake to in Toronto. There was time for a quick breakfast and then we climbed aboard good old Wind-Borne III. It was extremely hot inside and even though I had washed all of the walls before leaving, there was now a light sheen of mildew everywhere. Since there is no water onboard, the wall washing will wait until we are back in the water.
Outside, under the dinghy cover on deck there appeared to have been a little nest. At first we were concerned that it looked like mice but while removing the cover I noticed a tail skitter by and was relieved that it was that of an iguana. Iguana’s unlike mice are not known for getting inside a boat and chewing on wires.
First, on the to-do list was removal of a seacock that needs replacing. This job took all morning to complete. Poor Rick was head down inside the boat and I was under the hull outside in the shade. We were both trying to unseal and unscrew the thru-hull. The first time Rick popped his head out of the companionway, he looked white (really he is, come to think of it, his tan is gone). I made him sit in the shade under the hull and drink water for a while. At noon, I could tell that the heat was really bothering him so we stopped for a nice meal at the yacht club and then went back to the air conditioned cottage for a short siesta .
Things moved along a little faster in the afternoon. The seacock was finally removed. Next, it took both of us to release and remove the aft chain-plate so that Dominic (the resident stainless/aluminum artist) can make a replacement.
Last job of the day was to remove the stainless thru-hull for the exhaust. Rick had difficulty detaching the muffler hose and that job will be tackled again tomorrow meanwhile, down in the locker, he found a container of outboard motor oil had spilt. Rick removed everything and washed it down but he now needs to check that the oil didn’t damage any hosing in the bilge. It’s another job that can wait for tomorrow.
Neither of us was hungry so we skipped dinner. Fitzroy came by after dark to and took Rick into town to meet the ferry (Osprey), which was carrying our antifouling paint, new electric windlass and other items that I know nothing about but Rick had ordered from Grenada.
It was hard work getting the boat ready to put on the hard and it’s hard work again getting it ready to launch. Life was much easier, staying afloat.
It took us hours to release and remove the exhaust thru-hull. Next we tackled the cutlass bearing which was good but had to be removed so we could remove the stuffing box and everything else that was made of rubber and may have been damaged by the oil spill. By the end of the day we had still not been able to remove the cutlass bearing so I blasted it with WD40 and left it for tomorrow. We have given up hope of launching this Saturday and we are now aiming for early next week.
Edwin, who works in the yard, began applying the antifouling paint along the waterline. He can’t do the rest of the hull until we finish with the oil mess but at least the sanding was done while we were gone..
Meanwhile in between cutting our fingers on metal, and whacking a thumb (or two) with the hammer, I had a few other things to take care of. The new electric windlass was delivered with the wrong gypsy so I called to make arrangements to have the correct size reshipped. Fitzroy was having computer problems so I went over a spent a while on his computer. I was just finishing at Fitzroy’s when my friend Susan called to let me know that she was at the yacht club. We had a little visit together just before lunch. Rick and I then had a bite to eat and a short siesta during the heat of the day.
We saw Michael (the electronic specialist on Carriacou) had removed the wifi antenna and was working on a problem. I’m hopeful that when he finishes, we will all have internet access again.
It’s Friday and we took a day off in paradise. I wanted to pick up a few groceries and get some EC dollars from the ATM in town. Our timing was perfect; Tim at the haulout was driving into Harvey Vale and offered us a lift. This saved us the hike up the hill which I am determined to climb frequently this season as part of my ``get fit`` plan. Today however, was not the day to begin. We had a gentle tropical wave passing through which provided us with five minutes of rain every hour. The downpour began just as we climbed into the car but was finished by the time we reached the Alexis Supermarket in Harvey Vale. A bus arrived immediately and went into Hillsborough to forage for food.
Our first stop was at the Marketing Board for some fruits and vegetables. As we walked through the door we were greeted with a loud, `Welcome Back, we heard you had returned` from our big friend John who runs the store.
Outside on our way to the bank, Norbert drove up, stopped his bus and said ` You didn’t surprise me! I already knew you were back.` The day went on like this. Cars honked and waved some stopped and shook our hands but the friendliest greetings were from the small shop owners and people on the street. We bumped into friends everywhere and received big hugs and kisses all morning.
