Monday, October 29, 2012

Splashed

We are thinking about the poor folks up north having to deal with Sandy.  We certainly hope that people come through it safely.  So sorry to hear that the HMS Bounty replica out of Nova Scotia had to be abandoned at sea.  Hope that the two missing will be found soon.

And a big earthquake at home near Vancouver Island!  What the heck???  Sounds like the Mayan calendar was right after all.

It is hot and muggy here but getting better every day.  This morning it is clear with very light winds.  These have been our past few days...

Thursday - splashing on Friday but the old propeller nut won't work.  We checked locally - nothing.  Drove to Puerto de Ray Marina in Fajardo - nothing.  Tried the Skipper Store, West Marine, local propeller store - nothing.  Then we met Bobby the propeller man.  He said, "Go the the local ferretaria (hardware store).  They have everything.  And they did!!!  For $3.32 we got the correct nut - in stainless steel and with a nyloc (won't come off) insert!  Propeller is on and good.

Another propeller nut dead end
Installing a wifi antenna on the backstay
Cleaning the stainless
Launching Murphy
Propeller nuts!

Friday - waiting for the travel lift we spotted a huge manatee in the harbour.  Good omen!  Getting ready to splash we found out the main bilge pump was toasted.  So we checked that the manual pump worked and into the water we went.  Yan Diesel fired up immediately and we coasted 100 meters to our new spot on the dock.  We noticed that the fixed prop doesn't CLUNK as we change gears from forward to reverse.  It also seems smoother!?  Fired up the fridge - goodness how we love our fridge.  Within an hour the freezer was at -10 C and the fridge at 6 C.  Yay for cold beer!


Ready to go!
And... in we go
At the dock
Saturday - spent the morning driving into San Juan - closest place to get a new bilge pump.  Glen spent the afternoon cursing and yelling into the bilge until the job was done.

Sunday - put on the main sail and Mack Pack (the thing that catches and covers the sail when it comes down), put on the dodger and bimini and reinstalled the solar panels.  Also, installed a new galley fan so chefs can be cool as they prepare their masterpieces.  Pam is concerned that it will muss up her hair.

Today - Costco run

Tuesday - install new water heater and put on the head sails.

Wednesday - hang around the pool.

Thursday - drive into SJ to pick up Don and Pat for their Spanish/US/British Virgin Island tour!

Wooopeeee!


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Back to the boat!

Holy Crap it's hot.

We drove straight from the airport to the Blue Pearl - a little under an hour.

We are not allowed to work on the boat in the yard so we've hired a contractor to buff and polish and then to apply our new bottom paint.  His quotes were quite reasonable so we decided to let someone else endure the fumes in the heat.

Buffed and polished
Someone else doing the work
It looks fantastic!  We've never seen the hull so polished.
Yay - it fits
All of our summer purchases were waiting for us in the marina office.  Our stomaches flipped a bit when the new prop didn't fit on the shaft... but once we oriented it correctly it slid on perfectly.

We have a bunch of inside jobs but it is very hot with no cool breeze so we are concentrating on a few outside jobs that we can do.  Once we have moved from the work yard over to the marina we will be able to put up the canvas up to give us shade and get to our inside jobs.

We are staying in a B&B near the marina for a couple of days until the boat is in the water.  We huddle in our air-conditioned room or sit by the pool.  We are working to adjust to the heat and humidity but it is daunting.  Spending time in air-conditioned malls and grocery stores is appealing.

The weather is a result of the remnants of hurricane Sandy that is currently passing over Cuba on its way north.  Hopefully we will have clear skys in a couple of days.



Breakfast croissant - these things look delicious in the ads



Tuesday, October 23, 2012

A Summer of Superlatives


We had a tremendous summer at home.

Our youngest daughter, Carrie, got married; the spectacular wedding attended by wonderful family, our closest friends and the new “outlaws”.  Our eldest daughter, Jen had a beautiful baby girl in June, rounding out her “million dollar” son/daughter family.  Our son quit his job, went to Lollapalooza in Chicago, bought a motorcycle and “Easy Rode” across the country to meet us at Whistler – and followed up by moving to Calgary for a new job!

Here comes the Bride!

4 generations
Easy Rider

We spent wonderful days getting to know our new granddaughter, Lucy and playing with grandson, Jack.  “Play with me, Dan (Gran)?”

We did a million house chores; gardening, installing new doors, updating plumbing, rebuilding a fence, getting rid of last decade’s treasures.

We visited Anacortes, Whistler, the Okanagan, the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island.  Our summers in this part of the world are breathtaking!

We dined with friends at their homes and reciprocated at ours.  We enjoyed the Second Annual Pig Roast in our backyard with more than 80 friends– roasting a 90-pound pig over hot coals, Cuban style.

Public Works

Luke and Glen tend to Porky Pig

Sid, Mac and Calum making ice cream 
Mount Baker

Hiking at Whistler

Looking out to Texada Island
We sewed courtesy flags for all of our upcoming island nations, built a mount for the battery monitor, ordered a new prop, running rigging, and a new AIS radio and read up on the Leeward and Windward Islands.

And now that the cold and rain is announcing the end of fall and the beginning of winter, we are back in the warm to resume our adventures in the Caribbean.

What a life!