Steaming, Soaking, Sunning but still working in Sultry Trinidad
andromeda of plymouth
Susan and Andrew Wilson
Fri 11 Nov 2011 03:01
Yes we have been working between the trips and we are slowly moving
towards a splash date, which is currently the 16th of November at
1pm..........yippeee!!!!!
The thru-hulls have all been serviced and where necessary replaced. All 18
of them had to be taken out – why do we build yachts that are totally
waterproof and then drill holes in them beneath the waterline? Well we do
and there are good reasons for this but that’s another story. Anyway they
have all been under serious scrutiny and are now back in place and only
when we are on the water will we know whether they are
waterproof...........scary. Several of them were, what was known as
gate-valves, which have a reputation of seizing, so these have all now
been replaced – good for safety we think.
The prop shaft has also been replaced due to corrosion and also boasts a
drip proof seal to replace the old stuffing box – once again only when we
are on the water will we know if this is going to do its job! There’s a
theme developing here! The prop is on, the anode and rope cutter are in
place and we are good to go.... well nearly.
The lift pump on the engine was leaking diesel so we’ve had it replaced
with an electrical one – it was either £65 for an electrical or £800 for
an original so we went with the modern electrical to save some money but
we still have the original in case we can get a cheaper replacement. Once
again tested but the proof will be when we are in the water.
The fridge is now working and we ran it for a few days with an external
hose to make sure – boy what a difference it made – almost a year after it
failed we do have a working fridge which is so, so welcome. We will still
need to source ice as we move between the islands but the fridge will
allow us to provision more effectively – thank you Graham and Brendan.
Most of the floor in the rear cabin, passage-way and saloon has been
varnished but there is still a little to do. When the water came flooding
in while we were away it resulted in some stains which we need to sort out
but we are making some progress. The wood-work is looking much improved
after the mould was sorted but there is still some elbow grease required
before we are really happy.
Next is to sort out, the new crispy sails and the stak-pak, which are
currently in air-conditioned storage – these need to be fitted to the boat
before we can head north. We also need to fit a new deck fitting for the
Asymmetric spinnaker which replaces the ParaSail, as recommended by Clint.
Then there is boat cleaning, painting, anti-fouling and polishing to do
which will take place over the next week before we splash.
The storage room will be emptied once this is completed, and we will need
to get water, petrol for the outboard, diesel for the engine and generator
– which still has to be tested – and final provisioning before we can set
off for the deep blue sea and as Susan is reminding me – she needs to
clean below decks from one end to the other(practical now that all below
deck work has finished) and I won’t even get started on the washing she
wants to do as well as finishing the tidying up of all the lockers, again
now practical, as we don’t need to keep moving stuff backwards and
forwards for access to various parts of Andromeda. Susan then hopes to
have a play with some of her material.....no prizes for guessing the
colour.
Next week we will have a cast of thousands lining up for the launch –
perhaps we should get a bottle, or two, of champagne to celebrate! There’s
also the matter of folks’ reputations which is probably why we will have a
large audience, but we have a great deal of confidence in the people who
have been working on Andromeda.
Overall, so far, we have been pleased with the quality of the work here in
Peakes and would have no hesitation in recommending the yard to others
heading this way. Nick, Greg and Augustus keep a keen eye on the work
being done and regularly seek feed-back on the yachties under-taking work.
Apart from the original fridge contact, all the others have been really
good. They are also very keen to let you know what they are doing and
answering all your questions – great!
During the last few weeks Andrew has been doing the weather for the radio
net here having been talked into it by not being able to multitask at
Mexican train dominoes and he has been steadfastly getting up 3 times a
week at the crack of dawn (5.45am or there abouts – I wonder if he really
misses the M4) to make sure he can get a good wifi signal to check all the
websites and prepare his summary. This is eagerly awaited by us all (even
me I listen to it on the radio and get no advance warning of content) and
as he says at the end – this is Michael C Fish signing out – the Brits of
course get this bit but many others are puzzled.
So think of us over the next few days and keep your fingers
crossed.......we shall let you know how it goes.
Susan and Andrew
S/V Andromeda of Plymouth
Trinidad