Monthly Archives: October 2011

SOME PROGRESS

  October 24, 2011 - 14:45 | ,
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Another week has gone by and we have made some progress…the liferaft is off being serviced, our fire extinguishers have been checked and approved, a crack in the stern winch has been welded and Irony has new names on the hull. I’ve been working on sewing jobs (new winch covers etc) and Nic is scraping barnacles off the bottom. Unfortunately, after sanding, we are still left with calcium deposits which have eaten through several layers of paint; the only solution is to tackle them one by one.  Very tedious and time-consuming. We also have a problem with our Victron inverter/chargers. One has been going into overload and is off being looked at. It’s looking like it’s going to be an expensive fix, if not full replacement, not good news.

OUR NEW SPOT

  October 17, 2011 - 13:46 | ,
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Our time over the drainage ditch ended on Friday morning when the travel lift arrived to move us to a new spot. Torrential rain on Thursday put us behind schedule in getting all the work we needed to do on the keel which necessitated coats of paint going on overnight, the last at midnight!  Somehow it all got finished including a modification on the keel which involved welding and a new wire installed for the lifting mechanism. We’re booked to splash on 1st November and are working away the long list of jobs that need to be accomplished to make that possible.  Fingers crossed!

BACK TO IRONY

  October 12, 2011 - 22:01 |
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We returned to Irony on Monday after a fantastic, social and busy time in England and Ibiza visiting family and friends. It’s hard to believe we have been away for so long.  The journey back via Miami was arduous with a 6 hour delay in Madrid.  We were welcomed by torrential rains in Trinidad but Irony had already been moved out of long term storage and was sitting in our “special spot” over the drainage ditch near the front gate of Peakes.  This makes it possible to anti-foul the keel before we move to a normal place in the boatyard to get Irony ready to set sail again.

Thankful for leaving the boat air-conditioned during our 6 month absence, we were happy to find the inside free of damp.  The outside was a different matter.  The shrink wrapping had protected her from the greasy Trinidadian rain but, without sunlight on the decks, all the exterior was covered in mould and algae.  It’s a massive job to get her clean again.  Irony is going to exact a heavy price for leaving her abandoned for so long, rather like a petulant mistress!