Over the next few months I went through the process of having the vessel registered on the Australian shipping register. While there is a lot of paperwork required, the people at AMSA who look after shipping registration are very helpful. It is certainly the best government department, in my experience, to have had dealings. Majority of this process could be done remotely, however as part of the process the hull markings need to be done prior to the final registration being completed. The hull markings include the vessel's name and hailing port being displayed on the transom, and an engraved plate fixed to the hull with the vessel's registration number and its overall length.

The journey to the boat is a long one from Macau. It involved 33 hours of air travel to arrive in St Thomas (USVI). On this trip I stayed overnight in St Thomas opposite the ferry terminal and caught the ferry the next morning directly to Virgin Gorda (BVI), where the vessel was located. The yard allows for owners to stay onboard the vessel when on the hard, and considering most of the accommodation on the island is still in ruins, it was a good option (and saved money). During Hurricane Irma the yard's buildings sustained substantial damage, including the shower/toilet block which those staying at the yard used. The facilities for the yard crew however were operational and available. These were smaller, but they were very clean and certainly a welcome feeling at the end of the day.

I arrived at the yard mid-afternoon, on that first day, it was very hot and suffering jet lag. Since my last visit, the yard crew had re-positioned the boat so that it was back up on the blocks Port side, and stands supporting the Starboard hull.

Interestingly it had been positioned between two other Lagoons, a 410 and a 420. People can easily identify most Lagoons, but the Jeanneau TPI era models look nothing like the typical Lagoon series. With only 51 of the TPI 42's produced, most people do not recognize that it is a Lagoon.

While at the boat, many people came to inquire as to type of boat. The new Lagoon boats on either side, while from same manufacturer and with a similar length, looked very different. The TPI has much less bulk in the hulls and much slender bows. The TPI vessels are much lighter than the new Lagoon models. The downside to the narrower hulls is less interior volume than its neighbors.

I dropped off my bags and went to the local store across the road from the yard and purchased some cleaning products (and a cold beer).

The cleaning and tidying up started in the saloon area first. It basically just needed the putting aside some items and wiping down dusty surfaces. I had expected mold to be a problem with all the humidity however there was virtually no mold in the saloon area. The other areas would have to wait as the jet lag was starting to have an impact and it was getting dark. Shower time then track down some food!

Headed off to the staff shower block where there were a few people gathered outside. There was only the one shower stall inside and they were waiting for the last guy to finish showering before heading out for dinner. While waiting they were enjoying a cold beer, very civilized way of waiting. After a quick chat, their friend came out and they were off. They were all working and staying on their boats on the hard. We arranged to catch up for coffee in the morning at the shop over the road. This was the start of what became a social ritual.

Each morning would catch-up for coffee, then at dusk meet outside shower block, have a beer or two before going to diner as a group. A good friendship developed and still exists. We were all from different walks of life and places but had a common bond of working on damaged boats in order to experience that cruising dream.

The coffee next morning helped me get the body clock realigned. It was also good to chat with the others and find out what they were planning to work on for that day. It was inspiring to knowing I wasn't the only one facing such a long task list. At dusk, at the shower block catch up, then off for a few beers. We could update each other how far we hadn't progressed on those planned tasks. There were a few places to eat nearby, so tried most of them over the period I was staying in the yard.

Having the social interaction with other people doing the same thing while working on you boat certainly helps getting things done. We were able to borrow things when needed, run ideas past each other, share contacts, and probably more importantly keep each other motivated with just general banter. Occasionally we would end up in the heat of the day having a "down tools" for a cold beer before getting back to the task at hand......it is hot in BVI over summer!

Just prior to this trip I had received an email from Mark from ReMarkable Repairs. His business performs fiberglass repairs to boats in the area. I had seen some of his work on Facebook, and the timing of his email was perfect. Mark was currently working in the yard and had approached the yard office for my contact details to send an email.

On my third day in the yard, some people had arrived at the damaged Lagoon 410 next door.. I was cleaning up in the cockpit area of my boat when one person from the group came over and quickly introduced himself, he was Mark from Remarkable. These people were looking to buy the boat and approached Mark to quote them for some repair work. Mark and I arranged to meet up over at the Lagoon 560 latter that day, to talk about the repairs to my boat. He was working on that boat so would provide an opportunity to see in person the quality Mark's work and the care he takes when performing that work. That particular Lagoon 560 had been partially submerged during Irma and had needed a lot of both structural and cosmetic work.

