Serenity

The person who made an offer on Serenity owns the local sailing school and had courses planned taking him to Thailand over the 3 weeks following his offer, so survey and sea trials were set for his return at the end of March.  We spent most of March negotiating with his wife, a lawyer, over the terms of the sale contract: lots of frustrating time wasting over what we felt should be a simple contract and when we wanted to be working on Meikyo.  We moved off Serenity the day before the sea trials so the buyer could see the boat as he would take her over.  With all our cruising gear taken off she floats several inches further out the water than before!

The stainless post is for Serenity's self-steering.  With all our cruising gear on board about an inch of it was under water.  Now it sits a couple of inches clear 

The sea trials went well with Serenity performing well in light winds, and the survey didn’t identify anything categorised as urgent or important, however he also had an engineer look at the engine and that showed up some problems we hadn’t been aware of, particularly oil seeping from the sump.  The purchaser decided that, as the boat was for his sailing school (we had understood it was mostly for his and his wife’s use), he would need a new engine and wanted to reduce the price by the full cost of that.  As he had made his original offer knowing the engine was old, we didn’t think that was reasonable and we couldn’t come close to meeting in the middle, so Serenity is back on the market, and we are trying to get the work done to fix the issues. Update: since typing this we discovered the mechanic can't come for another week so Phil is doing it himself

On the trial sail.  We thought it would be our final sail on Serenity

All clean and tidy ready for new owners

Meikyo

After 10 day’s delay due to the hoist being out of action Meikyo’s mast finally came out to be re-rigged.  We had agreed with the rigger to also replace the chain plates, which are the solid stainless-steel plates that attach to the hull inside the boat and to which the rigging wires are attached.  This meant taking apart the cabinets in the saloon and we began to realise that a lot of the woodwork at the back of cupboards had previously suffered water damage.  We have not found anything structural yet, so we can live with it until we have time to fix it.  When the mast came out we also found that one of the floorboards had been soaked at some point and had almost rotted through in places: that will need replacing more urgently.

The hole the mast goes through covered to keep out the rain

The side deck taken up with the boom and various ropes

The night after the sale of Serenity fell through, we had our first significant rain of the year and we woke to water coming in in seven different places!  Six of the seven are fixed and the other won’t be too difficult, but that wasn’t a good morning.

Plastic covering over a patch in a toerail where sealant has come out of a joint allowing water in

It’s difficult living and working on the boat in its current state, as we haven’t been able to put things away in the cupboards we dismantled for the rigger, but we are beginning to make progress through our list of jobs.  The boat had been out of use for more than a year so lots of routine maintenance is needed.  We have emptied and cleaned the water tanks, checked the diesel tanks for contamination, fixed a deck hatch that was coming unfastened, begun servicing the winches and started to learn Meikyo’s more complex systems.  She has Lithum batteries with a battery management system that needs monitoring but combined with her large number of solar panels we should have plenty of power available.  At the moment, having been built for the American market, she is mostly set up for 110 volts, but we hope to change that later in the year.  We have recouped a small amount of the purchase price by selling surplus equipment such as the dive compressor from the back deck and her aging dinghy and outboard.

Cupboards with their insides dismantled to access the chainplates and books with nowhere to go

More homeless equipment piled up in the forward head (toilet compartment)

The forepeak workshop.  Between the tools and spares we had and those left behind we could open a small shop

We have ordered a new mainsail to replace the one that split during the trial sail and that is due to be delivered within a week.  The other sails have been serviced and restitched by the rigger/sailmaker.

We have found life in Rebak a bit limiting.  Because it is a small island off the main island of Langkawi you need to go ‘off island’ to Langkawi for anything more than bread and snacks.  There is a small chandlery, but most purchases take a trip to Langkawi, and even there the choice is limited.  The only restaurant is at the island’s resort and it’s menu doesn’t change.  

There are good points to Rebak:  there are Hornbills everywhere

and this little frog took up residence in the ladies toilets for about a week

We have taken to catching the free ferry ashore once a week to get anything we need to work on the boat, do our grocery shopping and have lunch in great outdoor restaurant we have found in the main town. You take a plate and select what you want from the buffet of fish, seafood, meat, rice noodles and salads and then take your plate to the till where you are charged for what you have taken.  We can have all we want to eat plus an iced lemon tea for £6 for both of us.  It’s very popular with local people, which is always a good sign.  In between trips ashore the lack of distraction means you get plenty of work done!  

Our favourite lunch spot