Friday, June 28, 2013

Reanimation

Air Berlin flight from Frankfurt to Preveza -- twice a week,
Tuesdays and Satrurdays
This year we had a fairly easy time of reanimation as we liberally used the tool called money. This year we paid to have guardenage done (this would be boat cleaning), also polishing the hull and painting the bottom. For about $1,000 we had this done before we arrived. Thanks to our friend Marcel for telling us how dirty the boat was and that it took them 2 days and 50 Euros of water in the Marina to get it clean. Rather than deal with that I did what men around the world have been doing since the age of fiat currency – I worked at something I was good at, and paid someone to do the work that I don’t like doing.

Two large men on one small bed. We need to get the boat
launched so we can have our own cabins!
That said, there is still a tremendous amount that needs to be done in order to get the boat ready. We had all the boards and cushions stacked into rooms along with about 20 Ikea clear plastic tubs of “stuff”. Add to that the need to raise sails, pull the halyards down the mast, replace the sheets, get the outboard and generator going, charge the batteries, put the canvas on, install new zinc cathode protection on the hull and propeller, grease the propeller, reinstall the exhaust elbow and reconnect the water pump. This is only a partial list – it went on for three pages.

Add to that the considerable electrical work I decided to take on and you have a very long and hectic three days of work. Also you must consider that we are now 10 hours ahead of our time zone and operating at less than full efficiency.
Tara safe, sound, polished and painted.

Throughout it all Ross was an able companion and assistant. In a lot of the electrical work he was great and he got the ugliest job done, a half liter bottle of oil split in the starboard lazarette (locker above deck) and he took everything out, wiped it up and cleaned the spill up in an environmentally responsible way.

After two full days work – 7am to 8pm each day with an hour for lunch, we had Tara ready for the water. She went in the water at 3pm on the 28th of June.
22 tonnes of boat moves at a walking pace to the water