With my fresh eyes and no camera, I enjoyed seeing the older ladies with their big straw hats and cotton dresses picking through the fresh fruit and vegetables of the street venders. The young mothers were walking with babies in arm (a stroller is useless on island roads) protecting them from the hot sun and occasional shower with an umbrella in the same hand. I think the men were all sitting on the same `liming` stool when we left five months ago. Nothing had changed except that the new stadium that was being built has been finished.
It had been a good rainy season and everything looked lush and green. Breadfruit, callaloo and christophenes were available in town along with bananas but mangoes are not in season yet. I’ll have to wait a little while longer for a mango fix.
When we returned to the cottage, we had lunch and a short siesta before Rick returned to the boat. He decided that the easiest way to remove the jammed cutlass bearing was to remove the shaft. He wanted to remove the shaft anyway so he could replace the hose portion of the stuffing box. It didn’t take him long so hopefully on the weekend we can begin to reassemble things.
Well Friday night in Harvey Vale means only one thing!!! Dinner and entertainment, island style at the Lambi Queen Restaurant.
We climbed the hill and walked along the road just for exercise. The beach walk was tempting but it would have been difficult to pass by the Lazy Turtle Pizza Restaurant without stopping in. We will have to stop by there during the weekend. We had an enjoyable evening and had a chance to say hello to all of our Harvey Vale friends.
The day began with an early morning rain shower which should have been a hint that things were not going to progress well today. Rick tried to remove flange from the shaft but it wouldn’t budge. As well, while cleaning the shaft he found that there was some metal deterioration where the stuffing box was. A new shaft is now required and shouldn’t be a major issue but the Tool Meister (Uwe) is off island. His wife Jutta will try and order a new one for us on Monday .
We had planned to be in the water by now and it looks like we may be another week on the hard, and in the cottage. The cottage is only available until Wednesday morning when someone else has it booked. We will have to move into one of the non-air conditioned rooms in the Yacht club. The EC dollars are mounting up. On the bright side, the hull looks good; Edwin has been busy applying the paint.
The ferry brought the sealant that Rick ordered so we were able to begin replacing the thru-hulls. The engine intake is done and we left the exhaust thru-hull for tomorrow.
It was supposed to be a rainy day but the sun was shining here in Carriacou. Rick broke it to me gently that Dominic made an error when he ordered the stainless steel (months ago) for our aft chain plate. He ordered the wrong thickness. So the old chain plate is going back on for now. We will try to get a new one made in either Grenada or Martinique later this year.
The day went well, the new exhaust thru-hull is installed, when the sealant has set the muffler hose can be attached, probably sometime tomorrow.
While still in the yard we could hear the beginnings of a weekend party at Kingsley’s house which is just up the hill from the haul out. Above all the noise, we could hear Sherwin’s laugh. We returned to the cottage for a quick shower and change before heading to the Lazy Turtle for dinner. As we reached the top of the hill we could see Sherwin, Troy, Kingsley and others climbing into Sherwin’s truck. They stopped to talk and I asked if the party was already over. On no, they exclaimed, we’re just going to get a top up. They were running out of rum and going to get more. We said our good-byes (there was no way we were climbing in the truck with them) and continued walking down the road.
I think we ran into the whole Hermitage neighbourhood on the road. We met an elderly lady with a walking stick who told us we should not be climbing the hill from the haul out without a walking stick. It’s much too steep. We then met Denise who asked if I had tried the sweet potato pudding recipe she gave me before I went home. I hadn’t because I wasn’t able to find the purple skinned sweet potatoes in Toronto.
Then we ran into Connie, who was walking due to her scooter being in for repairs.
Next we stopped to talk with Uta who will order our new prop shaft tomorrow when the businesses are open again.
Lastly we ran into Aaron (Bongo Man) who was leaving Lumba dive after filling a few dive tanks.