Once the cockpit on my boat had been cleared of debris it was possible to look at what could be improved. The helm seat was previously a seat for one person and not in very good condition. In the yard there had been a FP36 Mahe scheduled to be crushed. I purchased the helm seat from the FP 36 prior to its demise, as well as the saloon table (existing saloon table was ugly).

In replacing the helm seat, the original Lagoon pedestal was used and the new fiberglass double seat from the FP was mounted on top. It will require a front support (with foot rest) to complete the job.The front support can be made in Macau now the measurements are known and take over on next trip.

After looking at the work which Mark had done on the Lagoon 560, I decided to engage him to work on my boat to repair the keel, hull puncture (from the stand), and some cosmetic damage to the deck (when the mast came down).

Mark has been a great help with the repairs, not only the fiberglass repairs, but also helping to organise other workers to do what is needed. Mark organised for the four sections of the existing mast to be transported by truck/barge to the rigger on Tortola so that work on the new mast could commence, he has also organised the Stainless steel man to straighten the bimini frame which was bent by the boom as the mast came down.

Over the following days, the green stripes on the hulls were changed to be mid-grey colour. Never realised there were so many stripes until after starting. The existing stripes were painted. The new stripes were painted over the top (2 coats) after first wiping them down and sanding. To avoid working in the direct sun, the stripes in the shade were done first, then as the sun shifted, the others done. The painting of the stripes took 4 days in total. No painting could be done in the middle of the day.

During the middle of the day, no painting possible, cleaning continued on the inside. The Port side hull also has the kitchen. Found that one of the basins in the stink has a small hole (some chemical had been spilt and eroded the hole). The sink needs replacing which will be a good time to refresh the counter tops.

The vinyl signage was put onto the hulls and transom, also done while avoiding the direct sun. The original name and hailing port had to be removed first. Despite having been baked on for many years the old signage was relatively easy to remove. Most of the letters coming off in one or two pieces. The areas where the new signage was to be placed were washed down and reference marks put on in pencil. I have put on vinyl transfers in the past, the process is quite easy. Some people prefer to do it using a dry surface, but I prefer the soapy water method (more forgiving). With no spray bottle available I used a sponge and bucket of soapy water to wet the area down. Due to the heat the water was drying fast making it necessary to remove the paper backing on the transfer before wetting to speed the application. Once the transfer was against the hull the water was retained allowing the alignment of the sign to the reference marks. Once the air bubbles were squeegeed out the outer backing sheet could be removed to reveal the new signage. It all went smoothly with only a challenge on the transom where the water on that area just dried out quickly. Cutting the panel into many small sections helped to reduce working time.

The name "Double Happiness" has a Chinese symbol, this symbol was used as a logo. Had to of the logos made and wanted to place them on the outer bow areas. Looking at the other boats around, the logos were placed almost at the bow, but I was hoping to put them a little further back. I taped them in place for a day to get use to the position, once settled, these too were put on at those locations.

Another task which was on the to-do list was checking the sail inventory. The self tacking jib had been taken down before Irma and stored in the saloon. the main had been stored on the boom inside the cover, and the stay-sail in the sugar scoop locker. The mainsail was in really good condition. Once inspected, the battens were removed and it was rolled up. The head sail was in "as new" condition and rolled back up. Unfortunately the stay sail had been packed wet and the stainless stay inside the luff had corroded away making many holes in the wet sail in the process. It was measured and taken to the skip bin.

Getting the packed mainsail back on board was a challenge by myself, it is very heavy. The only option seemed to be was to use the dingy davits to haul it up, even then needed to use a winch.

My time in the yard on this trip was coming to a close. Despite all the effort and work, the trip had been oddly relaxing, and I enjoyed being able to work on a boat again. Have met some great people and made friends. Yard work is just as pleasing as sailing itself and I look forward to doing it again soon.

Packing up the boat and closing the doors seemed wrong, but I had to start the long journey home begins....