In the morning we managed to test one of the forward bimini supports where it attaches to the roof. This is where we know another boat had a failure. As far as we can tell this test came out well. It was quite hard doing the test as we had to protect all the underside of the bimini and boat surface below as well as use a tarpaulin to protect the area from the wind. By the time we finished this support the wind really kicked up so we passed on the second.
The rest of the morning was spent marking out the new piece of wood for the nav station with the positions of all the kit being installed on it. Then came the scary part of cutting it all. At this time Malcolm, who we got to know last time we were here in NZ, popped by to say hello. He ended up helping by holding the wood steady while I cut the holes with the jigsaw.
We broke for lunch and went into town to eat by the marina. There we met past (and probably future) crewman Paul and his son Tom. We feasted and chatted and were all very grateful when Malcolm insisted on picking up the bill.
We all returned to the yard to see how things were getting on. We hung out in the communal kitchen for a while drinking coffee and chatting some more. By the time Paul, Tom and Malcolm headed off it was nearly 4pm.
I checked out the holes I’d cut in the morning and found one to be too small with the others being almost perfect. A little more sawing and that was done.
So that’s about it. Our slacking off in the afternoon means less was done that we could have but we deserved it and feel no guilt.
In the meantime, the French techs are making blinding progress. The engine beds are now fiberglassed in and some of the electronics installed. They are making enough progress that they can do a half day today and go sightseeing this afternoon.
Leave a Reply