Finally we made it to the Lazy Turtle where Kendra gave “Ricky” and I a big hug. We said hello to Selma who was in the kitchen cooking. When Jean Baptiste arrived he joined us for a while. Later Jerry stopped by and had a drink with us.
Dinner was great; we shared a pizza and watch the lightning flashes to the north of us. The rain didn’t come near us and eventually we made our way back up and down the hills again to the cottage. We fell asleep to the sound of the drummers with the African beat from Kingsley’s party.
Before I had even finished eating my breakfast, Rick was up from the table and on his way down to the boat. He used the yard dinghy to go and see Dominic who had been able to remove the flange from the prop shaft. After one visit with Jutta who was drawing and ordering the new shaft he came back and got me. I think he just wanted to make sure I didn’t miss an opportunity to climb the hill again.
When Jutta had all of the details she needed, we returned to the boat where Rick worked on cleaning the stern and aft chain plate in preparation for its return.
In the afternoon Rick helped me carry all of the canvas to the dock where I was going to apply waterproofing using a roller. It ended up being a two man job. One person was needed just to hold the paint tray in the wind while the other rolled it on. It went well and dried very quickly but the instructions indicated that the fabric shouldn’t be used or folded for six hours. By the time we finished it was almost the end of the day so we draped some of the pieces throughout the cabin of the boat. The main sail cover we hung on the clothesline outside our cottage and the bimini piece we draped inside the cottage.
Back to work….Rick put up the dodger and bimini, attached the muffler to the new exhaust and we both attached the aft chainplate. In between his jobs, Rick played water carrier and brought me pails of water so that I could begin the task of cleaning down below. I removed the wooden slates in the aft cabin and washed everything. I was able to empty all of the cupboards on the port side of the main salon and wash the walls and cupboards and storage areas. The settee on the starboard side has three sail bags stored on it. When I can find a place to put them I’ll do that side, meanwhile I’m moving on.
We awoke to a heavy rainfall (good test for the canvas) but it didn’t last long. It’s moving day. We never imagined that it would take us more than a week to get back in the water. We moved all of our belongings into a hotel room in the yacht club. These rooms are very small so Trevor (the owner) said not to worry, he will give us an extra room to store all of our bags.
As soon as we finished the move, we headed to the boat to continue working on small items. Rick cleaned the sikaflex from the aft chain plate and I continued cleaning the interior. I’m finding indications that we may have had a mouse or rat onboard so absolutely everything is being sterilized. This has slowed me down a little as I am emptying every single cupboard and washing everything with a solution of bleach.
During my exploring I found that two of the chain plates needed new caulking so Rick was redirected to a new priority. By the end of the day I had washed the starboard side of the main salon and the head area. This leaves me with just the forward cabin and galley then I can declare the interior clean.
In the evening Fitzroy came by and asked for some computer help for the wifi connection. He received his computer back from Grenada all repaired but they had changed his network settings to dialup while they were fixing it.
Well it is obviously still rainy season because we again awake to a deluge of rain. This time it was so heavy and lasted so long that we had a major river of water running down the hill through the yard of the yacht club.
We waited for the rain and the river to subside before venturing off to town. Our timing was perfect. We had just started walking up the hill when Jerry pulled up and offered us a ride. The walk may be treacherous but driving up the same hill in Jerry’s car was hair raising. We made it safely down the road to the Lazy Turtle restaurant where we were going for breakfast.
While we ate a great omelette with toast, the race committee boat was out placing racing markers for the Trini Regatta that begins today.
After breakfast we walked into Harvey Vale and just as we arrived so did Norbert. He drove us into Hillsborough where we were able to get all of our shopping done and be back in the bus before the rain began again.
We have a fridge and a kettle with a few dishes in our room so I bought cereal, cold meats, bread, juices and coffee. We are eating out too much. We had the bus drop us at the top of the hill (our walking hill). It had stopped raining and even though the pavement on the road is purposely very rough and imbedded with stones, it was still extremely slippery. It took us a long time to progress even a little way down the hill. It is not quite as steep after the first quarter of the way and after that we could relax a little.
The rain continued throughout the day so after a short siesta, Rick went to the boat to work on a few things while I remained in the room.
