Last week was a time of chasing tradesmen, getting jobs done & preparing PANNIKIN for her haul out on the 18th. Ange had an afternoon of retail therapy on Thursday afternoon at WestMall – not much to buy, but it was nice wandering in the air conditioning. Another grocery shopping trip on Friday. We did manage a dominoes match with Kevin & Susie from TEMPTRESS and Paul & Jill from ELEVATION (Aussies) on Saturday, with Ange being the runaway winner. Sunday we had a lovely lunch with Paul & Jill at Cafe Feel Oh at Coral Cove marina & a good chat.
Monday we were up early & away from Coral Cove marina at 8.15am. We motored down to Power Boats where we tied up in the lift dock & waited for our hoist. Once we were up we waited for an hour & a half as the yard crew attempted to stabilise a trimaran we were to slot in front of. We spent the time trying scrap off all the shellfish that had attached themselves to PANNIKIN’s underside – there were heaps – thanks to Hog Island, Grenada. Once we were settled on our props PANNIKIN was pressure washed Ange began the huge task of scrapping her bottom with a metal scrapper & Steve followed behind with the sander. We achieved 2/3 of her hull on Monday before calling a halt to the day. We let down our anchor & all chain to sit in the sun while we are here to get rid of any growth. We also cleaned out the anchor well – smelly!
Tuesday we finished scrapping & sanding and applied some epoxy primer to patches where the old antifoul was a bit thin. Ange also sanded back the propeller & sail drive ready for new paint. Mel at Majestic Coatings has kindly given us a new product called Prop Shield (apparently similar to Prop Speed) to try out. All he asks is we send him a photo of the propeller each month so he can record the effectiveness of the paint against growth.
Yesterday we applied the first coat of antifoul. We are using a hard paint again, this time Pettit Trinidad Pro. We are hoping it will hold up better in the Caribbean waters as the growth here is savage. After cleaning up (we were both covered in black paint) we had a delivery of our bimini from the canvas guy & also took our saloon cushions for covering – FINALLY!!! The bimini looks good after its wash & reseal – we still don’t think it will be waterproof, but you never know. We had a great dinner last night at the Wheelhouse Pub at Tropical Marine. Swordfish & side salads for 100TT ($17) & the piece of fish large enough to feed both of us. It was grilled in garlic butter & then smothered in a mushroom sauce – YUM!
Today we will apply another coat of antifoul & will reconnect our solar panel & LED cockpit lights after taking them down to remove the bimini. But important things first - doubles for breakfast!!!! Doubles are East Indian in origin. They are a small roti filled with spicy chick peas. They are very popular here in Trinidad for breakfast. They are served at roadside stands from around 6 – 9.30am so you have to be quick.