Day 449: Grenada Marine – 31/03/11

As usual, when we arrive at the boatyard, no one is there working on the boat.  We have been assured that things will get going but there is definitely no evidence of this until later in the morning when someone actually turns up to finish cleaning the hulls.

Mike goes down to see the project manager – the guy under the hulls has disappeared by 11.30 am and we are anxious to make sure someone else comes to take his place.  We are assured that someone will!

No one has arrived by 2 pm so Mike goes to see the project manager again and is again assured that this mysterious someone will appear – soon.  Actually someone does arrive – the guy to finish off the prop shaft seal which at least means the boat won’t sink when it’s put back in the water.  I really start to lose it at this point and threaten to go down and see the project manager myself but Mike doesn’t want me to.  Instead I go and see Rosemary and have a moan with her.  Crazy Horse is suffering the same frustrations – promises of tomorrow in the water but no evidence of work to allow them to do this.

While all this is going on our boat is being surveyed for the insurance for going back into charter.  At 3.45 pm I tell Mike I have had enough and am going to see the project manager regardless of what he says and I am told that the guy has arrived to do the work but has just gone off to get some materials.  At 3.45?  They all knock off at 4 pm.  But obviously someone wants the overtime because a few minutes later he arrives and starts work.

Photo:  Progress at last

Mike gives the guy two cans of beer (warm of course as the fridge has been switched off for the last four days) and he paints his little heart out.  He has nearly finished the first coat when we leave at 5 pm which means the second coat can go on in the morning.  Hurray!  We might just be in the water tomorrow after all.

We are late back to the hotel and Mike and I can’t be bothered to go for a swim but a hot shower (to remove all the noxious chemicals from my legs ie DEET which incidentally the mosquitoes seem to be attracted to given the number of bites I have got recently) really hits the spot.

We go down to join Rosemary, Bill and Matt at the bar – the survivors of Grenada Marine – hopefully. 

Photo:  Mike, me, Bill, Rosemary and Matt

Photo:  Matt with Carol and Sammy, two of the lovely staff at La Sagesse

I am horrified to find that they have run out of Sauvignon Blanc (the bar staff hint that I may have drunk them dry but I think this is overstating the fact!) and have to do with a glass of something else – on the house.  Matt then ‘forces’ me to have a tequila shot, something I never do, but amazingly it goes down easily.

Photo:  Down it goes – Matt is a bad influence

Photo:  Finished – please don’t ‘make’ me have another one!

We leave the Thomas family to eat and go back to our room, Mike to flop on the bed and doze and me to catch up on the blog.  When I finish, I leave Mike snoring and join Rosemary, Bill and Matt in the restaurant until they are ready to retire.  We all leave with one thought – will we be in the water tomorrow?