On the Hard
05 November 2021 | Marsden Cove Boat Yard, New Zealand
Graham Walker
Sorry. Major blogging gap. We got side tracked.
So, what news from Barracuda?
We spent about a week in the marina starting to dismantle and pack up the boat. It is a slow, deliberate and time consuming process and not the best part of the journey; but we have to do it right to make life better when we come back. We are working through a long list of small repairs, improvements and general maintenance. There is a surprising amount to do after living on her for two years, and knowing that we will probably not be back on board for 12 months, we are being extra-puntilious.
After about a week in the marina we lifted Barracuda out into the boat yard and moved off the boat to stay in a 'bach' (New Zealand-speak for small holiday cottage), just a mile away. We have now been spending our days working on the boat and our evenings back at the bach. With the boat high on stilts and nearly wrapped up (no water, no heads, no power and a lot of rain) we are glad to be spending our evenings ashore.
There are some substantial bits of work to do. The rudder is now off the boat and lying on a pallet in pieces. The Kiwiprop (our excellent composite feathering propeller) will shortly come off and go to the manufacturers for a service. The gearbox has been removed and is in the workshop, to try to correct an issue that has plagued us since Panama. The engines (both inboard and outboard) will get a really thorough service. Our primary life jackets have been sent off to the Crewsaver agents in Auckland for some repairs and much of our other safety gear needs to be serviced or replaced (time expired). We have some small joinery repairs to attend to.
We are aiming to get some paintwork done on the boat here, on the hull and the topsides. Twelve years of antifouling needs to be taken off (soda blasted) and the hull stripped down to the epoxy. The epoxy then gets repaired as needed, and then the new primer and antifouling goes back on. With the topsides, we have been promising Barracuda a nice paint job for a while as the paint has lifted or bubbled in places, a common problem with aluminium boats. We are now waiting for quotes for that. How far we go with the topsides painting depends on how the pricing comes in. The mast probably needs to come off for all this, which gives us a chance to thoroughly inspect it and do any repairs needed. Once we have a clear plan for what is to be done, who is going to do it and when it's going to happen - then, we will book our flights home.
We have engaged a lovely local lady to look after Barracuda whilst we are away; she will do monthly checks to make sure all is well. Part of our challenge here is that we don't know how long we will be away for. Once we leave we can't come back until the borders re-open. We are, effectively, betting that they will be open by this time next year - but it's a strange world and that may not happen. So while we are hoping for the best, we are preparing for the possibility that it may be a long time before we can get back.
We are hoping that our final work plan will be in place by early next week... watch this space.