Today was our friend Fitzroy’s birthday. The party was at his place and everyone bought a dish to share. Not having kitchen facilities, I had the girls in the yacht club prepare a large bowl of homemade macaroni salad for me to take.
The party was great! The music was loud and the food was plentiful. Danielle and I had our traditional game of pool. I lost. We left early and could hear the music long after we were in bed but finally around midnight it stopped.
The boat interior is clean and almost ready for us to move aboard. The aft chain plate has been tightened we are just waiting for the prop shaft. The good news is that it arrived in Grenada today so we should have it in Carriacou on either Monday or Tuesday.
It rained nonstop all morning. Trevor asked us both to take at least three showers a day as the cistern is overflowing with too much water.
I stayed in the room all morning but Rick braved the elements and worked onboard. He rebuilt one of the cabin fans that had given up the ghost. He topped up the batteries and connected a shore power cord so we can turn on the refrigerator.
In the afternoon, when the rain eased off for a couple of hours I went aboard and held the safety line while Rick went up the mast. All of the halyards had to be pulled back up and through the mast. They were protected from the sun while we were gone by a Sunbrella cover around the bottom of the mast. but there was mildew on some of the lines. A quick soaking in vinegar and they were almost as good as new.
We got the anchor lines back onboard, water in the water tank and two of the suitcase onboard, unpacked and things put away. Things were going well until we were tidying up for the night. Rick dropped a little plastic connector to the vacuum cleaner overboard. You would think that since we are on land it would be no big deal to go down the ladder and pick it up. We both looked everywhere for it without success. It could have been one of the goats, sheep, hens or dogs passing by that caught it in flight. No matter, it’s gone and we’ll have to improvise with the vacuum until we can get a replacement.
The last two suitcases were brought aboard and unpacked. Things aren’t all that organized but we’ve moved onboard. The back cushions for the settees are still bagged and protected. The bottom cushions are covered with towels. As long as we are in the yard there is too much potential for dirt being tracked onboard. I placed a large pail of water at the companionway entrance with a towel to step on. It seems to be helping.
If the shaft was to arrive on the evening ferry, Jutta was to call Rick and Fitzroy would drive him into town to meet the ferry. The call never came and we couldn’t reach Jutta so Rick didn’t go to town.
We called Jutta in the morning and she asked if we had received the shaft. It was a long story but she forgot to call. Rick went into town to the office and they said the shaft had been picked up. Later Jerry met the morning ferry and found the shaft still onboard from the night before. No big deal, all is well and we have the shaft.
While Rick was looking for the shaft, I decided that I didn’t like the new Live mail messenger and everything else that came with the Microsoft’s Vista package download on my computer, so I uninstalled it. It liked our computer and wasn’t willing to leave. I dislike it so much that I decided to reload the whole hard drive if that was the only way to get rid of it. That went well except when it came to a couple of programs like McAfee and Airmail that I needed to download from the internet. Our connection is so slow, it would have taken more than 24 hours to download so I got everything else up and running and I will follow up with the other programs later.
Rick worked on the shaft after lunch. There were no major setbacks so by evening the shaft, stuffing boxes and flanges were all in place. Sikaflex was applied and the bolts were partially tightened. We were even able to put the prop on and apply a coat of paint to the prop and flange.
There wasn’t a lot we had to do other than to tighten the bolts and wait for the travel lift to launch us. At noon we waded along the beach at high tide to the Lazy Turtle for lunch. They have a better wifi connection so I took the computer along and downloaded the few extra programs we needed.
When we returned to the yard, they were just moving a boat in beside us. As soon as the stands were in place and that boat was settled, they lifted Wind-Borne III. Edwin applied the last little bit of paint under the keel and then gently eased us into the water.
Now was the big test!!! The engine started beautifully. We let it run for a while and then Rick went below while I put it into gear to check the shaft. Oh well, things had been going a little too easily today. The shaft appeared to be very out of align. We asked Yerk (Uwe’s brother and also a mechanic), to come and have a look. He said it shouldn’t be difficult to fix. He would raise or lower the engine to fix the alignment but not today. He would be back at 8am tomorrow morning.
