Beez Neez now Chy Whella - Beez to 04/11/18

Beez to 04/11/18

Beez Neez now Chy Whella

Big Bear and Pepe Millard

Sun 4 Nov 2018 23:57

Beez Progress This Week to the 4th of November 2018

Monday 29th. Bear sanded the hutch, main door bits and did a load of tidying in the cockpit before beginning to load the lazarette with ‘stuff’ from the store. I put another coat on the hutch and checked the hand rails.

The newly tidied office was soon wet as a tidy-up coat was put around the seat and the edge of the desk. The doors had another coat, the bottom section was left to dry on the office seat and the top bit found space on the cooker – now part of my workshop.

Late morning we settled to carpet cutting. I nipped up above for an aerial view of a busy Bear. Bear went about the estate and I cut my teeth by carpeting the office.

Bear settled in the late afternoon to put the dodgers back on. The girl really looks dressed now.

Tuesday 30th. BB put my fishing reel on the back rail, the stainless is beginning to look nice and shiny but another once round, perhaps I’ll wait until Beez is on the dock....... Bear put a carrier bag on as a ‘temporary hat’, a permanent one has now gone on my sewing list. Then he went off to do a few jobs before he sanded the generator hutch, yet again.

I settled to lay the bedroom carpet, rather smart with the new bathroom mat. Then I set about doing the sea berth carpet. Another late finish. Showers, steak for supper and a couple of losses at Triominoes.

Wednesday 31st. After breakfast I put the final coat of varnish on the generator hutch. Bear did some tidying then went to the store to collect the spare sails. I tidied the sea berth and found a pot of instant Horlicks (on a spreadsheet of course), nice change from tea and water. Bear put the inflatable fenders in sea berth cupboard three as I couldn’t fight them in, it may look as if he is getting a sneaky lay-down but it was a huge struggle. Sea berth all ready for the sails. After lunch we played backgammon, at two down I was fed up so felt the need to win the next five. Growling. Bear swung the main, ready to lower it to me and put his right shoulder out. Oh no. Somehow he managed to wiggle it in to place and then the genoa. He collected the gennaker on the trolley, we hoisted it aboard between us and again it was wiggled in to place. Clearly in pain, Bear would not stop but promised to do light jobs, left handed.

I was going to spend the afternoon cleaning Mr Dickinson (the heater in the corner – my most loathed of all my pink jobs). After a couple of hours I was so put out at not getting anywhere with dirty dollops, rusty bits, filthy hands and a grimy cloth that I attacked the office.

Bear put a few things away under the office bed, I got ‘that view again’ and then I made the bed up. Sadly, it only stayed neat for a minute as cases had to be piled in, exciting though as the cases are full of bits and bobs for Sleeping Indian in Antigua.

Jimmy and his boys came to mask up the girl for her anti-fouling. On went the grey undercoat.

Thursday 1st. The girl looks amazing after just the first of her black anti-fouling layers.

Bear cleared the deck quite a bit, put the anodes on and chased up the life raft service.

By the afternoon the girl looked as good as new with her black bottom really black, her lines crisp and perfect.

I put up the voile panels in the sea berth and the office, just to look at something pretty rather than essential ‘piles of stuff’. Bear replaced the bow thruster propellers. I started the lounge carpet but had to stop to feed Bear.

Friday 2nd. Bear touched up the paint nicks on the deck whilst I finished the lounge carpet. Notes to self on carpet laying. Using your big dressmakers scissors does produce quite a blister on little pinky but you scrape it off and Selotape a bit of tissue in place, you carry on until strength fails. Next day you don’t feel like Wellard Millard until your plaster keeps falling off, Selotape won’t hold it in place so you fall back on black gaffer tape. Kneeling on an electric cable hurts your knee and the third time swearing does not help the now bruised knee. The back of a scratchy carpet does make your knuckles sore. I certainly gave Mr Dickinson a wide berth, instead I sanded and put a coat on the lounge wall by the bedroom door having decided to cut the room into four equal-ish chunks. At the end of the day it was quite nice to be able to cross off another couple of ‘things’ on the job list.

Happy Deepavali outside Tesco.

After lunch we did the usual shopping run - pick up car from the marina boys, nip to Jimmy, oh no Jimmy, so we rang “I’ll be at the shop at three”. Off to Mr DIY, Tesco and back to Jimmy’s, still no sign. Off to Aeon and a sneaky KFC before picking up a few bits and guess what, back to Jimmy’s. I swopped a can of Epifanes for a tin of International Satin and Bear bought a tube of sealant (sure he snorts the stuff). Back to unpack the shopping, finish the game we had started at lunchtime and crash to watch a couple of episodes of Shadow Lines.

Saturday 3rd. Bear spent all day cleaning, masking and re-sealing the toe rail to deck joint on the starboard side of the girl. I finished the lounge wall and door frames. The first picture comes from shopping yesterday, the Happy Deepavali is made from dyed rice mixed with glitter, we had seen the ladies laying out the design when we shopped last week. Clean brass back in place and then I asked Bear to help me put Mr Dickinson back together. Working left handed I managed to drop the nut that holds the collar of decorative heat disperser. No plonk, so out came the torch and the skipper had to fish about inside. Officially Mr Dickinson is my most loathed ‘thing’ on Beez. A so-and-so to clean, I could rip it out and fill the hole in the roof along with the dorades. That’s a bit harsh, they look nice all sparkly, yes, but they don’t stay that way for long. I did Bear proper tuna for supper and somehow managed to remove every bone. A blistering win on Mexican Train and another long but satisfying day.

Sunday 4th. I popped out to see Bear and found him lying down on the job, no sooner than I got the camera than I found him drinking his tea with that cute smile on his face.