Update
'Sarf & West mate, Sarf & West'
Pete Bernfeld
Mon 30 May 2011 19:41
night on the reef. We managed to (we think) seal the starboard hull and
clear the port hull of coral debris and get one floorboard down and nailed
in position. We experimented with the quick-drying foam and think it will
do the job, but the tide started coming back in and the foam wouldn't set
on the seals of the floorboard.
We'll go out at 0900 this morning (31st) with a firm program of work to
do. She'd moved about 50 metres in the big surf, but further onto the reef
which is good. There are now no large coral bommies near her and we reset
the anchor so if she does move again then we should gain more ground. Both
rudder assemblies have now collapsed, engines in their mounts have
detached but should still be OK and it's still possible that the saildrive
units are OK. We've also sourced two ten-ton lifting 'inflatable sausages'
so the prospects for a successful float must still be good and we now have
three days of rising tides. 'Smiley' the German said that if he really
thought we couldn't do it he would have told me to get everything off the
boat.
I'm still having my ups and downs, but weeping quietly in the night on the
yacht club floor helps somewhat. Actually, I suppose I could say that I'm
a star of stage if not screen. My 'bedroom' is on a small stage in the YC.
I put a couple of cushions down, draw the curtain and there you go.Not
en-suite but plenty of room and the occasional mozzie for company
(although Emily the bar-person gave me a can of mozzie repellent last
night which I must say made for fewer 'visitors in the night' Of course I
have to wait until the last member has left the club; all the staff know
of course. Mind you, as I'm paying $5 per day for club facilities (Fiji
dollars, 2.75 to the £) I suppose I could go to bed whenever I wanted to!
A friend mentioned that with two groundings and a near drowning I'm due
for a change of luck. I hope that he is right.
Please keep the 'electronic hugs' coming, they're the only sort I'm
getting at the moment and appreciated.
Fiji: +6799212518
A writer's life for me?
http://roastbeefonsundays.blogspot.com/