Yardies

Well, we are still working! Each week we optimistically think we will be back in the water 'next week', and for each week we are out of the water Tristan reckons we have another days work re-caulking the boat.....What with corrective surgery to her droopy bottom and tight seams, she'll sail like a teenager again!

Seams recaulked this time!

We covered the boat in banana netting which helped reduce the temperature. All sides were covered with it and sheets and towels in the gaps. It also gave us some respite from the heat of the day.  It's not been easy in the boat yard.....mainly due to lack of toilets facilities without a mile hike, which takes a bit of planning!

The yard staff and Marineros however have been brilliant and have given Tristan help and guidance for obtaining materials, above and beyond. They also have brightened our day when the drudge of  drilling holes in the keel has laid us low in spirits.

Tristan found a brilliant metal working shop who have  cut the threads on our new aluminium bronze bar......it was far too hard to cut by hand which had been the original plan. All the bolts in the keel were replaced as we found many had fractured beneath the gripe.

The yard was full of anti-fouling dust and somedays we felt decidedly ill with copper poisoning, though we made plenty of dust ourselves with all the iroko Tristan was cutting. I spent most of my time cleaning up the mess. One guy refused to clean up under his boat, so we did it for him each night in an attempt to reduce the blue dust. I'm sure our lungs have suffered and we have both been ill with hacking coughs.

Tristan has fabricated new floors from several monstrous bits of iroko, much to everyone's interest. To think I was told not to bring  many clothes as the boat would be too heavy!















 I'm taking out a wager as to where her new waterline will be!


We have two new floors which should stop the movement along with new keel bolts and extra keel bolts.

The new floors look like they have always been there. Tristan now has the task of redesigning the shower, toilet, hanging locker  and floor to fit around them.


I can't wait to decommission the bucket!

Unfortunately I can now lay in bed an look at the stars through the sides of the boat...... goes back to my  first post. ' they went to sea in a sieve they did'. I hope this time she has dried out enough that once re-caulked she will stay dry and behave like a 'proper boat' and not an incontinent old lady, otherwise its on with the copper nappies. We have had plenty of stray comments...'fancy taking a wooden boat out in the Canaries'......we had no choice but we did take every precaution to ensure she was protected from the heat.

Interestingly the recaulking was in a different place to seams we had previously done. Again the old caulking had disintegrated and was in need of replacement. I'm not sure whether the holes in the boat were an open invite for out 'visitors' but we had German cockroaches take up residence....somewhere! Its funny they are known locally as English cockroaches .....'cos once you have them they are difficult to get rid of!

The Marina has a very good pest management plan so they sent someone round to 'flush them out'....I vacated the boat whilst this was done, and we spent the night in an apartment in Peurto Tazacorte.  I am getting braver at catching them. The pesticide firm came on board a couple of days ago and laid cockroache gel.....its working the only ones I have seen for a few days  have been on their backs waving their feet around.

Yet again, Meriva had her topsides painted and more anitfouling. We have found that International Micron Extra is working really well, and although it has cost a lot to order it in the Canaries, it is well worth the expense.

We relaunched  on the 30th July.....two very nervous sailors!  The Marineros were brilliant and we sat in the slings for a few hours. The bilge pump went off every 6 minutes, 8 minutes, 10 minutes for several hours.  Tristan was frantically searching for leaks but we only had two!

BEFORE LEAKS SUSPECTED

AFTER LEAKS FOUND

Both seams had been recaulked and eventually we  motored onto the pontoon confident that we could manage the leaks until they took up.


And they did!











It took two days before the bilge pump stopped going off and fingers crossed everything is going well.
We still have to do sea trials but until the order has been restored and toilet secured we are enjoying being afloat and spending time with other cruisers.

I must say the kindness of fellow cruisers has been greatly appreciated, especially 'Curry night' with Miriam and Roger on Maestro. We had a fantastic time when they joined us as Yardies before they left for Holland.