41:35.48N 71:16.93W

At New England Boatworks (NEB), Ananda is hoisted out of the water and onto dry land for the first time in two years.

This is not the sort of boatyard that would be familiar to English seafarers.  How many boatyards back home boast a restaurant, swimming pool and barbeque area complete with gas appliances?  But that’s exactly what’s on offer here.  After a heavy morning’s labour, we retire to the picnic tables for lunch before returning to the polish and paint roller.

There’s a lot of work to get through.  Our days start early, about 6.45am, to escape the heat of the day, and before the yard workers arrive at 7.30am.

Ananda is quite deep draught at 81/2 feet, giving a working height for polishing the topsides of around 15 feet.  Normally we use a scaffolding tower and power tools for the job, but the yard won’t lend us any access equipment because they are worried about legal indemnity.  So there’s no choice but to work off ladders, meaning no power tools.  We sand, paint and polish the entire boat by hand.  With exercise like this, who needs to go to a gym?

There’s work for the yard too, refurbishing the propeller, shaft, bearings and joints.

We live onboard the boat ashore, high and dry and comfortable enough.  The yard’s splendid washing facilities and laundrette come in handy.  With no sea water to cool the compressors we can’t use electric refrigeration.  So we pack food in ice to keep it fresh.  It’s a long way to the supermarket, but our friend from Marion, Barry Steinberg, kindly gives Stellie a lift.  

Boatyards are sociable places, and we enjoy meeting friends old and new.  Kevin and Jean from Stockport have much to do on their yacht Amokura, and the yard is justly popular with other Oyster owners such as Alan and Sue Brook, past manager of Oyster Yachts.

Our friends from Nauschon Island, Jeff and Cindy, are at NEB too, taking delivery of their new Oyster 53 yacht Wischbone.  It’s an exciting time for them, and we are privileged to be able to share it too.  They kindly treat us to a very special dinner at the New York Yacht Club.

Finally, all comes together and a gleaming Ananda (minus prop shaft and propeller) is tidied up and secured while her owners drive off to Boston to catch a flight home to Blighty.  

Places to go, people to meet…

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