Week ending 27 July 2008
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Week Ending 27 July, 2008 Sunday, I finished taking
the trim off the sail and 10.00 went to the Book/DVD Swap at the marina next
door. Then it was
back to the boat to make the base for my key lime pie, I could not make the
filling as I had no lime juice. Off to
Dominoes and bought some lime juice from the supermarket on the way. Back to the
boat and made the filling for the pie and went for a cup of tea with Jim while
I left it to set in the fridge. I was feeling pretty ill and was told I could
take paracetamol and Ibuprofen with the antibiotics, I took the lot and it did
get me through the evening rather than crawl away into a hole. We had a Pot
Luck BBQ here tonight, hence the pie to take. I was the only one who went in
the pool. I helped Bob
get off the pontoon as he is going out to anchor. Monday, July
21, 2008 I did wake
up at 6, not feeling too bad. I was working by 6.30 and spent 4 hours in
project management. I phoned the electricians and they sent a man over to
check out where to put the batteries. These weigh 65 pounds each and I really
need to put them with the others, so that is 65lbs x 5 on one side of the boat,
now I have to balance the other side, it can really only be heavy tools. I phoned the
paint people and ordered the antifoul, the girl still had an envelope on her
desk with my boat name on it containing the invoice and the change from last
year. It is a long walk and I could not face it last year or this, because
again they delivered the paint and I paid the driver; keep the change. I also asked
a technician about using the watermaker in freshwater and it should be ok. Then I went
in search of sail tape or someone to repair the sail. Third attempt lucky.
They would send a truck to pick up the sails, I would have both checked and get
an estimate tomorrow. Then I went
into the riggers to see about getting mast steps, but had to run out as I saw
the sail truck leave to deliver a sail and I had to get back to the boat before
they got there. I told the security girl on the gate and Calvin knows
perfectly well where I am, but they sent the truck in completely the wrong
direction. I phoned the office and she phoned the guys, they were on the phone
being told where I was just as they drew up next to me. I tossed the sails
over the side, with the bags. I cannot get the sails folded small enough to
get them in the bag, but they come back as tiny packages. Something to do with
having clear floor space to roll them up and people to sit on them as they
roll. Even if I could find the space there would be too much grit to try it. The genoa
was taking up the cockpit and now I have all this lovely space. Time to
visit Jim for a cup of tea and see what he has been up to in the last 4
months. It is nice to see someone else who has been working their socks off
and nothing much visible to show for it. I left Jim
looking at his engine, this is a good start, he just has to fit it in his boat. I decided to
tackle the cockpit locker. I have a special battery box to contain the new
batteries and this has to be fixed to the floor. I took everything out and
decided what had to be done before the batteries arrive. I moved the
watermaker switch to somewhere more accessible, this only required a longer
piece of wire with a spade terminal, rather like the one on the end of my 12v
extension cable. The red cable was longer than the black one and this equaled
them up nicely, I will just have to put a new terminal on the red cable later.
When I had finished I flicked the switch just to check it moved, but the
watermaker started. Oops, I didn’t know it was live. That is what
happens when you wire several things into one switch on the panel, I had the
swith on for the fan indoors. Lots of
penetrating oil and tweaking later and time to put everything back in the
locker. Only light stuff was going back in. I now have 5 buckets. The only
things I have left out are two anchors, I will have to stow these at the bow
(pointy end) somehow; but it is 6pm and so that is another days task. Tuesday, 22
July I started the
day by visiting Jim, armed with a pair of tweezers and a foot complete with
metal splinter. I had dug some of it out, but it needed someone who could see
what they were doing. A pair of reading specs, a magnifying glass and some
degree of pain later, hopefully it was all out. I needed to
go across to Crews Inn, but rather than walk I decided to use the dinghy. I
took it out of its bag, got the footpump and inflated it. I attached eyes to
the transom in preparation for my lifting harness. I really need one in the
floor at the front, but that is not a good idea in an inflatable dinghy. I dropped it
from the boat to the path, having to wait for a guy who chose right there to
stop and have a phone conversation, oblivious to what might come down on his head.
