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| Permanent stairs to "Marc, Le Novice" |
You know when you've been in the boatyard too long when the ladder up to the boat becomes a set of stairs. Actually, this is "Marc, Le Movice", whose elderly owners have come to prefer the soothing routine of a boatyard. The captain and crew of "Queen Emma" try to restrain their visible expressions of horror at the thought. We arrived on a Monday afternoon and were back in the water Thursday. By Friday, we were out on the bay. This was only possible due to the kind administrations of our favorite Welsh boatwright, Simon. This summer, Simon has suffered with our boat over a series of jobs each one of which seemed more frustrating and awful than the next.
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| Simon emerging from the chain locker |
A request to remove and service the windlass turned up the fact that it had been permanently glued in place with 5200, a permanent glue which is often stronger than the material it is gluing. A request to service a couple of thru hull valves turned into a rough job of replacing the thru hull and the valves both.
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| A few of our corroded bolts. |
The biggest shock was a result of his recommendation that we remove and inspect the chain plates. These are the plates which anchor the shrouds to the hull of the boat. Shrouds are those big wires which hold the mast upright. The chain plates are massive quarter-inch stainless steel plates which are fastened to the bulkhead with 8 huge stainless steel bolts each. When the wind tries to blow the mast to leeward, these bolts are all that keep the windward shrouds from parting company with the boat. Left unsupported, the 60 foot mast will soon follow. The results are not pretty. The rest of the stays will hold fast to the boat, preventing the mast (and boom) from quietly leaving the area and turning them into massive battering rams assaulting the hull. Best case, it smashes things above deck; worst case, it holes the hull. This is the sort of thing that might cause Larry's America's Cup team to get a good chewing out, disaster for us.
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| Even the TravelLift needed repair |
Disaster averted! Hidden corrosion in the bolts had caused them in many cases to part from the bolt head and in others to crack and deform. Queen Emma now has a selection of shiney new bolts concealed in the hull. Its not the sort of thing you can show off to your friends but peace of mind is worth every penny.
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| Glistening Varnish |
Not all was dreary replacing-your-foundation sorts of work. Both heads got rebuilt doors. We are now sporting gleaming new varnish in the salon and galley. Their cabin soles and all vertical surfaces got multiple coats, grab rails got two part varnish to resist assault by sun screen. (Who knew?) To celebrate, we got Ras Vision to clean and polish the topsides and deck. We are definitely looking sharp and feeling spiffy.
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| Ras Vision made us gleam. |
It is warm and with very light breezes probably courtesy of hurricane Sandy. We are celebrating Creole Day in St. Lucia. It seems to me much more than just one day long but it is sometimes difficult for us cruisers to distinguish between an everyday jump-up and a serious celebration. There is much lively music in Patois as well as local dishes to sample: Salt fish and bakes for breakfast, Calaloo and crab soup for lunch. Today we are out in the bay while Susie fights off a nasty bug. She went to sleep at 5:00 and didn't get out of bed until 7:00. I diagnosed exhaustion after a full week of cleaning, repairing and shopping. The thermometer reading of 103 says otherwise. We will stay hydrated and await developments.
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