We have to go to the boatyard early as Mike has to retrieve his wallet (which he managed to leave behind yesterday) in order to pay the hotel bill. Amazingly when we arrive there is a little man underneath the boat painting already which means that there is a chance we could be out of here this afternoon. The prop shaft oil seal is also finished and the propeller itself gets a paint job. The only badly planned thing is that the paint used for this is supposed to have 12 hours drying time and we don’t have 12 hours to spare.
We still don’t have our main sail back as they have decided to stitch all the seams again just in case the old UV problem hits those too but they assure us we will get it back this afternoon.
The day ticks by slowly. It’s hot, sweaty and there are zillions of mosquitoes, most of whom have heard of my arrival and have come to say hello and give me their little love bites. It doesn’t seem to matter how many noxious chemicals I liberally apply to my body, they always find somewhere to bite me. I watch as one bump appears before my very eyes although I am not quick enough to splatter the little bastard that’s responsible for it.
We nag at the project manager who is still adamant that we will be in the water this afternoon. Then ‘this afternoon’ suddenly becomes ‘in the next half an hour’. Yeah, right, I believe that one. April Fool! But it does – we suddenly hear the musical pip pip of the Travel Lift and it appears around the corner heading straight for us.
They get the straps on and lift us up – then everything stops. We look around and they have stopped for a tea break.
Photos: They arrive, get going, stop, and eventually get going again
All you can do is wait until they are ready, which, in their own sweet time, they are and we follow the boat back down to the slip, clamber on board and get lowered into the water.
The guy who changed the prop shaft seal arrives to make sure that it is watertight – it is, but we still have no sail. We wait and wait and suddenly Martin arrives with it folded up into the neatest little pile and he and Moe throw it on board. Mike is not going to bother fitting it until we get to Port Louis.
We say goodbye to everyone. Crazy Horse and due to be next back into the water but Basia are staying for another two weeks and will join the fleet in St Lucia, obviously without their yacht as the repairs are likely to take six months..
We head out and immediately are into crazy waves. It’s a very lively sea although thankfully the wind is not against us so it’s not too uncomfortable. It still takes a couple of hours to get round to St George but as we arrive there is the most glorious sunset, the sky changing from orange to red to purple.
Photos: A beautiful changing sky
Photo: Moe and Bev wait on deck to tie us up
We head out for dinner, Mike lured by the promise of pizza. We can’t work out where Crazy Horse is as she was in the Travel Lift when we left but eventually, at around 9.30 pm, she arrives and we rush back from dinner to help the crew tie up. I go for another drink with them (Mike goes to bed), then wander down to the beach with Matt, Bev and Moe for a while before going back to bed myself.
It’s good to have the boat back somewhere clean although after 5 days in the dusty boatyard, Jeannius is anything but clean herself! I’m sure Bev and Moe will see to that!!!
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