2 October Let the haul out begin

It's been a busy day for us and for the yard. I suppose we should have known the first Monday in October would be a popular choice. Our last haul out was two and a half years ago at Tyrell Bay Marina in Carriacou.

Jackster was already in the slip for our lift as the workers arrived and our back stays removed. With a ketch our mizzen stays would be touching the frame of the lift and it's an easy fix to take them off although the mizzen mast sways alarmingly as we trundle across the yard to our spot. We are in a tight fit between fishing boats doing their work and yachts. It's hot, dusty and dirty. It's a working boat yard.

lift and..

waiting for the lift

..carry

While the chocks were being set up David was getting Jackster and himself organised I caught the bus back to PLM to collect the rental car and return to load it with our stuff, Polly's stuff and Polly to transfer to the apartment for the next 8 to 10 days. Poor Polly has been stressed this morning. She was locked inside the boat as it was lifted from the water and moved into position, inside while the hull was pressure washed and now in her travel case a ride in a car to a new place! It's going to take some time and a few fish to settle her

After Polly was settles in the apartment I a bit of shopping; a Mastervolt CombiMaster charger/inverter. Just what every girl needs! Or more precisely, what David feels Jackster needs. We had a new Mastervolt Mass charger installed after our near lightning incident in the Philippines in 2015. Over the years we've acquired more electric gizmos and become softies in our old(er) age, replacing the battery charger with a combined charger with inverter means that we will be able to use the gizmos such as toaster, electric kettle, coffee machine, microwave, electric drill etc at any time rather than only when we have the generator running or are on shore power. Not a necessity, but a nice boat life upgrade.

I ordered the CombiMaster from a supplier in Florida who says it will be dispatched via Fedex this afternoon. Might be here next week.

By the end of the first day we have made good progress. Jackster has work scaffolding along one side ready for our hired help, a local man, to begin compounding the topside tomorrow morning. He was recommended by a friend as a demon polisher,and, like staying in an apartment and not on the boat, this time we have chosen to hire someone to help with the hard physical work instead of doing it ourselves thus freeing us, or more correctly, David to concentrate on the specialist jobs and get us back in the water faster. He would also be more used to working in the heat. David's specialist job today was removing the propeller to install new seals and bearings in the propeller shaft and to clean prop.