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Larry's LogFriday, was a busy day and I'm starting to get back into 'work' mode. Diane was very sick over night so she stayed in bed all day, but in the morning, I did several things in the cockpit like cleaning up, washing the boat down since there was a lot of dirt and ash coming from someplace. I also took off the rudder blade and the small counterweight from the windvane since I wanted to remove it from the bracket and store it below - we never used it and I don't really plan to in the near future. I also removed the small outboard engine bracket that the 5 hp Mariner sat on since that was no longer needed. I filled the water tanks and saw that the tank overflowed into the bilge (that was normal) - but that's how I noticed that the bilge pump was running but wasn't pumping any water (that's not normal) - another project. After a quick lunch, Tom and I went to play chess by the pool. He had finished for the morning and I wasn't planning anything so we went and had a quick swim and played a game. I won (I usually did) but we play just to concentrate on something else for a while. We went back about 3 and I finished washing the side bimini curtains since Diane was still sick. Hopefully she will be able to go to the bull fight we have tickets for tomorrow. It will be the first time we've ever seen one and I'm looking forward to it. Saturday, although the bull fight started at 4 we were going to leave at 2 because of traffic and since there were other things to see. Diane still wasn't feeling well so I went by myself, although there were about 25 other cruisers on the trip, so I was hardly alone. We got there about 2:30 and we all walked around, looking at the livestock, horses, etc. There were lots of vendors selling food and various items, and some had pretty nice leather work, although those were pretty expensive. The bull fight didn't actually start until after 5, nobody seemed to know why. Jaime, who organized the trip, explained a little about the event and Tom, who had been to many when he was growing up in Texas and Mexico, explained some more. The first bull came out and the show began but the first one was very disappointing. The matador was pretty bad, even Jaime said so. The second bull fight was better but still not very good. The third matador was much better but the bull didn't seem to have a lot of 'fighting spirit' - Tom later said that he thought they might have tranquilized the bulls somewhat to make it easier for the matadors. The last event though was very good; there was a rider on a horse that fought the bull - the horses were really fantastic and put on a good show. There were 4 horses that he used and each was very exciting. There were some cruisers who left early since they didn't like the blood - the first bull was very bloody by the time they killed it but the others went much easier. Each bull was eventually killed but that is part of the event. The next day was a little busy for me - Diane was still feeling a little ill. I got out the new bilge pump switch that I had bought as a spare before we left on the cruise; they have them here but they are much more expensive. Anyway, I removed the board that goes down into the bilge that holds the pump and switch and the pump worked fine so it seemed to be just the switch. By the time I got the switch out and removed everything, it was too late to change the switch, especially since I wanted to put in a terminal block instead of splicing the wires, as was done last time (not by me). Monday was another busy day, and I'm really getting back into 'work' mode. Diane still wasn't feeling 100% but she did go to the butcher with Steph to get provisions for when we were going on the hard. I spent the entire morning and part of the afternoon replacing the bilge pump switch and rewiring the pump and switch. I installed a terminal block to make removing the pump board easier and to also make it easier to change the wiring again if needed. I had just cleaned up the supplies, eaten lunch and started to finish when Diane came back and had to put the meat away. This meant I had to stop since the bilge area where I was working was right next to the galley. Once she was done, I finished up and brought the hose below to test it. It seemed to work fine so I put a few gallons in and flushed the bilge 3-4 times. Then I put some Simple Green in and put about 5 gallons in the bilge and left it. That would clean up some of the mess down there and keep it smelling OK. Finally, I replaced the fluorescent light fixture above the sink I the galley. The one that was there originally had given up the ghost and I had replaced it temporarily with one I had from replacing the one in the forward head. It didn't give off too much light though so I had bought a new one when we made our West Marine order. It only took 30 minutes to replace it again and the new fixture was much brighter (and of course looked nicer too). After doing the net Tuesday morning, I spent the rest with the surveyor that came over. We would need a survey