15/12/2011
Sheer Tenacity was ready and waiting in her steel cradle, but sans the antifouling which we had purchased in St Maarten. We were told that it had “turned” and was unusable. I had been disappointed with the Micron 66 in the warm waters, and decided to try Jotun. This required a barrier coat, as the two products are incompatible. I returned the Jotun to IWW,from whom I had purchased it, but they never had any of the new Jotun as replacement. I had previously been told by a long term cruiser, that he had switched to Trinidad 75, which is a hard (non ablative), very copper rich antifoul. As IWW had this in stock, and the barrier coat had already been applied, I have gone this route.
We had a number of other jobs to tackle, such as replacing anchor lockers, and fitting new closed cell cockpit cushions, before beginning the task of preparing to launch : Fitting stackpack, sails, bimini, spray dodgers, running motor, commissioning systems and equipment. After 5 days of running around like hooligans, we were antifouled , fitted, tested, and ready to splash.
It then took another couple of weeks to provision and repack the boat, (and have a few sundowners as we renewed contact, and made plans with various cruising mates!),,, then we were good to go! Lobster season was open again too!!
Our first step was a shake down sail around to
St Georges, catching a Tuna Mackerel along the way. St Georges is a pretty town, on the lee side of the island, with an anchorage, outside the lagoon, has clear water, and reasonably easy dinghy access to shops. We have decided to spend more time there when next we pass 
this way!
For once we picked a good SE breeze to start our way north, and enjoyed a 4 and 1/2 hr romp up to Carriacou, averaging 7knots, and catching a Dorado just past Gouyave. We arrived in Tyrrel Bay, and it was indeed, almost like coming home again! Stacks of well known faces, some of whom had not moved since we saw them last July! Paul Johnson,( he of the Venus ketch, many wives and sometimes artist), had managed to get knocked down by a car, and was nursing broken ribs and head stitches. His pain management system involves frequent sips of Westerhall Superb Light Rum, at all hours, from little 1/3 bottles that he always carries around with him. He needed this medical treatment while talking to me in the su
permarket queue, waiting to pay for his breakfast sausage!
Elsewhere around the bay were a number of other boats and crews well known to Hout Bay! Australian Tony, musician and teacher, from “Ragin’ Cajun”, who had persuaded my ex neighbour, Lynn Rattle, to go sailing with him. She jumped ship in St Helena, and seems to have planted roots there now!
Another Hout Bay boat, is New Dawn. Mary and I used to enjoy our racing duals with Kyall and Ruth, on their previous boat “Suzanne”. They then bought “New Dawn”, and sailed over to Brazil. Sadly their relationship hit rough weather, and they went their separate ways, with Kyall buying out Ruth’s share in the yacht. We last saw Kyall down in Abraao, Ilha Grande in Brazil and suddenly he is knocking on our hull here in Tyrrel , with his new lady, Natasha . They are doing a qu
ick circuit around the Grenadines, before heading down to Tobago to meet up with family.
Yet another Hout Bay boat, “Jervon”, with Jeremy, and Yvonne (who, thankfully, has been given the all clear after her 6 month check up in Trinidad after brain surgery in January). They are here to haulout, antifoul, and spend Christmas with old friends. “Olive” too, is here, also scheduled to haul out before making their way north.
Meanwhile , on Sheer Tenacity, we have spent a week remaking a new bimini , as after a few heavy downpours, it became obvious that 4 years is about as long as a Sunbrella bimini and rain catcher can be expected to last in the tropics.( we had ours up for a year in Hout Bay before we left, and it’s been up ever since we reached Brazil). Of course, no sooner had we finished, than the rain stopped, and we have had to commission the Watermaker!
After the Bimini, and a new set of saloon cushions to brighten up the interior, Mary has returned to full on cruising mode, even visiting fellow cruisers for sundowners with her top on inside out!
Sheer Tenacity was ready and waiting in her steel cradle, but sans the antifouling which we had purchased in St Maarten. We were told that it had “turned” and was unusable. I had been disappointed with the Micron 66 in the warm waters, and decided to try Jotun. This required a barrier coat, as the two products are incompatible. I returned the Jotun to IWW,from whom I had purchased it, but they never had any of the new Jotun as replacement. I had previously been told by a long term cruiser, that he had switched to Trinidad 75, which is a hard (non ablative), very copper rich antifoul. As IWW had this in stock, and the barrier coat had already been applied, I have gone this route.
We had a number of other jobs to tackle, such as replacing anchor lockers, and fitting new closed cell cockpit cushions, before beginning the task of preparing to launch : Fitting stackpack, sails, bimini, spray dodgers, running motor, commissioning systems and equipment. After 5 days of running around like hooligans, we were antifouled , fitted, tested, and ready to splash.
It then took another couple of weeks to provision and repack the boat, (and have a few sundowners as we renewed contact, and made plans with various cruising mates!),,, then we were good to go! Lobster season was open again too!!
Our first step was a shake down sail around to
St Georges, catching a Tuna Mackerel along the way. St Georges is a pretty town, on the lee side of the island, with an anchorage, outside the lagoon, has clear water, and reasonably easy dinghy access to shops. We have decided to spend more time there when next we pass 
this way!For once we picked a good SE breeze to start our way north, and enjoyed a 4 and 1/2 hr romp up to Carriacou, averaging 7knots, and catching a Dorado just past Gouyave. We arrived in Tyrrel Bay, and it was indeed, almost like coming home again! Stacks of well known faces, some of whom had not moved since we saw them last July! Paul Johnson,( he of the Venus ketch, many wives and sometimes artist), had managed to get knocked down by a car, and was nursing broken ribs and head stitches. His pain management system involves frequent sips of Westerhall Superb Light Rum, at all hours, from little 1/3 bottles that he always carries around with him. He needed this medical treatment while talking to me in the su
permarket queue, waiting to pay for his breakfast sausage!Elsewhere around the bay were a number of other boats and crews well known to Hout Bay! Australian Tony, musician and teacher, from “Ragin’ Cajun”, who had persuaded my ex neighbour, Lynn Rattle, to go sailing with him. She jumped ship in St Helena, and seems to have planted roots there now!
Another Hout Bay boat, is New Dawn. Mary and I used to enjoy our racing duals with Kyall and Ruth, on their previous boat “Suzanne”. They then bought “New Dawn”, and sailed over to Brazil. Sadly their relationship hit rough weather, and they went their separate ways, with Kyall buying out Ruth’s share in the yacht. We last saw Kyall down in Abraao, Ilha Grande in Brazil and suddenly he is knocking on our hull here in Tyrrel , with his new lady, Natasha . They are doing a qu
ick circuit around the Grenadines, before heading down to Tobago to meet up with family.Yet another Hout Bay boat, “Jervon”, with Jeremy, and Yvonne (who, thankfully, has been given the all clear after her 6 month check up in Trinidad after brain surgery in January). They are here to haulout, antifoul, and spend Christmas with old friends. “Olive” too, is here, also scheduled to haul out before making their way north.
Meanwhile , on Sheer Tenacity, we have spent a week remaking a new bimini , as after a few heavy downpours, it became obvious that 4 years is about as long as a Sunbrella bimini and rain catcher can be expected to last in the tropics.( we had ours up for a year in Hout Bay before we left, and it’s been up ever since we reached Brazil). Of course, no sooner had we finished, than the rain stopped, and we have had to commission the Watermaker!
After the Bimini, and a new set of saloon cushions to brighten up the interior, Mary has returned to full on cruising mode, even visiting fellow cruisers for sundowners with her top on inside out!
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