Lift out & Lift off - 38:46.48N, 076:33.82W
AJAYA'S CRUISE
Phil & Nikki Hoskins
Tue 22 Sep 2009 09:33
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The weather turned unseasonably foul on Labour
Day with overcast skies, and by mid-morning we had idyllic Baby Owl Cove all to
ourselves, there having been some 12 boats sharing the anchorage the
previous day. We made the decision to return to Herrington early
to prepare the boat for lift out and after that our flight back to the
UK
 To cut an hour off our return journey we
negotiated Knapps Narrows, a delightful but shallow cut through the
peninsular lined with marinas and restaurants. A single Bascule bridge links the
southern part of the peninsular to the mainland which opens on demand. Then we
shook the moths out of the sails and romped across the bay at a
breathtaking 5 knots (well we were foul on our bottom - so to
speak).
The lift went perfectly, a
truly professional service form the boatyard guys, taking great care to get
the slings in the right place underneath the boat.
    We retired to the customer lounge whilst Ajaya
was jet washed !
.........
then chocked off in the yard.......
The underside was in reasonable condition although
our starboard propeller was slightly loose which we had noticed for some days
due to a vibration through the hull at cruising revs. Nikki blamed
the idiot that had fitted the props back at Hayling prior to launch, and
for once I couldn't think of any good excuses.
 Being out of the water presented us with a new
problem. We were now over 200 yards from the washroom facilities
and having pumped out the holding tanks prior to arriving in Herrington this
meant we were faced with a long walk to answer the call of nature. As
with most people of our age, getting through the night without a
bathroom visit was extremely rare, but taken for granted. But now, in
a bleary eyed stupor we had to negotiate the back steps of the boat,
then down a step ladder before striding purposefully (but sometimes
running) across the gravel to the facilities in whatever clothing one could
grope for at that hour of day, hopefully avoiding the attention of any
rabid foxes said to inhabit the boatyard (according to the Harbour Patrol
chappie). Needless to say, our liquid intake of an evening was reduced to
almost zero to avoid these nightly excursions, but, mid-life habits are so hard
to break !
With Ajaya safely tucked up for a few weeks we left
for BWI airport and the 7 hour flight to the UK where the inevitable delays
stacked up over Heathrow after a very pleasant flight. The landing in a
difficult cross wind was somewhat hairy and the need for the very heavy braking
of the Boeing 767 was blamed by the pilot on a rabbit sitting on the
runway!
With no room at terminal 5 the plane had
to park on a remote stand and then there were no buses available as all the
transatlantic flights had arrived simultaneously - yes, we were well and truly
back in the UK but looking forward to a reunion with family and friends and a
visit to the Southampton Boat Show to catch up on ex-colleagues who continue
to ply their skills within the marine industry in these difficult
times. On the day we felt a sense of irony that the area in the show
formerly occupied by our company over many years had been turned into a
children's play area! Hope they have as much fun as we did over the
years.
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