Voyageur - Log day 116 - All in a day's work
29 June 2010
A knocking on the hull at 7am alerted us to the arrival of the crane driver who was to lift Voyageur out of the water. Although we were not booked until eight he wanted "now" so now it was. Breakfast was on hold. Unbeknownst to us however, none of the other yard staff had arrived for work so if it had not been for the assistance of Stephen, Ed and Michael from Skylark we would have been in a right old pickle! It was the first time we have ever had to motor into the slings. There were no cleats on the dock to secure the fore and aft lines. The boys were literally hanging on to our mooring lines, with Voyageur's mizzen mast creeping dangerously near the crane's cross beam. The edge of one of the lifting straps took a nick from our prop shaft rope cutter, about an inch and a half long, revealed only once she was lifted clear of the water on to the hard standing. Now fearing that the whole could split right across, everything came to an abrupt halt, while a replacement strap was sourced and fitted. It was with great relief that one hour later Voyageur sat safely on all her chocks. David had the prop shaft seals changed and the transmission oil replaced within a couple of hours. Now it was just a question of waiting for high water for the relaunch, around 7pm just as darkness was falling. Thankfully there were staff to assist this time and we were more than happy to pay overtime rates to get her back in the water that night. For me it is a very emotional moment, seeing Voyageur, our constant home now for over a year, edging towards us in the slings to the dock. I look up at her and think how very beautiful she is to us, both in and out of the water. As her keel breaks the surface I wish her luck for her high seas adventure and as long as our magic eye graces her bow I feel that we will be looked after. You may have noticed that David and I develop a strong relationship with our boat. It was the way with Stella. She became a part of us. She was an integral part of our round the world trip. So it is now with Voyageur. It is the elements, Voyageur, and us. Nothing more. We endeavour to look after her in the hope that in turn she will look after us.
Troubleshooting!
Everyone here is enjoying the luxury of shore power, unlimited water and the internet. It is the first time we have been able to hook up to electricity since Papeete in French Polynesia and of particular importance to us as the generator is still out of action. After much head scratching the local electrician has located the problem to a faulty circuit board. A new part has been ordered from Australia and we are told it should take three days to arrive. With a WARC venue at Musket Cove marina we decided to head over there returning to Port Denerau for the arrival of the new part.
Port Denerau has been a really nice interlude for us. There are lots of restaurants to choose from and all very reasonably priced. We dined two evenings in the company of other WARC boats and on both occasions our meals were excellent. Another morning of provisioning loomed large for the onward trip to Vanuatu so we caught the local bus into Nadi and for just a dollar ride did a scenic tour of the surrounding countryside. Public transport is much the best way to get a feel for a place and so much more fun too. Bumping along rough tracks we saw sugar cane field after sugar cane field, a major industry with the biggest mill in the country nearby in Lautoka. The houses mainly built of corrugated iron were very basic but the ever friendly people waved as we went by. Being incredibly hot we were grateful that the bus was windowless, having just a roll down blind for sun or rain protection. A bicycle bell on a pull cord was used to bring the bus to a halt! Nadi was much as we expected, a one street town, rather scruffy and dirty, but amongst all that were some new upmarket outlets. We found a spotlessly clean restaurant for lunch and stocked up on our fresh provisions in the outdoor market.
Susan Mackay
Previous
|
Next