We had a great trip, no problems at all, even with customs. We upgraded our tickets to "Plus" seats with WestJet at the last minute for just $100.00 and enjoyed priority boarding, more leg room, with food and beverages included. (10:20AM isn't too early for a Bloody Ceasar is it?)
The weather here is as can be expected, sunny with big fluffy white clouds warm and a bit humid. Just like the best day in summer in Canada! Trevor was waiting for us with a couple of cold ones and off we went to his place. We took a back road tour to avoid rush hour traffic at Castries and once again We were wondering how they build their roads. Never mind the houses! True engineering marvels! These Lucian's must have great cardiovascular systems from walking up and down the hills! Pictures wouldn't even begin to tell the story but we'll try to include some later.
We found the boat in very good condition no mould to speak of at all. Simon, an ex pat Brit who has done very good work on several friends boats agreed to do work for us and although nothing was complete everything was in good order. He had the davits reinforced .... Yet to see if enough until we pull up the dinghy. The solar arch is made and ready to install. The swim ladder fittings were installed. But our new challenge was the rudder. Brian had drilled holes in the bottom to drain the expected water over the summer and as they tapped away at it Brian and Simon agreed to drill an exploratory hole to check for moisture. There was way more than either of them wanted to see so a new project was taken on. The pictures will show what a job it is. But with the fiberglass going on today we should be ready to paint tomorrow.
We will launch on Thursday am at 8:00 and are having the mast removed to replace the rigging. It's rod rigging and probably original and since we have one frozen turnbuckle we decided to replace it all for our peace of mind. The process could take up to five weeks! While the mast is down we will refurbish it with new lights and perhaps a bit of paint. Meanwhile we have other projects on the go such as new solar panels a new wind generator and reupholsetering the salon cushions. No time to be bored!
The barrel has arrived and will be delivered to the dock on Thurs or Friday. The fun will be trying to find a home for the stuff I thought we needed to bring.
We are going to help friends, John ans Sue of Salt Scar III, from Toronto sail their boat to Martinique on Sun. Sue has had a shoulder injury and they need an extra hand. We will spend a couple of days with them then take the ferry back to St Lucia. They have company from England flying in a week Thurs. Our boat will sit in the marina for a few days unattended. Then we'll "motor" out into the bay for the duration.
