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| Ah... sunset over the boat lifts |
Every year or two, it's time. We don't look forward to this week but we know it's necessary if we want to live this life. For you non-yachtees, every once in a while there are boat maintenance jobs requiring.......gasp......a haul out.
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| The moment of truth...note we are in the tiny travelift |
This is when a giant boat lifting machine hoists your home out of the water with huge straps, suspends you precariously by thin metal wires, and deposits you "on the hard", a nautical term for being, er, no longer nautical. You're effectively in a parking lot next to the water.
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| We are small beans compared to what they build here |
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| Sailing down the side street |
And then the fun begins. Bottom scraping, barnacle busting, and painting.........in 90 degree heat. Propeller maintenance, zincs, fiberglass work.........all need to be done at breakneck speed. And the indoor work ? That's worse because the A/C doesn't work without sea water. We go through 20-30 sweat towels during this week as they become black with the dust of sanded-off bottom paint.........not just ours.........the whole place is a cloud kind of like Charlie Brown's friend Pig-pen. And poor, poor L'ORIENT; her decks, hatches, everything covered in this black powder. Footprints, smears, and other un-becoming stains adorn our palace. It looks like a crime scene processed by overzealous fingerprint experts.
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| Shitpocalypse - round 10 |
The projects range from the interesting (installing new ball valves in the thru-hulls) to absolutely vile (finding that worms are living in the black water holding tank - that's the bathroom's tank that holds you know what). Ask us how we know there are worms enjoying an unauthorized circumnavigation from an admittedly 3rd class cabin. As Princess Emily might text to us......"ewwww". But worry not, L'ORIENTals. We bought 4 gallons of hydrochloric acid for the coming Vernichtungskrieg. The smart money is on the acid. Sad way for the worm's cruise to end but they weren't invited.
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| Just what this situation needs - a creepy clown next door |
But as I explained to our French host (boatyard manager Florent), L'ORIENT is not L'ORIENT without grandeur. Florent struggled to hide his laughter, especially when reminded that none other than Charles De Gaulle said this of France.
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| The brain trust... |
Of course, a cosmetic project of epic proportions must be included in our task list. And what better task than to redo our front door, which on an Amel Super Maramu 2000 Red Line is actually your transom (the back). Our boat's proud name and hailing port of Annapolis, MD were sadly withering and falling off. While this gives you a lot of cred with other sailors (i.e. we sailed the boat from Annapolis to Tahiti and have lived aboard for 10 years), Kirstin and I are both a bit vain regarding the boat. So, despite Florent's best effort to dissuade us......"But Tom, this will result in 32 hours of extra billing", we, of course, went forward. We reminded him that during this pandemic-driven tourism blackout, we on L'ORIENT must do our part to stimulate the Polynesian economy. Our transom is primed, our new letters are ready. Can't wait.
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And Better than New!
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| Makes you think twice about that extra glass of wine |
Everything is hard here. Getting food, finding boat parts, even using the bathroom in the boat yard. Getting on and off the boat involved climbing a 15 foot grime encrusted ladder. But it's for a good cause, and lest we forget........oh, yeah.......we're in Tahiti. Life could be worse.
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| Full moon on haul-out eve.....hope it's a good sign |
