Hard work and frustration
Oriole
Sun 7 Dec 2008 17:52
Chaguaramas, Trinidad 10:40.76N
61:37.90W
We arrived back in Trinidad to find the painters
still hard at work on our coach roof although the cockpit was largely
finished. This meant that we could start the laborious task of refitting
all the deck fittings, clutches, winches, hatches, which had been removed by us
in June to get the paint job done. The inside of Oriole was also in chaos
with all the headlinings (ceilings) down so we could get to the underside of
everything that was bolted through.
Oriole stripped for
painting
Most of the lights had been disconnected but joy of
joys our obsessional waterproofing had prevented any water getting below through
the holes for the deckfittings as the painters use a lot of water for washing
down before painting. We managed to continue to work without getting in
their way but they were still at it the day we launched with some touching up to
do even after that!
We could see this wonderful phenomenon
too.
We have been getting up at 0430 and working till
1800 with a break in the middle of the day when it is too hot to work. Now a
month after we returned the work is finished, we have reassembled the boat back
together again, and we should be ready to leave. However we have now
been waiting for three weeks for a new liferaft to arrive from the UK - original
estimate 6 days. It has sat for a fortnight at Heathrow while the Customs
and Security Officials made a meal of preventing it getting on its booked
flight. It is now due to arrive in Trinidad on Tuesday and apparently has
already arrived in Barbados and is awaiting the next available flight.
Meanwhile we were supposed to be in Bequia 150
miles north of here for Annette Ridout's 60th birthday party.
Our Trinidad friends Don and Cathryn (Don is the Trinidad RCC local
representative) were due to stay on Oriole in Bequia and they had organised a
big party on Tuesday evening. Well! to cut a long story short we are
flying up to Bequia tomorrow so we can attend both parties and hope that our
liferaft will be here when we return on Thursday.
Oriole awaiting her liferaft raring to
go.
Kind friends here will be keeping an eye on Oriole
in our absence. By the time we write again next weekend we hope that we will
have sailed or at least be ready to go.