On the hard at Grenada Marine in St. David's.
On Tuesday, we waved goodbye to Amanzi and Mange Toute in the lagoon at St. George's, and headed out to sail around to St. David's -- quick trip we figured, about 10 miles, with a quick stop at Prickly Bay to pick up the bottom paint at Budget Marine. Got the paint, and then it was chop, chop, chop, blow, blow, blow, rain, rain, rain, etc. I'd just about completely forgotten about this aspect of sailing (the sailing part) after a couple of weeks lounging in the lagoon. We were averaging about two knots, and our fancy electronics told us that the last couple of miles would take an eternity, and probably land us in St. David's after dark, so we ducked into Clark's Court Bay and sat out the heavy rain there.
Over to the marina by 8 am, and then we had to wait several hours to haul while they used the lift to do some prop work on another boat. Then out we come, and what a mess poor Nancy has been wallowing in. Dirty, dirty bottom. Yard guys do a quick once-over with wide scrapers, then the pressure wash, then into the stands. By cocktail hour, we'd scraped the rest of the goop and barnacles off and we called it quits for the day.
The yard crew are very helpful, and there's a little Island Waterworld store that's been very useful. Otherwise, the facilities are rustic. There's one really nice toilet seat over in the bathroom building. I suspect they gave it a coat of Awlgrip over at the paint shop. That's the high point of the toilet/shower/laundry report.
That was Wednesday, and today is Saturday. How time flies when you're on the hard. It flies like a cloud of mosquitoes. Slow and painful. Sanding, scrubbing, painting -- one undercoat has been applied (silver, very elegant) -- and as soon as the yard guys arrive to help shift the jackstands, the rest of the bottom paint will go on. Except it's raining. Started just after I finished washing all the towels and clothes by hand in a bucket and hanging them all over the boat. In Grenada, this rain shower is called the extra rinse. Wringing out towels is good for your upper arms. (Hint: wrap the wet towel around a stay and twist like crazy.)
While waiting for the rain to stop, Randy has replaced the packing in the stuffing box around the propellor shaft. Who knew a man could bend that way. The prop has been scraped, sanded, shined up and greased. Crumbly zinc has been replaced. There's still a list a page long of other bits to deal with. SB will be emptying the anchor locker and end-for-ending the chain.
The bottom paint is an interesting colour. It's been dubbed "Romantic Rasberry."
So it's 90 degrees, no breeze, 100 percent humidity, and we've just run out of Muskol. Bugs are targeting insteps, thighs and elbows today, just for a switch from ankles, shins and shoulders. Randy says "is it beer time yet?" It's 9:38, and we've been at it since 7, so ya, it's beer time.
Splashdown is scheduled for Monday.
On Tuesday, we waved goodbye to Amanzi and Mange Toute in the lagoon at St. George's, and headed out to sail around to St. David's -- quick trip we figured, about 10 miles, with a quick stop at Prickly Bay to pick up the bottom paint at Budget Marine. Got the paint, and then it was chop, chop, chop, blow, blow, blow, rain, rain, rain, etc. I'd just about completely forgotten about this aspect of sailing (the sailing part) after a couple of weeks lounging in the lagoon. We were averaging about two knots, and our fancy electronics told us that the last couple of miles would take an eternity, and probably land us in St. David's after dark, so we ducked into Clark's Court Bay and sat out the heavy rain there.
Over to the marina by 8 am, and then we had to wait several hours to haul while they used the lift to do some prop work on another boat. Then out we come, and what a mess poor Nancy has been wallowing in. Dirty, dirty bottom. Yard guys do a quick once-over with wide scrapers, then the pressure wash, then into the stands. By cocktail hour, we'd scraped the rest of the goop and barnacles off and we called it quits for the day.
The yard crew are very helpful, and there's a little Island Waterworld store that's been very useful. Otherwise, the facilities are rustic. There's one really nice toilet seat over in the bathroom building. I suspect they gave it a coat of Awlgrip over at the paint shop. That's the high point of the toilet/shower/laundry report.
That was Wednesday, and today is Saturday. How time flies when you're on the hard. It flies like a cloud of mosquitoes. Slow and painful. Sanding, scrubbing, painting -- one undercoat has been applied (silver, very elegant) -- and as soon as the yard guys arrive to help shift the jackstands, the rest of the bottom paint will go on. Except it's raining. Started just after I finished washing all the towels and clothes by hand in a bucket and hanging them all over the boat. In Grenada, this rain shower is called the extra rinse. Wringing out towels is good for your upper arms. (Hint: wrap the wet towel around a stay and twist like crazy.)
While waiting for the rain to stop, Randy has replaced the packing in the stuffing box around the propellor shaft. Who knew a man could bend that way. The prop has been scraped, sanded, shined up and greased. Crumbly zinc has been replaced. There's still a list a page long of other bits to deal with. SB will be emptying the anchor locker and end-for-ending the chain.
The bottom paint is an interesting colour. It's been dubbed "Romantic Rasberry."
So it's 90 degrees, no breeze, 100 percent humidity, and we've just run out of Muskol. Bugs are targeting insteps, thighs and elbows today, just for a switch from ankles, shins and shoulders. Randy says "is it beer time yet?" It's 9:38, and we've been at it since 7, so ya, it's beer time.
Splashdown is scheduled for Monday.
posted by Susan at 2:19 PM
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