2022 Haul Out in the Books!

We are headed back to Port Louis after the best haul out ever! Not only were we back in the water within 22 days, the haul out expense was kept to a reasonable amount. There were no big surprises except for the initial paint debacle which, in the end, Grenada Marine came around and did the right thing. My advice to anyone in Grenada who is planning a bottom job—order the paint yourself, buy it and bring it to the marina. We thought we had done our due diligence by talking to the marina by phone, and then driving there twice to assure we would NOT be waiting on paint when we arrived. Another piece of advice is to send a follow up email after each meeting stating what was discussed and the decisions that were made. That way there could be no “he said, she said.”

Nevertheless, after the initial issue of not having the paint that we needed, which was resolved by quickly ordering it from Trinidad, the rest of the haul out went fairly smoothly and the personnel was great. We completed the following tasks:

A. Painted the bottom

 

B. Fixed and painted the daggers (For the story behind the daggers see: http://daggersdownsailing.site/sint-maartin-st-martin-the-island-of-enchanting-colors-and-flavors/ )

C. Painted the props with Prop Speed

D. Painted the sail drives and replaced the zincs

E. Aligned the rudders and replaced a cracked spacer

F. Fixed the handrail on the sugar scoop

G. Replaced a through hull handle

H. Obtained a new longer anchor chain for the primary anchor, and painted and marked it

 

I. Replaced the old anchor chain on the secondary anchor

J. Completed an insurance and rigging survey

K. Fixed the port jib car and track

L. Removed and reinstalled the foresails for safety reasons

The only thing we did not accomplish was to replace two clamshell vents which had been ripped off the bottom of the boat, somewhere along our journey. We could not find the right vents on the island, but they were higher on the hulls and could be replaced later without hauling the boat again.

 

Our Home away from Home

While Daggers Down was on the hard, we stayed at a wonderful apartment, Clarenceville Villa.  Once we got over the fact that it did not have air conditioning, we enjoyed our hideaway. It had lots of windows for air flow and overhangs so we could leave the windows opened even when it rained, which was not possible on the boat. In addition, all the rooms but the bathroom had ceiling fans. The accommodations were quite nice with two bedrooms, a living and dining area, a full kitchen, and a shower in the large bathroom. There was a lovely porch in the back that overlooked the beautiful grounds. The owners who lived on the property were friendly and very responsive to our needs.

Now you would think that being up the hills in the country would be a quiet place to hang out but let me tell you there was a symphony of sounds all day and all night. At night there were frogs and crickets chirping and dogs barking. During the day, beginning at sunlight (around four), there were roosters crowing and birds squawking and singing. Quiet it was not!

At the marina, we met a lot of other cruisers, even some folks that were moored near us in Kemah two years ago! There were not a lot of community amenities near this marina as it was located on the southeastern shore of the island. So in the evenings, the yachties and locals alike, hung out at Laura’s Restaurant. The food, company and breezes made this the perfect place to catch up on the happenings of the day.

Splash Day!

Nevertheless, we were both super happy when it was time to splash Daggers Down back in the water.

The yard staff worked well together to assure that the boat was properly hoisted and moved to the bay for insertion.

It felt so good to feel the water under the hulls and be tied up at the dock rather than climbing a ladder up to the boat every day.

The first evening back in the water was so wonderful as we listened to the water lapping at the dock and felt the boat gently swaying with the incoming tide.

However, once the boat was in the water, the chores were not over. To assure that rodents and other critters didn’t take up residence on our boat while it was out of the water, we put all enticements in locked ice chests. Before everything could be removed and stowed, the yard dust needed to be cleared from the boat. So I got to work cleaning all the shelves and crevices, and washing everything that had been exposed.

It took most of the day, but finally the saloon looked presentable, and I could find the items needed to cook dinner.

Meanwhile Ben was on deck supervising the installation of our jib and screecher. As a precaution all canvas and sails were removed before the boat was hoisted from the water. It would be disastrous for sails or canvas to be taken by the wind during a storm as the force could topple the boat off the stands.

We both slept well, not only because we were tired, but we were home in our own bed rocking with the water surrounding us.

Back to Port Louis Marina

The weather finally settled, so on October 1, 2022, we set sail west, then north around the island back to Port Louis Marina in St. George’s. The sun was shining as the clouds had lifted. It was blowing around 15-18 knots from the southeast. So we unfurled the jib and enjoyed a pleasant sail at 6-9 knots past the coast of Grenada. We made good time and arrived in less than 2.5 hours.

Once we were settled back in the marina, we spent four hours scrubbing the outside of the boat, ridding it from the bird poop and yard dust. When it was finally sparkling, we plunged into the pool to cool off and then treated ourselves to dinner at the marina restaurant.

Haul Out 2022 was finally in the books! It was the best one yet! Thanks! Grenada Marina!

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