Boracic lint in Gib

X86
Rich Carey
Thu 14 Sep 2017 09:45
New sails; Another new liferaft (!); New window covers; Dental work; New water pumps; Heaps and heaps of spare parts. It may be cheaper to go around the world on a cruise ship!
I bought a brand new 6 man liferaft in Turkey (May), to replace a horrid 10 man soft valise one. Being in Gib is a big part of the ARC crossing prep, which involves a major boat inspection in Las Palmas. Fail the inspection, and you can't go - serious stuff. Digging into the literature, I found my liferaft is a  coastal cruiser, not ocean spec. Blast, totally my fault. Managed to source a full spec one, in Spain, which I'll be fitting next week. Not a cheap mistake.
One piece of 'well that's lucky' concerns navigation lights. For no good reason, I had x86 fitted with standard, and mast head Tri lights, back when she was built. ARC spec, requires this! Excellent.
Then there's a heap of safety equipment, and medical requirements. Hard work to aquire all the various stuff, but when you've done it, you are so much better equipped for the challenge.
Had 5 teeth extracted and fillings galore. I'm a dentist dodger, and every now and then it catches up with me. Horrible, but glad it's done. Will have implants done, somewhere cheap later. Meantime, most meals will come from little cans with pictures of babies on. Beer quaffing unaffected, so no worries :-)
Chance headed back to Uni, and a nice little flat in the main town, and Karen legs it Monday. They will both rejoin in the Caribbean.