Haulout and farewell
by Andrew and Clare Payne on 28 Nov 2016
Half an hour before haulout Andrew and Clare Payne
So we were due to haulout at 8am and at 7.30am the heavens opened and down came the rain; not a good start. Fortunately that was pretty well the end of it and we have enjoyed sunny weather whilst packing up the boat. The haulout went well and the bottom of the boat is in very good condition, considering Eye Candy has been in the water for twenty two months. Andrew's constant cleaning has paid off.
Gin and tonic
We have been busy storing sails, the outboard, safety equipment and all halyards below and the dinghy on the deck. We have scrubbed the canvas bimini, dodger, link sheets, cockpit shades and the dinghy. Andrew has pickled the water maker and flushed the outboard and main engine. I have wiped the interior of the boat with vinegar, washed curtains, bedding and sorted the lockers. Some people think that the cruising life is all about Gin and Tonic and so here are some of our G&T photos for this haulout.
The Raiatea Carenage, where we are leaving Eye Candy for the cyclone season, is well protected by mountains. The boat yard is fairly small and certainly doesn't have many facilities. The bathroom which is shared by the staff and the cruisers has one toilet, one shower, no washing machines but two wash basins. Now it pays to have a sense of humour. The bathroom come laundry is very basic and I had a few loads of hard washing, sheets, towels, bedding and clothes.
One basin appears to be plumbed, but the larger basin just has a hole in the wall for the wash water to spill outside. So rather than make a big mess outside I lugged my 20 litre bucket to the plumbed basin and emptied the soapy water down the pipe and all over the bathroom floor. Big mistake the pipe wasn't connected; silly me. From then on all wash water went out the hole in the wall.
Looking after our baby
We have employed a Yacht Maintenance Service to look after Eye Candy in our absence. They will check the batteries, power output from the solar panels, check for any water leaks during the wet season and clean away any mould. The boat will be opening up for airing and we have a dehumidifier installed; what more can we do?
The birds and the bees
The Yacht Maintenance Service told us that the birds and bees are just waiting for us to leave so they can move in. We have watched the Minor birds pooping on all the boats and trying to make their nest in the end of the booms. This possie along with any other sizeable hole has to be plugged up. All small holes have to be covered or the bees will move in. So Andrew has been busy plugging.
Eye Candy is sitting on a steel cradle and Andrew has tied her down onto the cradle. All the ropes leading back to the deck of the boat have plastic bottles attached to stop the rats coming on board. We also dropped the chain out of the locker and flaked it onto a suspended rod so it is not sitting inside a wet locker for months.
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