for insurance purposes next year and the surveyor would need to see the boat out of the water so we decided to have it done now - the survey would be good for at least a year, according to our insurance agent. Diane had talked to Karen at the mini-mart and she had called Cris Robinson, an authorized surveyor, to come over. He looked around on deck and then below a little. We also went over the steering and some other things. He would come back to finish when the boat was in the yard. After he left, I spent the rest of the day getting things out to go on the hard, like the epoxy stored under the settee and the angle grinder stored under the v berth. I also cleaned up the deck and cockpit a little with the hose. Diane went shopping again with Steph to get some heavy items on board before we lifted the boat. It's easier to get soda bottles and such on from the dinghy than lifting them up a ladder 12 feet. A little later Tom and Steph came over and we had some drinks in the cockpit. They would only be here until the 27th when their company came. The next morning we had quite a surprise. Diane had gone to the yard to finalize a date and time and was told that we couldn't haul there. The reason is bizarre. Two years ago, Diane had complained to Pierre, the yard manager, about a dog living in the yard that was in bad shape and should be fed. Some days later, she was told by a guard (on Pierre's orders) that she wasn't allowed in the yard 'because she might steal something." She was understandably upset and contacted the yard owner, and he of course, said Diane was certainly welcome in the yard anytime. Well, it seems that Pierre finally saw and recognized Diane (she had been making the arrangements for hauling the boat, including signing the contract, with Enrique, the accountant) and he said we couldn't haul in the yard, presumably because he remembered the incident from 2 years ago. Amazing!!! Well, Diane went to the office and complained to the marina manager, Carlos. The yard and marina are managed by different people although the owners are the same. Carlos couldn't understand it either and said he would call Nicolai, the principle owner of the marina and yard. In the meantime, we considered not hauling there anyway since if it was forced on Pierre, what would the ramifications be to us while we were in the yard - would the boat's electricity be out, would the water hose be run over or the boat be dropped (probably not but we wouldn't risk it)? We went to see Victor at Aqua Vi Marina which is nearby and has a small haulout yard also. Our friends on Ariyl hauled there and liked it very much, and we have always heard good things about the yard. We spoke to Victor, who runs the marina and yard and got some pricing. We would have preferred to stay at Bahia Redonda but this was a good alternative. I had also set an email to Powerboats in Trinidad to ask about their pricing and got a very quick response. We had hauled there twice and had very good experiences both times but it was a long way to go. Later in the evening, we saw Janice and Weedie, who had just come back from Italy visiting their daughter, and had drinks in their apartment and then we all went to dinner at the restaurant. They were leaving soon to go back to Trinidad since their 18 months in Venezuela was almost up. Thursday morning, Diane went to see Carlos while I went with Tom to EPA, a large Home Depo type store. We got some things and then walked to get some lunch at another mall nearby. When I got back, Diane said that we wouldn't be able to haul at Bahia Redonda - Carlos had called the marina owners and they didn't want to 'make waves', so I think we'll definitely go to Aqua Vi. After lunch, Diane and I worked on the railings and bimini frame - she washed the bimini and I cleaned the bimini and dodger frame. I had removed the dodger and she also washed that in preparation of putting on the waterproofing we recently got. The next few days we just got ready for hauling some more but generally took it easy and enjoyed our friends' company. For example, Sunday, April 24 was a nice day and I went over to Mima in the morning to help Tom remove the remains of a shackle from a chain he had just had regalvanized and then I just stayed. Diane came over around 11 and Steph made pancakes (and an omelette for Diane) and we just talked for a few hours. We went back to the boat for a few hours and then met them at the pool. It wasn't a very nice day but we went in and then Tom and I played a game of chess. Diane had spoken to her family over the Skype phone earlier that day and was reminded that her mother's 70th birthday was in 2 weeks. She spoke to her father and brother as well and had a nice conversation. After she came over to Mima for brunch, she seemed somewhat anxious about missing her mother's birthday so I suggested going home for a short visit. Later on, she did some research on the Internet about plane tickets but we'll see. Tuesday, April 26, and after I did the net in the morning, we got ready to leave for Aqua Vi. I had all the supplies on board already