We are back in the water after 13-days 'on the hard'. It was hard slow work this time. As I list the items completed it doesn't really sound like a whole lot. We cleaned and waxed the topsides, pulled out the leaky fuel tank, cleaned the bilge, installed a new bilge pump, replaced sanitation hoses, cleaned and repainted all the locker interiors, and of course redid the bottom paint. In the past we have had a furious routine when we have 'hauled out': 12-hour days for both of us. Not this time with a 3-year old running around the boat yard helping out.

Malou actually enjoyed being in the yard, and she made some good friends her own age. Together they stirred up all sorts of trouble, and got very very dirty. Malou also became very adept at climbing the 15 foot ladder up to the boat. Dangerous you may think?; we were usually right behind her spotting her in case..., but really there was no need. Just as kids climb trees, so she was perfectly assured climbing the ladder. Climbing and balancing are two things a boat kid knows how to do!

We shared the boatyard in Whangarei with boats from many parts of the world. England, France, The Netherlands, BVI, NZ, Oregon, San Francisco, Honolulu. By coincidence we ended up being in the yard with two boats that we encountered during specific milestones in our South Pacific journey.

1) Back in May 2007, Tuscany was the only boat, other than Radiance, in the north pacific still heading for the Marqueses; most were already there. We heard each other via SSB talking to the weather guru Don Anderson. Tuscany made landfall 2 or 3 days after us and anchored right next to us in Hiva Oa. We have since become very good friends with Ciel and Angela.

2) 's/v Do It' is from England and was the first sailboat we saw after our thirty day crossing. After seeing no other boat for a month, we thought it interesting to vie for position while approaching the narrow entrance to the anchorage at Hiva Oa - they were coming from Fatu Hiva, another of the Marquesan islands.

This was the first time in almost 3 years that we hauled Radiance, (and I (Steen) have to add a small piece of advertising here) - in May 2005 we painted her bottom with Pettit Trinidad bottom paint. This paint is almost pure copper so it will set you back a small fortune, but it is in my opinion worth the money. Radiance's bottom, when the travel lift raised us out of the water, was clean; no barnacles, mussel farms or sea weed. The paint was worn very thin but it held up.

Even though we now are back at our pile moorings, we still have a few more days of work left on board, then we will go camping again; probably north this time.

So, even though it might SEEM we are behind in many of our emails and our blog postings, just compare them to how many times we emailed or blogged BEFORE we went cruising...hardly ever, maybe never. So, we're good.