Cat Tales was successfully launched in Grenada on Monday, November 24. We had intended to go in on Friday, but we obviously were not ready. We took the weekend to properly prepare, and while we were at it, we renewed the two front engine mounts for each engine. It was actually a difficult weekend, but we tidied it up before lunch on Sunday, and after another meal at One Love we became the guests of Hugh and Maria of MV White Pearl. They had their own problems getting their boat ready to splash, and had moved to Park View Apartments. There, we had a lovely cool-down in their pool, a couple of pre-dinner drinks and a fantastic chicken dinner, complete with potatoes, carrots, peas, and gravy and yes, even cranberry sauce! If you have read about Maria hosting us in past years, you already know she’s a respected cook amongst our little crowd down here.
 |
| A crowd of tired boatyard working friends enjoying happy hour at One Love. Nothing like 2 for 1 rum punches after a hard day’s work! |
Once in the water, we found a lovely anchoring spot, and started to knock off the chores. We have a potential buyer, but we’re still working through the chores in a responsible manner. If the buyer changes his mind, we’ll be ready to sail!We had another walk to the Container Park near the University, this time just Dawn and me, and this time for Shawarma Wraps in air-conditioned comfort. Very tasty. We had already eaten a full Shawarma meal there, and gone for the “Buddha Bowls” as well. The attendance at the West Indies Brewery has been done also, once again with Richard and Heather of SV Sea Pearl of Lunenburg. It was the night of the American Thanksgiving, but we turned down the big meal as it would have left little room for the ales.Speaking of the boat selling process, the prospective owner has hired a surveyor to do both an out of water survey and a sea trial. Both are behind us, and with some work, we believe we satisfied the surveyor. Indeed, we had the boat going over 6 knots with a third reef in 14 knots of wind at 60 degrees, and we hit 6.5 knots with no sails and only one engine running. No mechanical or electronic issues, and the engines seemed happy with the new motor mounts.Yesterday, we attended our first Grenada Hash in years. Called “Drinkers with a running problem”, it is modelled after the Hash House Harriers, a group of British servicemen who organized running through jungle trails of Burma (I think) to get exercise and relieve boredom. We did a 3.5 mile walking trail that included a difficult hill and a bit of mud, and took us an hour and 45 minutes of brisk walking, sweating, and chatting. The afterwards food and drink were well enjoyed, and we saw some good friends.
 |
| Scenery along the hike! |
 |
| Susan from sv Erie Spirit involved in the ‘long walk’ |
 |
| Walking, walking and more walking…towards BBQ chicken and icy cold beer! |
We’ll continue just living on the boat for a while, likely staying in Prickly Bay, until the ownership of the boat is worked out. Books, socializing, eating in and out, chores, and maybe too much social media seem to be what we’re about. The days on the boat in the bay are pleasant as ever.
TECHNICAL
Much of what the boat needed got done on the hard: sails bent on, lines sorted, engines and bilges cleaned, props back on, new motor mounts, saildrive baffles, bottom paint, washing and waxing, new anodes, Bimini and solar setup, dinghy and outboard maintenance etc. The new motor mounts were a surprise, but with the extra time, it seemed like the right thing to do. Also a surprise was the need for need for two new start batteries. The existing ones looked good, and seemed to hold the charge from the solar and wind. However, once the power sources were removed, the voltage slowly, gently, dropped to below 12.6 Volts.
We are working through the last bits of cleaning and polishing - mostly because we spent time too close to other sanding and grinding operations in the yard. Dawn had some sorting of foodstuffs, and two trips for provisions, and I am working through the proper cleaning and oiling of all the tools. One mistake and a pile of rust will lay where my favourite spanner was set down.
 |
| Typical chore before lunch! |
 |
| A good wipe-down of each piece with penetrating oil will keep it in good shape |
 |
| Old mounts |
 |
| New, shiny and stiff motor mounts! If you think this was a simple task, just ask Dawn, as she was half of the team moving the engine sideways and lifting it to get out the old and install the new. |
Another surprise repair was the outboard. Although only purchased in 2019 and always kept in good condition, a little plastic arm broke off the shifting gear shaft, and we had to source and replace it. The first replacement we found was actually used, and was cracked in the same place the other failed, so we got a second one just in case. More importantly, the tradesman provided some guidance to ensure I could make the repair. We found Matt from “Essential” by asking on the morning net for help with our engine. The net controller quickly gave us Matt’s WhatApp phone number and we were in business! Three hurrahs for Matt and three more for morning nets on the VHF.
 |
| Next on our list is a trip to Island Water World to pick up a new ‘Quick’ remote for the windlass. The UP button works fine, but the DOWN button is showing some hesitation. |
 |
| The broken piece and the replacement part which is on the left we got from Matt |
 |
| A wee bit of swearing going on, but what else is new? The engine runs like a charm again!! |
