Getting Ready

Pemandia
Peter Fabricius
Sun 28 Apr 2024 08:14
I flew out to Madeira as planned very early on Thursday after a restless short night in an airport hotel. The flight was fine, but turbulent winds and a sharp turn just before landing are well known problems at Funchal Airport and at the very last minute the pilot pulled out and went round for a second go. I checked into the same hotel that Emily and I stayed in last year and had a day of enforced idleness because the yard was all locked up for a public holiday. So I enjoyed walking into Sta Cruz, sitting in the sun etc.
Work started on Friday. All is well after a winter sheltered in the shipyard under the runway but everything was covered in fine dust which had become deeply ingrained into every surface. It has taken hours of cleaning and still isn’t complete.
We were launched at 1600 after the team had touched up the antifouling where the props had been. The painting was very well done, surely worth a few hours off our passage time home. I replaced the propeller anode, the others are all fine. Once in the water I had to reconnect the backstay which I had to disconnect because of the size of the boat lift. Engine started and I motored round to the marina in Quinta do Lorde.
The only defect I have found is that the second vhf aerial was lying on the deck.this is used for AIS. I will try and get a short term replacement and bolt it to the pushpit but the AIS seems to work ok as it is. . .
So Saturday was spent doing more cleaning and a trip to the supermarket to get enough provisions for a couple of days. We will do the main shop on Monday after Huon has settled in.
Still haven’t decided when we will start our passage home - probably Thursday.
Sent from Yacht Pemandia