Well, again there wasn’t a lot we could do. We had the guys help us pull the boat around to the other side of the dock where we would spend the night and be out of the way of the travel lift.
Of course, sitting at dock people come to visit. The first visitors we had were Inga and Halli. Their boat is named “Island” and in Icelandic that translates to Iceland. They have been following us on our web site and I don’t think we have met any other Icelanders sailing or heard of any others that read our site. I was impressed.
Phil (Beothick), stopped by with a friend to say hello and just as they were leaving, Fitzroy came by as well. I, at this time was staying below in the cabin as I had just come out of the shower and wasn’t dressed for company. Fitzroy didn’t care, he came below for a visit.
The sun started to set just as everyone left and we settled in for our first evening afloat.
Well it looks like we are afloat but not at sea. Yerk came by in the morning and left with the flange that had been wrestled off of the old shaft. It appeared to be a little uneven so he took it back to his workshop and machined it. When it was re-installed, the shaft turned better but it was still a little out of alignment. The guys called Uwe in Greece who said not to mess with it just order a new one. So the good news is that at least we are in the water. Being tied to the dock is not necessarily a bad thing right now as there are some very large northern swells coming our way. Northern swells may or may not cause a nasty roll in Tyrell Bay but at dock we will be comfortable.
Rick put away all of his tools. We raised the dinghy off of the foredeck into the water. I finally organized things and made the interior more livable.
Prior to either of us finishing our first cup of coffee we were out on deck putting the sails up. All three sails were up just before the morning winds picked up.
Then we took time for a nice breakfast before starting on our to-do list. Rick worked outside on deck and when he was finished, the deck was tidy and the cockpit clean enough that we can now put the cockpit cushions out.
I removed our old curtain rods and installed the new ones we brought from home. I hung our existing curtains until I have a chance to finish making new ones.
We finished the day in the cockpit with a nice dinner of local chicken and rice.
Today was a great work day, the wind was so strong it helped make the temperature a little more bearable. Rick put the outboard engine on the dinghy and although it started on the first pull, he thought it had a problem. It didn’t, in fact it ran beautifully so he took off for in it a while. The Amelia (cargo ferry from Grenada) arrived with the gypsy for his windlass. So between meeting the ferry and going to the little Alexis supermarket for a few provisions, he was gone for a couple of hours. It gave me time to pull out the sewing machine and finish off the new curtains for the head.
After dinner, we fell asleep to the sound of someone playing steel drums along the beach at the Lazy Turtle Restaurant. Sometime during the night however we were awakened by a very strong tropical wave passing through. The wind was extremely strong and the wall of water seemed never ending. Eventually we became accustomed to the roar and fell back to sleep.
The head is finished. I hung the curtains, new towels, shower curtain and mat. They are all a lovely white so there is an additional towel and face cloth in the head just for Rick and it is definitely not white.
While I was working below, Rick was out on deck planning the installation of the new electric windlass. He has traced the footprint on deck and started cutting but has decided to wait and borrow a heavy duty drill from the marina on Monday.
Meanwhile he fished a pull string for the wire from the bow to the batteries in the stern. This isn’t a difficult job on our boat but he found that his metal fish has rusted away to nothing. It lasted long enough to finish the job but a new one will be on the list for next trip home.
We have been working without a day off for 20 days. I think I’ll retire and take it easy, ha, ha.
This morning I replaced the front panel of my stove with a new one we brought from Canada. The old panel had the temperature settings screen printed and as soon as I washed it with anything that would remove grease, it also removed the markings. Force 10 got smart, and now the settings are etched into the metal. I hope it lasts. Meanwhile, now my stove almost looks brand new.
Rick worked away at removing the support from the old windlass so that he can have a nice new support made. The wire is ordered and Dominic the steel fabricator, will try to come by tomorrow to see what needs to be done.
