Barracuda's Blog

The adventures of Kate and Graham and their OVNI 395

23 November 2023 | Bonny Scotland.
19 November 2023 | Hobart, Tasmania
18 November 2023 | Orford, Tasmania
17 November 2023 | Bichenot, Tasmania
15 November 2023 | Tasmania
15 November 2023 | Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
13 November 2023 | Hobart, Tasmania,Australia
12 November 2023 | Cottage Point, NSW, Australia
11 November 2023 | Cottage Point, NSW, Australia
07 November 2023 | Sydney, Australia
07 November 2023 | Port Bundaberg Marina
31 October 2023 | Port Bundaberg Marina
25 October 2023 | Port Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia
18 October 2023 | Noumea, New Caledonia
12 October 2023 | Ille des Pines, New Caledonia
12 October 2023 | Ille des Pines, New Caledonia
11 October 2023 | Ille des Pines, New Caledonia
09 October 2023 | Ille des Pines
09 October 2023 | Ille des Pines
09 October 2023 | Kuto Baie, Ille des Pines, NC.

Nearly back to sailing

26 March 2019 | Island Water World Marina, Sint Maarten, Leeward Islands
Graham Walker




Well, our two-week refit is turning into more like three, but no worries: it’s all good stuff. We are about 98% complete, but are now waiting for some modifications to the spray-hood that could not be started until the electronic installations were complete last week – these included the fitting of two solar panels on said spray-hood, which has to be adapted to fit them. Today we ordered our new anchor chain – 22 metres longer than the existing one - and bought our anti-fouling paint for putting on in Grenada. Sint Maarten is tax-free, so it’s worth getting that sort of thing here in preparation for later. Today’s photo shows our new chain being spooled out of a barrel in the yard, ready for marking out in 5 metre increments using colour coded car paints.

Yesterday we said goodbye to our lovely Danish neighbours on S/Y Soffe. They had arrived the previous week and were leaving the boat here for a week whilst they went home for a funeral. We baby-sat their boat and managed a couple of domestic items for them. The Danish system seemed to allow the two school- aged children time out to do a transatlantic crossing. What a great experience they were having.

We will be happy and sad to leave Sint Maarten. It’s a bit scruffy and at the same time very practical and very friendly. You wander the streets through swaying palm trees and Caribbean music, broken pavings and crazy vans. There is a bustle about the place and lots of good work going on – mainly fixing boats. The people living here come from all over: locals, Brits, Dutch, French, South African, other local islands. On Saturday we took a load of our surplus stuff over to a boat jumble we’d heard about on the daily cruisers’ VHF net, and came back with very little; a good result, and G even managed a haircut. The boat jumble introduced us to many of the live-aboard sailing community, some of whom have been stuck here fixing their boats since hurricane Irma went through. I suppose what we are trying to say is that we are starting to feel part of a community here. But soon we will be off; that is the nature of it, and we will be glad to be back in a world where we can swim off the back of the boat again.

Yesterday we enjoyed a conversation on our new Single Side Band radio (SSB) with someone in Grenada who we have not seen for a year. That’s over 350 miles away, and it was super clear. A good test of the system.
Comments
Vessel Name: Barracuda of Islay
Vessel Make/Model: OVNI 395
Crew: Graham and Kate
About: Learning as we go
Extra: One day at a time
Barracuda of Islay's Photos - Main
20 Photos
Created 10 January 2024
19 Photos
Created 10 January 2024
29 Photos
Created 8 January 2024
Some shots from our tour of Northland, North Island New Zealand - Dec 22.
37 Photos
Created 4 December 2022
41 Photos
Created 11 February 2021
29 Photos
Created 11 February 2021
Starting in the Chesapeake, down the ICW to the Bahamas and onto Puerto Rico and the Caribbean
24 Photos
Created 11 February 2021
Barracuda's trip from Scotland to Europe, the Canaries, and across the Atlantic to the Caribbean followed by a trip up to the Bahamas and on to the USA East coast.
26 Photos
Created 11 February 2021
81 Photos
Created 30 April 2016
60 Photos
Created 16 September 2015
a pre-retirement holiday
19 Photos
Created 21 June 2015
some shots from our lovely trip around the Aegean with Ailie
8 Photos
Created 16 January 2015
9 Photos
Created 19 July 2014
2 great weeks with Steve and Bibi Rainey.
11 Photos
Created 18 July 2014
A long weekend with Catherine and David.
4 Photos
Created 18 July 2014
4 Photos
Created 18 July 2014
14 Photos
Created 18 July 2014
Barracuda, K & G head south to a new home.
14 Photos
Created 18 July 2014
Barracuda does the Western Isles of Scotland.
12 Photos
Created 18 July 2014
Kate and Graham Chillin'
7 Photos
Created 18 July 2014

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