WE are still in Suva and for the last two days have been on a slipway. No, it is not serious but we need a clean bottom for entering into Australia.

 

So, after a seemingly fruitless search for a boatyard that could lift Karacool out, we came to the Royal Suva Yacht Club. And with much bureaucratic to’ing and fro’ing, we put Karacool on the slip and with the help of the local dive and salvage shop, and the yachtclub staff,  cleaned her two hulls with a pressure washer and then painted the antifoul paint up to the water line.

 

We had to enter the slip at high tide which was at 6am on Thursday so poor Stephen gingerly motored into position after we slipped our lines from the dock. Karacool was almost in place when the staff came to help block her up. The whole exercise was done within 40 minutes and then it was time to wait for the tide to go out a little so we could start cleaning and painting.

 

The pictures will fill you in.

 

 

 

There is not much light at 6am.

 

 

 

No snorkel and just one mask between two guys who kept dipping below the muddy water to see where to put the blocks. This is Asif who is a star – in fact they all are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the fun begins.

 

 

 

 

And by the end of the day, Karacool is looking like a new woman. We leave the slip tomorrow morning at high tide. That is assuming she does not slip herself as she did last night. The second high tide was higher than predicted because of the swell and very low pressure. But all in all it is a great job and we can now enter Australia knowing all is well below.