I started organizing a few cupboards and drawers and decided it would be nice to sing along with some Christmas music as I worked. That was a bad idea. The CD changer(it holds 6 CDs) actually ate a CD. I took the changer all apart and although even I was doubtful as to whether I could remember how it went back together. There was nothing to lose. When finished there was not even a left over screw however, although it is no longer eating CD’s it’s no longer playing them either. I think it’s time we looked at purchasing some new technology; I’m just not sure what the new technology should be yet.
The winds are starting to ease off a little and the sea is settling down.
Dominic came over in the morning and had a look at the anchor locker and windlass location. He is just finishing a job for Chris Doyle and can probably make the support we need sometime tomorrow. Rick and I will make a pattern for him.
When Dominic left, Rick went into town (Customs) to get the papers for the new flange. All replacement parts are duty free as long as the correct forms are filled out. Rick has the procedure down pat he has done it so many times. He completed the paperwork, had it stamped by customs and sent on the ferry down to the agent in Grenada.
Yerk has said that the flange will arrive late tomorrow (Wednesday) and he will install it and align the engine on Thursday for us.
The wire that we need for the windlass should also arrive on the ferry tomorrow and Michael, the electronics specialist on Carriacou has the huge crimpers and said that he will come when we call and connect the lugs.
I can feel a couple of busy days coming.
Rick worked very hard today. Dominic came over for a fitting of the stainless steel support for the windlass. Rick cut fiberglass (which he hates doing) and installed the control box and remote for the electric windlass. Everything is in place waiting for the wire.
The windlass wiring which sure looks more like cable to me arrived last night. The thinner wire (16 gauge) was out of stock. We reordered from the other chandlery and this time checked first to make sure it was in stock.
It was a ten minute job pulling in the wire since Rick had the pull strings already in place. Then he just had to put in wire the tie wrap holders
Just as we had finished the wiring, Gary and Sharon (Elusive) stopped by. They arrived in the anchorage late yesterday. Gary has become my best friend as after we said our hellos, he looked at me and said “you have lost weight”. I have been trying but he just gave me the incentive to try harder.
Yerk, asked if we could wait until tomorrow for him to install the flange. Since we are waiting for a few things (which won’t arrive until Saturday afternoon) to finish the installation of the windlass installation, we are not in any hurry.
Rick had been working so hard, we went to the club where he could have a couple of beers. Afterward, we each had a nice shower and got ready to go for dinner. At Rick’s suggestion, we climbed the workout hill and made our way to the Lazy Turtle.
I quickly baked some oatmeal muffins for breakfast because that’s all we had left onboard. We were out of bread, cereal and almost out of eggs but I only needed one egg for the muffins. After breakfast, we went into town to do some major provisioning this morning. The list was long but we were able to find almost everything we were looking for. This is probably because we know what not to look for since certain things are never available on Carriacou.
The fishermen had just brought a large amount of tuna (Bonita) ashore and I bought a nice 4 ½ lb tuna which I had them fillet for us. Normally the fishermen cut all large fish into steaks but I wanted a treat.
Just as we had finished shopping the sky clouded over and we had a deluge of rain that lasted at least half an hour. There was no wind so the cloud was just hanging over the town. As soon as the rain let up we climbed into Norbert’s bus with the bags we were carrying and he drove around and picked up our other bags that we had left at various shops.
There was barely room in the dinghy for the two of us along with all of the provisions but we managed.
After everything was put away, I cleaned the fish a little better and simmered some small pieces.
Yerk arrived and the guys began the task of installing the new coupling. Our friend Jerry (who owns the haul out) keeps joking that we are doomed. Well, we are. The sleeve on the new coupling is longer than the old one and the shaft won’t slide back far enough to get it on. There were a few options suggested. One was to grind a centimetre off the end of the new shaft another was to lift the engine and move it forward a little. We instead chose to haul out again and remove the shaft so that the new coupling could be installed first.
By the time the guys were finished and the mess put away it was time to leave by dinghy for sun downers and catch up onboard Elusive with Gary and Sharon.
Gary and Sharon had great stories to tell about being caught at sea in some of the feeder bands from hurricane Noel. As a result of their adventure, they are getting a new dodger and bimini made as well as having their mainsail repaired.
