What A Difference A Day Makes

Thursday morning finds us out in Prickly Bay, Grenada, just offshore from Spice Island Boatyard where Cat Tales was hibernating for six months.  It is a beautiful, albeit really warm day, with the sun shining and a gentle breeze keeping the boat straight and giving us some relief from the heat.

Yesterday, we rushed through our last chores before the travel-lift picked us up at 1100 hours and dropped us in the water.  The new through-hull fitting and the new saildrive membranes kept the sea out and both engines ran.  Trouble is, the starboard engine was not spitting water.  The lift and men left us there while we tore apart the raw water pump and traced the lines, and otherwise troubleshot the issue.  Finding nothing wrong but not getting satisfaction, I ran the engine while funnelling water into the pump, until water filled the whole system.  I then put the pipe back together, restarted the engine, and for some reason it worked.  We headed to the bay, got an anchor down, and calmed down.  

Cat Tales ready for the slings!

Laurie was hoisted up the mast by Brian to check all the lights and navigation gear.  Everything passed with flying colours!

I then attempted to get the outboard working, and failed.  It just would not start.  As we had experienced this on past launches, we simply pulled the cord 20 times, waited 20 minutes and repeated, hoping the new gas would soften the varnish-like substance that the old gas had left.  We finally had it working at 17:00 hours, too late to go to Customs for our cruising permit, but just in time to attend an invitation for supper aboard Peace and Plenty, floating 100 m away.

We had arrived in Grenada on November 14th, and had spent 8 nights in a tiny, air-conditioned apartment with "Tiny House" appeal, called Cool Running, just across from the boatyard.  We had worked full days getting things running, and were dead tired most nights.  We had arrived while Dawn was suffering from a pulled ligament in her shoulder, and we were envisioning a difficult time getting many of the "two-person" jobs done.  However, Lorna and Brian actually met us at our room when we arrived (they had talked their way in and had enjoyed showers before we arrived), and with a little effort over the next two days, Brian helped me get the sails on, the dinghy off, the outboard out, and the bimini up while Lorna assisted Dawn in running for basic provisions.  Dawn's arm began to heal and became totally useful by the weekend, so we were able to finish all chores.

We're going to a cooking class this afternoon with Esther and Omega at Blue Bay and well, here I pause, and here is the report!

They provided every detail and a couple of cheats for cooking a greenfig/vegetable salad and a fantastic chicken dish using local spices.  We sat, got entertained (with Lorna and Brian), fed, and beered. A fun afternoon, and quite a change from yesterday! 

TECHNICAL

I took on a fibreglass job as part of the recommissioning work this year.  The Fountaine Pajots are assembled from a series of manufactured mouldings, which are primarily held together with fibreglass  patches on the inside of the boat, thick enough to provide the required strength.  The cracks are filled with epoxy from the outside, and are either gel coated over or hidden under rub rails or other fittings.  When the decks were installed on the hulls, the rub rails covered some of the cold joint and gelcoat covered what extended to the rest of the hull.  In previous years, I had ground out cracks at the sterns and layered in fibreglass, and this year I did the same with the port bow.  It was not an easy job for a number of reasons:  1.  I have a mini-belt sander with belts, but the unused belts had dried out, and would break after just a few revolutions; 2.  I have a small oscillating palm sander that had also been affected by the heat.  When the pad sped up, the deteriorated disk disintegrated, throwing a black, tar like substance all over the deck and hull; requiring a 3-part cleanup process;  3.  My colour-matched gelcoat had been baked by the heat over the last few years, and would neither spread easily nor cure easily.  Regardless, I got the work done but for the sanding down of the gelcoat.  The high heat of the tropics really can make a mess of plans, tools, and materials.

We have installed a flexible 120 Watt solar panel on our Bimini to compliment the two12-year old 240 Watts on our stern, and now have an increase in amperage through our Bluesky regulator.  We should now have better luck equalizing the battery bank.

Here is a picture of our home at Grand Lake, NB, taken by Hugh with his drone!!

What We Did On Our Summer Vacation 2016

For the purposes of continuity, and before we get back on the plane to Grenada, I think it is appropriate to include one weblog entry on how Dawn and I kept busy (or not) during summer, 2016.

We've been home since early May, and are just about ready to leave for the sunny south in mid-November.  The cottage was pretty much as we left it, thanks in great measure to the watchful eye of Hugh Whalen.  Besides the regular home maintenance chores that most people have, I stayed out of major projects.  Even neighbourly assistance was just routine this year.

I enjoyed a great canoeing adventure when I joined my brother, Ken, and two of his friends, for a 5-day trip down the Nepisiguit River, in early June.  As the trip also entailed two nights in Scott Kennah's fishing camp, enjoying Scott's hospitality, it was even more special.  The trip included trailer trauma, excitement, dangerous rapids, outrageous portages, amazing food both inside the camp and on the river banks, snowy riverbanks, cold and rainy weather, and a total lack of edible-sized trout.  I'd do it again in a heartbeat - on a kinder river.

A group photo after all survived the Nepisiguit Narrows Gorge, no small thing!

Dawn had her trips as well:  to Grand Manan, and upriver for a cross-border shopping trip; both in the company of friends.

Neighbours Liz and Judy standing with former neighbour Pam on a foggy Grand Manan beach.

Sailing the Hobie 21 was all in light winds, and barely eclipsed the time to commission and decommission the boat, but still enjoyable.

Hugh and Debbi, two neighbours, join our catamaran by powerboat on the water for a snack.

A notable event was the transition of Dawn's mother, Jean, from her condominium to a retirement home,  It was a lot of work, especially for Dawn, but resulted in a lot of enjoyment with Jean, and Dawn' sisters Kathy and Lorna (and husbands).   The work included significant paring down of clothing, furniture and household items, finding and refinishing furniture, moving itself, and accommodation for the workers (Lorna and Brian visited at our cottage for a fun time).

Dawn searches the stores for the perfect chair for her mother Jean's new home.

We hosted other guests from time to time, and were also involved in weekly parties among our neighbours - so it was a major social season.

The Brothers Corbett and Wives got together on the occasion of Paul and Lida's visit from Calgary

In September, we traveled to Prince Edward Island to attend Emma Cabel's wedding to Ryan Seymour, a truly enjoyable experience that included many old friends.  While over there, we stayed 3 extra nights and enjoyed bicycling for three days, just the two of us.  The seafood meals everywhere over there were amazing.

Bill Cabel, "giving away" daughter Emma

So, now it is over, you are caught up, and we'll attempt to write as soon as we can from Grenada.  We'll try to blog from the boatyard, before launch.  We'll be staying on dry land, recommissioning the boat for at least a week.