so I hoped we were ready. We arrived at about 9:15 and were hauled out by 10. Tom and Steph came over in their dinghy and helped maneuver (push) us into the Travelift pit. (I had slightly misjudged the current in the canal.) Once we were in, I thanked them and they left. Now I had to remove the forestay (I knew that this was going to be necessary since I had to do it before at Powerboats in Trinidad and this was a smaller Travelift here) and so I had my tools ready. I loosened the backstay and then took care of the forestay while Diane stood in back of me and held it. They sent a guy down with a mask to check on the placement of the straps and then picked up the boat. Diane and I both thought they weren't as skilled at it as Ray and his crew in Trinidad but they did fine and the boat was settled in her spot quickly. I took some pictures while the boat was being lifted and placed down. Once they got a ladder for us, I setup the power and water and we went to work. The marinero (Alexis) we had hired to clean the bottom yesterday had done an excellent job. We were both very happy he had done it since the marina's power washer had been broken for a year now and to sand the stuff off would have been quite a job. If we had hired the marina to do it, we would have paid much more than the $12 we had paid Alexis. He had a small air compressor and was down over an hour with a scraper and screwdriver. Anyway, the bottom was pretty clean with just the odd barnacle although I could see many small blisters all over the hull. Some were 'paint blisters' and not to be concerned with, but some were osmotic and would need to be addressed. Luckily I didn't see any very severe or large ones; most were ½ inch or less in diameter although some were about twice that size. I wouldn't know exactly how many until I went over the bottom carefully and I couldn't do that until Diane finished wet sanding the bottom. She had started already, as soon as I hooked up the hose and got out the sanding block and sandpaper. She finished one side by the end of the day. I worked on cleaning the lines since the yard guys had gotten some of the grease from the Travelift on them when we were lifted. After that, I washed the topsides with a Simple Green solution (I couldn't believe the dirt that just clung to the sides.) We were oriented north and south so the starboard side of the boat would be in the sun in the morning and the port side in the afternoon; that would work well since we could work in the shade all day if the timing of the particular job worked. That evening the wind picked up and I had to move some things on deck but just we just watched some of the DVDs we had made and went to sleep about 9:30. Wednesday, April 27, and even though it was my birthday, it was back to work this morning. Diane continued wet sanding and I started drilling out the blisters. Of course, I was on the sunny (hot) side since Diane was getting the other side wet with the hose. Ralph came over about 11 to see the stainless steel shop here and was nice enough to bring a loaf of bread from the mini-mart at Bahia Redonda. Our dinghy was on deck since we didn't want to leave it in the water for 2-3 weeks with no way to lift it (the bottom would have been terrible). Diane was going up to get Ralph's money when she heard that Plenum had been boarded and robbed last night. Janice and Weedie had gone to the hospital after Weedie accidentally cut his hand and went back to their apartment after the emergency room. This morning when they went back to the boat, they found it had been broken into and money, computers and cameras taken were taken. They reported it to the marina and the police but I doubt if they will ever get anything back. We both felt very badly for them, especially since they had been planning to leave at the end of the week. Steph and Tom's cousin, who was now visiting aboard Mima with her husband, came over to see Diane and hopefully borrow some clothes - the airline lost their bags in Dallas but hopefully would find and return them soon. I was back at work right after lunch and Diane soon came back out and started removing the old boot stripe tape. I planned to remove it all and paint on a new stripe with the one-part polyurethane we got from our West Marine order. Later, after cleaning up and putting the tools back up onto the boat, Diane started making dinner while I went to the shower. When I got back, I found that the order we made for blank DVDs and some other stuff had arrived. It had been sent from Miami about a week ago and had been sent to us at Bahia Redonda. The courier had been there and the Bahia Redonda office sent him to Aqua Vi. He found the boat, knocked on it and delivered the package to Diane on the boat - she didn't even have to go down the ladder. Very good service! This delivery was also very good for our friends who had made an order and were planning to leave soon. My birthday dinner, although Diane offered to go out to dinner, was spaghetti and meatballs (one of my favorites) and a crustless cheesecake that was excellent. Thanks Diane. |