Before we made our way to the marina at Rebak
island we went to Kuah town to be measured and order a new mizzen sail from
Phil at Lyttleton sails and to drop off the watermaker pump to be serviced
while we wouldn't need to make water.
On Sunday morning we arrived at the dock next to
the haul out slip at 9am and tied up expecting to be called at 10am to be
advised they were ready for us as soon as.
Being a ketch our rig won't fit into the length travel lift without
removing the mizzen back stays. With
those two wires undone and the topping lift for the mizzen boom undone we can
back into the lift far enough for the slings to be placed under the hull in the
correct position. The Rebak team were
efficient and quick. The hard stand in
this yard is top class – clean, draining, tessalated bricks rather than the
gravel and mud we endured a couple of years ago. And our position was next to the all the
amenities of chandlery, office, showers and restaurant with it's constant
supply of iced drinking water. This was
to be essential as David worked in temperatures reaching 40c. Malaysia has been having a heatwave for the
last two months and no sign of breaking just yet, no sign of rain either which
is a bonus when you want to apply anti foul.
The day after we came out of the water I flew back
to England to surprise my parents on their 60th wedding anniversary
leaving David to do all the work and look after Polly. (I must say when I booked my flights David
offered to do the haul out at the same time.)
While I was enjoying time in cool England with my
family and friends David sent regular updates of his and Polly's progress.
Jackster was coming along nicely and Polly had worked out how to climb down and
up a step ladders. When David had finished work for the day she'd follow him
down the ladder and wait outside the shower until he came out and then she
disappeared for the night coming back at dawn to sleep for the rest of the
day. With eagles, macaque monkeys and
monitor lizards we always hoped she would come home safely. While I was away she did occasionally
returning with a snack of gecko in her mouth.
After three weeks away I came back for the last
few days of out of the water work – the last coats of anti foul, refitting the
propeller and the bow thruster after their bi-annual services. One morning I came into the cockpit to
discover little cat had brought a dead rat up the ladder and deposited under
the helm seat! A cat's supposed to keep vermin off the boat not bring them on!
Dead rat became flying rat as it was flung far off into the trees.
Jackster went back into the water and into a berth
on Saturday afternoon and I could began washing the dirt off the deck and
cleaning inside. Yards are dirty places
and most of it seems to find it's way inside the boat.
Our first night alongside Polly waited until we
came back from dinner and then went off night time wandering. Next morning she didn't wake us up by
jumping on the bed. She didn't come back all day or the next night. We searched. We asked. No news and no
sightings. On the second morning David
went back at dawn to where we'd been in the yard hoping she might be lost and
come back. Luckily the son of the lady at the chandlery had seen a small white
and black cat near the old resort up the hill...David investigated and found
her hiding in the old buildings and brought her home. It was a happy ending to our haul out at
Rebak marina.
(No photos because a couple of days later I lost
the phone before I had downloaded them)
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