I declined the offer of a tractor (?) presumably a trolley and pulled the
dinghy over my back and set off. There were men on a boat in the next yard
telling me to ‘get help, get help’. I staggered to the dock,
launched the dinghy and they then changed it to ‘next time, get
help.’ I got the oars and the tool box that I use as a seat and set off
across the water. I had been wearing a white vest, which was dirty, so I took
a clean white top with me to put on, but that too was soon dirty. Climbing up
dinghy docks is not easy at low tide. I went into
YSATT office to add my name to the list of complaints about the dogs, then went
to the electronics firm to progress my autopilot problem. I rowed back
and went to Budget and asked about mast steps, I thought 20 would do. I
checked how fast they could be delivered from St Maarten and that the riggers
could fit them. Back at the
boat I did manage to make one of the two remaining backing plates for the
winches, the shape was not round by the time the boat contours had been taken
into account and it was unreasonably difficult. I have yet to adapt the metal
plate to go with it. I could not face making the last one today. Wednesday,
July 23, 2008 I ran to
Budget and waited for them to open and was trying to get a price for the steps,
when the rigger passed by and asked how many I was getting. 35 feet at
18” apart, I said 20. We measured my leg and I can only step up
1’, so I need 35. I would come back in the afternoon, because a group of
us were going into Port of Spain to go shopping. I only
bought 2 DVDs, a blueberry and pomegranate smoothie and a donut; but at least
it proves I don’t need much. I did want to go down Charlotte St, but a
local man told us not to go, it is not like it used to be – and it always
used to be dodgy. I would have gone, but I had 3000TT in my unzipped pockets
that I had in case I had to pay for the mast steps. They boys did not want to
go, so we gave up. On the maxi
trip in we had seen graffiti against our kind on walls – ‘yauthies
go home’. Variations on this, none of them spelt correctly, but we got
the gist. I went and
paid for my sails, they are all done, including the complete restitching of the
genoa sacrificial strip. At least that is something finished. I have left
them there until I am a bit more ready for them. I took the
wheel and the autopilot off, but then put it back together, I will wait for the
man who is coming to look at it tomorrow afternoon. I got a phone call to say
my solar panel would be available for collection in an hour and a half. I was
too excited to start anything, so went over to see Jim. By 5pm I was
the proud owner of a solar panel, 5’ x 2’, I only have the
sprayhood to attach it to, I just have to work out how. Thursday, 24
July I took 3
white flares round to Tropical as Mariposa are collecting out of date flares
for safe disposal, these expired in 2001, but 2 of them still looked perfect. I sat under
the canopy by the pool and had a quick look at a local paper. Port of Spain
used to run at 1 murder a day, so it should be up to 225, but it was 299. One
25 year old man opened his door carrying his 5 month old baby and both of them
were killed. I was being
picked up at 10 to go to the supermarket, I thought it was about time I stocked
up. I did spend considerable time by the cash machine and on the phone to the
bank, once again they had protected my money from me. I
didn’t get much further, the electrician is arriving at 8.30 tomorrow and
the electronics man could not make it today so he is due just before lunch. I
need the electricity off for the first guy and on for the second one; all my
planning has been shot through, we shall just have to see how it goes. I headed for
the pool and Penny, crewing on a classic ketch going to Rio de Janiero, was
cutting hair. I had done mine, but had been told that the back was not
straight. Penny very kindly did what she could. The pool had
a Spanish corner, a French corner, a British corner and two local lads at the
steps, not bad for a 12’ pool. Friday, 25
July The
electrician arrived at 8.30 and the two new batteries were soon installed in my
lovely box. Then he drilled the hole in the coaming for the solar panel cable
to go through, I had a cable gland left over from my old autopilot. The
Raymarine dealer arrived, it was a bit of a squeeze, and checked out the
autopilot and went back to his office and wrote an e-mail to the people who had
fitted it, so now we wait for the next instalment. I had a
spare inverter and was going to keep the original indoors and put the spare
direct onto the batteries in the locker. I started to smoke before we switched
it on, so abandoned that idea and threw it away and moved the old one;
hopefully this will run my sewing machine. The
regulator has had its adjusting plastic screw anhilalated and we are not sure
where it is set, so I am trying to run the batteries down and see if they
charge back up tomorrow. I really did not want to buy a new regulator this
year. I have not
fixed the solar panel, so it is tied down by 4 pieces of string, no strong
winds are forecast. I have enough cable to tie it to the side guardrails if
anything untoward happens to the sprayhood. A good days
work and finished before 3. I then set off to find the fittings I need to
attach the solar panel to the sprayhood. I had no luck and am modifying my
design for the nth time. I do not want to make unnecessary holes in the
sprayhood and will treat it as work in progress for a while yet. I did get
the electrician to drop off an empty cable drum and I found another on in the
bin by Budget. These will be my steps so that I can reach the waterline. I
really should start the hull this weekend. It has been
very hot today, no rain and so the pool was warmer than it has been, I like it
that way. Saturday,
July 26, 2008 I had such
high hopes for today. By 8am I had taped up my waterline, about 4 inches
higher than previously. I used up one of the laundry tokens I had left over
from when I hauled out, towel, bedding and really dirty stuff. I did some hand
washing of nice clothes, but left those to soak. Mike came by
and we helped Jim launch his dinghy. It was going to rain but I had an hour or
so, time to pop to Budget for a few bits. Unfortunately Budget did not have
what I wanted and I set off for Peakes, and it started to rain. It was
torrential, a tropical wave passing. As I was wet I carried on to the bank,
but the 2 ATMs had been tampered with and had taken themselves out of service.
By now I would have given a drowned rat a run for its money and I would have
won. Back at the
boat I hung out the unrinsed washing, it might as well rinse in the rain. I started on
the solar panel installation and the first brilliant idea did not work, so on
to the second. I could not get my drill to go through the thick poles. I gave
up after trying lots of drill bits, hopefully it is just the battery being low.
I borrowed a
scaffold end, they are very heavy and A shaped so I can climb up one side and
move it along. I had bought a cleaner that I thought was what I wanted, it was
on offer so I have 4 bottles, but I think it is washing up liquid and not
cleaner, so I won’t be buying any more washing up liquid this year. I washed the
hull down, it was not brilliant, but I have to polish it anyway and it made me
feel like I had achieved something that had to be done before I launch. I went for a
cup of tea with Jim and then for a quick swim and a shower. Sunday, 27
July 2008 It is
Zoe’s birthday today, Happy Birthday, Zoe. I am
planning either to sand the bottom or polish the top of the hull before
dominoes, but this is weather dependent. If it rains first thing then I shall
continue trying to drill the holes in the alumninium tubing, which should be
easy, but we shall have to see if tomorrow gives me a break. As it is
Sunday in the UK I shall send this now. |