Wednesday 25 May
New Diet and Health Regime
Just spend 6 weeks working on a yacht, pigging out on a wondrous variety of French wines, breads and cheeses, olives and patés, butter soaked artichokes, asparagus and garlic mussels, chips and saucisson sec, fresh pasta with creamy carbonara sauce, (and so on and so on) and you’re guaranteed to lose a couple of inches of belly fat as well as firming up all sorts of muscles all over, but especially on the upper body. The trade off here is scrapes and bruises (I fell off a large oil drum when Mike removed the bucket that was my second step), gashes and scabs (the companionway steps collapsed under me when Mike didn’t attach them correctly), huge itchy welts (nasty little ‘no-see-ums’ which we can’t blame on Mike), and skin as scaly as a snake’s (which we also can’t blame on Mike). Other plusses are natural bleaching and straightening of the hair (if you’re into that kind of thing), sun tan (albeit rather patchy) and short nails (no need for manicures). Over and above all that, the satisfaction you get from doing so much identifiably useful work is incalculably good for the soul. Believe me.
We have a new friend, a South African chap called Harry who is originally from Johannesburg but currently lives in Australia six months of the year and sails for the other six months. He told us he had visited Rhodesia as a child on a few occasions as he had an aunt living there. This aunt used to live with (he wasn’t quite sure what the relationship had been) a heart surgeon, Mr Graham. When I was nine years old this same Mr Graham, who had recently returned from America, performed a successful operation to repair the ‘hole’ in my heart. Small world.
It has become appallingly hot – much more so than I feel it should be for this time of year. We have erected our shade cover over the cockpit which helps a lot. It is a green mesh fabric which keeps the sun out but allows the breeze to pass through. There has been very little rain this year and we hear the rivers are low. Harry, and his wife who has not arrived yet, are also taking the canal trip. His boat (Malua) has such a deep draught that he will have to travel with only half his capacity of water and fuel in an attempt to keep his keel up. He is quite concerned about the lack of water in the rivers.
Mike has been agonising over the un-stepping of the mast, understandably really as it is no small thing and our first time ever. He walks back and forth with a worried frown talking to himself or to me discussing the mechanics of it all. He is particularly concerned about how to position the mast on the deck as we will be carrying it with us. We have been watching other boats come in and out of the marina having their masts un-stepped (removed) or re-stepped (put back in) but boat shapes vary and everyone arranges things differently. Then a young Danish chap, Piet, (with a wife and three small kids) arrived in a similar boat to us having just come down the canals. Piet had wooden cross bars made to hold his mast and handed these over to a delighted Mike. He came for a cup of coffee, over which Mike gave him all our Mediterranean paper charts. A good swap for both parties. We spoke again of a possible Scandinavian trip next year and Piet offered to let us have charts and pilot books if we ever do it. We exchanged email addresses.
All the electrics that run up the mast have to be detached and Mike spent a whole day this week doing just that. It wasn’t easy as screws and bolts get frozen over the years and take a lot of greasing and soaking to unscrew. However, he succeeded with a bit of help from the obliging spanner boy (me). I have drawn complicated diagrams of where each coloured wire goes.
We’ve moved away from computer chess and novels and now tend to spend our evenings studying our Fluviacartes and reading various extracts from other people’s blogs on the canal trips. It’s all very exciting.
Thursday 26 May
The wind instrument arrived today and it’s the wrong thing. It is only the display and doesn’t include the doofy (anemometer) at the top of the mast that actually picks up the wind. Bugger. Our display works fine – it is the other bit we needed. Anyway, it is our mistake - I have checked the ad in eBay and it never did mention that part of it. So, I emailed the seller and told him our mistake and asked if he could get the rest of the instrument, and if not, we will have to return it. We are so disappointed, and that’s another thing back on the list.
However, today I re-sanded and oiled the cockpit and it looks very nice.
For the past three weeks whilst working on the outside of the boat, painting the top blue stripe and cleaning up the gelcoat, I have been using some scaffolding borrowed from an absentee sailor. He arrived back today so I went over and introduced myself. I’d not quite finished my work and was afraid he wanted it back. However, he was charming and said I could continue to use the scaffolding for another two days. Now I’ve got to get on with it.
Friday 27 May
Our new Irish friend, Camilla, who wants to borrow the scaffolding when I’ve finished with it, very kindly gave us a lift into town today in her car. We took advantage and got a gas refill as well as doing a really big shop. We were very grateful as this will save us a lot of hassle at the last moment. She and her husband Chris came for drinks in the evening. Their boat, which has no name, has been here for five years and they come down (by car from Scotland) and work on it every year. They are hoping to get it into the water by September and actually take it for a sail.
Saturday 28 May
Finally, we have finished all our work. Knackered. Both of us.
Here she is – very fine. You can see the cross bars at the back which will support the mast.
Mike took himself off to the beach for the last time – he said it was perfect and very crowded, lots of pretty girls in bikinis. I stayed home to recover as my back was hurting, but eventually decided to get some laundry done. Down by the tap I met Marc, the scaffolding owner, and he offered me his washing machine. He has a washing machine aboard his boat! I said Yes, Please. I’d already done the clothes, but took the opportunity to wash all our manky bed linen. Lovely man. He came and had a drink with us this evening.
Waiting for the machine to do its job (two loads I had) I made four jars of apple chutney. Taking advantage of the free electricity as it may be a while before we have shore power again. Our batteries are not in good nick. We do have a brand new starter battery for the engine which is the most important thing. The weather has cooled off a lot thank goodness, though it is still sunny and very dry.
Monday 30 May
This is going to be our last day on the hard. We’ve booked to be lifted up this evening, after which we will clean and then paint the very undersides of the rudder and keel as well as the side patches currently covered by the metal struts. We’ll spend the night in the sling and then go into the water first thing tomorrow, Tuesday, morning. We are so looking forward to being in the water again. As we are going to be very busy tonight, we are going over to Port Napoleon marina for a good three course workman’s lunch, to use the internet, and see Harry who’s gone into the water today. A hard northerly wind is forecast for Wednesday so we’ve booked to have our mast un-stepped on Thursday. The plan is to motor up the canal to Port-Saint-Louis du Rhone marina on Friday, do our last minute grocery shopping and fill up with diesel and then take the 6.30am bridge lift into the first lock of the Rhone on Saturday. Yabba Dabba.
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