The old slapper still scrubs up a treat!   I could really get myself into deep water here but we have just spent 2 frantic days getting Lady C lifted out at the yard and have scrubbed her bottom and given her two coats of lovely bright red anti-foul paint below the water line. Gaynor is sporting the same finish but hers is everywhere and I'm pleased she'll be a barnacle free zone for the next six months.  We also polished all the topsides and stainless steel fittings, she will now go to the ball resplendent in her new costume.  She really does look beautiful and already has many admirers here.  We were lifted out of the water by sailing into something like a deep parking bay which had a huge crane lift,on wheels, built over it, spanning from one side to the other. As we approached the driver called out and asked if we could turn round and come in backwards, he'd obviously never seen a 1936 Hilyard with an offset prop and an 8' bowsprit being manuvered, so in my best Castillian Spanish I told him "Que no es possible senor" and he gave that true Spanish shoulder shrug and looked very unhappy,I think I won him round when he later asked me if I wanted him to get a set of ladders to get Gaynor off the boat and I told him I'd give him 50 Euros if he didn't.    There were huge heavy webbing strops  which had been let right down into the water to enable us to sail in over them then, once  we were in place, the strops were raised up and we were lifted clean out of the water, straight up in the air! A very strange feeling and one I could only enjoy for a short time as the crane driver told me I needed to jump off (literally) to control the bowsprit which seemed intent on harming itself on the wall in front of us. Gaynor was horrified as I leapt for the shore and left her soaring skywards in a fifteen ton wooden boat with absolutely no aerodynamics.... Once we were just above land height the huge crane drove off through the yard before coming to a swaying rest and setting us gently down. I thought at first that we were going to have to look for a hotel for a couple of nights as we were left in the yard hanging in the hoist strops with the bottom of the keel resting on two blocks of wood on the ground.  Gaynor was very unhappy with this jaunty arrangement at first and was convinced that the strops were going to slip off and the boat would fall over.   Half past six this morning, launch day, found us accepting an early delvery of paint from Brian of Paradise marine and starting to paint in the dark with the help of some very bright port floodlights.   A week ago last Wednesday the new boom arrived and we were very very pleased to get it after an endless stream of red tape at Las Palmas looked as if it was going to be held there until it was eventually turned into toothpicks.     I spent two days on Max's patio whittling the ends down so they will accept the old boom fittings and Gaynor applied 20 coats of varnish, today Max & Bibi kindly arranged for the local skip driver to collect it and bring it down to us.  It arrived unceremoniously dumped in a skip on the back of a tipper truck.  Not a very good start but we are very pleased to welcome it aboard and hope that it enjoys it's new home, how lucky?  - Caribbean for your maiden voyage!  All other repairs have gone well and we are hoping to leave late on Wednesday or Thursday next week.  Gaynor is getting a shopping list prepared. I really hope she doesn't find beanfeast here, it seems to be omnipresent in every locker I open.