I was lucky with the wind because after several days of very blustery weather things calmed down today and I was dealing with a 10-15 kt wind from the SW. The lift out was scheduled for 1 PM and I arrived at the yacht club at 9 AM to have coffee in the library with the Monday morning group. Before the coffee I visited the works area and confirmed that all was OK for the lift out. I would arrive 10 minutes early and have heaving lines at both sides of the stern. After coffee I headed for the boat at 10.30 AM and took my time in preparing the boat. I hung a section of carpet on each side of the hull at the wides part and as a precaution put out two fenders forward of the carpets. I started the engine at 12.35 PM, released the springer lines which were doing nothing, then released the stern lines followed by the bow lines knowing that the SW breeze would tend to push me out of the pen. It was only a short run to the travel lift and the men were waiting when I arrived at 12.50. The rest went without a hitch.
As the Pachuca was lifted out of the water I got a bit sentimental and thought about how this magnificent boat had survived the pounding at Two-Fold Bay in NSW, the electrical fire in the Sea of Cortez, a close encounter with the iceberg, and at least 3 storms, several heavy gales, and about 15 garden variety gales. Of course we helped each other survive, so I guess that it's all about bonding while under fire.
The hull was very furry and as the man worked the pressure hose to clean the hull I mused that being blown off was wild life from Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and South Africa. Yes, divers had cleaned the hull in those last 3 countries but only so much can be done by a diver.
I then had a couple of beers in the cockpit enjoying the scene of the marina and the ocean behind it, with views to Garden Island, the Stragglers, and Rottnest Island. Invariable I thought of the work to be done on the boat during the next 3 months, which I began to realize will be a bit more extensive than simply anti fouling the hull and replacing the anodes.
The gas stove/oven is at its end. The years of salt water pouring and dripping through that hole that a previous owner had foolishly cut above the stove for an exhaust fan had taken its toll and the steel buners are literally breaking apart from corrosion. The oven is also in bad shape, with a poor seal and much difficulty in lighting it. A new stove/oven will cost me over $2000.
The gas detector now sounds a fault alarm instead of throwing open the gas solenoid switch, so it must be replace. I can't complain about it (or the stove, for that matter). I had the gas detector repaired in 2008 and it got me around the world.
I would love to have the hull painted but will wait another year in favor of more urgent tasks. So I will put in a lot of time polishing the hull to bring some life back into the paint and also do some touch up of scratches. The hull paint is in remarkably good condition given the travails of the 5-year circumnavigation.
In fact, the entire boat is in remarkably good condition. As I wrote earlier, she is much better equipped than when she departed on the circumnavigation and all of her major systems are in good condition and working well. Even all of her 6 large batteries are performing well, with the house bank floating at about 13.5V and starter bank having no problem in starting the engine.
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