SPLASHING TOMORROW YIPPEE

If all goes to plan we should be back in the water tomorow.

Just got to find the guy to do my cutlass bearing. He is running on 'Island time'!

Bootstripe on and looking good and I get a fright as my neighbour burns his boat.

Well it is republic day here in Trinidad so the speedboat launch squad were busy







and so were my painters, taking advantage of a dry day to get the bootstripe done Two coats in 40 minutes, no problemo at 85 degrees!













I was some what horrified when I saw what had been holding the keel up. I have been very pleased with the quality of work done by the previous and suspect they may have inherited this.






To finish the day off I got a hell of a fright when I saw the guy who is my neighbour on the hard fire up this giant gas torch and start to burn his boat. I was slightly relieved when I saw someone standing by with a fire extinquisher.

Apparently he was heating up his teak planking to kill off the marine worms that are turning it into Swiss cheese.

You learn something new everyday.

Bootstripe on and looking good.

IN THE YARD

Grinding, sanding, fairing, filling,







fixing the worn bearing









and watching my local crew hard at work.








Good progress todate.









Apparently the boss Alan wants my boat done by the middle of next week ! Weather permitting!

HAULOUT at POWERBOATS

After a bit of indecision by the travelift driver I got hauled on the given date. I called them up this morning got told not today tomorrow, then 15 minutes later heard them calling Elephants Child Elephants Child and got the news that they would haul me now this very minute and give me as long in the slings as I needed to remove my drop keel








.

So out we came with a couple of locals keeping a close eye on the proceedings.


















The keel came out more easily tahn I could have believed possible but it is a heavy old thing and I needed to get a forklift to move it.





HOME FOR A WEEK OR SO!




Odd sort of cloud at sunset today just the one building out of an inversion plane.

Och it was a braw bricht monlicht nicht and so I set off to Trini.

Arrived safely in Trinidad but am very very tired. I had a great sail down with a full moon and full sail except when entering the Boca Monas.

I got delayed on arrival by a tug towing an oil rig on a kilometer of tow rope and for security they had a one mile exclusion zone. So everybody caught up with me and all of us had to hang about. I was slow negotiating the Boca and the anchorage, just call me extra careful Jones. But it meant that the old hands got to immigration first then when it was my turn he closed for lunch! Still it was an excuse for a consolation Haagen Daz.

CRAP WIFI won't let me load pics

ABORT RETRY II

Well I think it is Maria's fault. The wind was supposed to be favourable for the trip down to trini on Sunday night but Maria slowed right down and spread out so the winds were forced round to the South and making the trip down dead into wind. One boat did try but gave up after 17 miles.

I did not even check out it was so obvious that what was forecast was just not happening.

So it looks like Wednesday evening is the next window.

Third time lucky !