There is an old joke that asks "How do you make God laugh?" the response being "Make a plan." Aboard Yofy we've heard God's chuckle for a couple of years and we've finally got smart. We're not making plans anymore. No siree. Oh, we have a general goal that has not changed and we have dreams but we are also learning to accept that some things are not in our control.

Take the world economy for example. All around us people are loosing jobs and savings are slowly dwindling. Cruisers are thinking twice about spending big money for canal passages such as the Panama and the Suez. Passage planning takes into careful consideration marina fees in costly places such as the Mediterranean.

One of the big projects left to do on Yofy is haulout. In most marinas around the world sailors haul their boats out every one to two years for general maintenance on the hull. In Canada our marina fees included the option to haulout and mast de-step once a year. Here in Eilat, two years after we bought Yofy, our marina cancelled the possibility to haulout on site.

In the intermitting time different options were explored until the city opened a space of shoreline next to Eilat's commercial harbour and accepted bids on haulout management and facilities. With the finesse reminicient of a banana republic, the bid went to a family that had no experience in the field and they proceeded to make a small fortune. Prices at this facility were set at over $2000 dollars for a small boat Yofy's size. Yard facilities included a square of sandy ground, an extension cable to an electrical hookup and use of a hose for water. Yard hands were handy to weld, scrape and paint. Quality of work was dicey at best, but the real terror was the ways car.



Lacking a travel lift or even a hefty crane, this facilty chose to use the most basic ways car method to haul boats from the water to land. Additionally as most of the boats using the haulout facility were large commercial boats in the chicken charter trade, the ways car they built was meant for large vessels. On the spot adaptations were made by welding steel wedges in place to accommodate smaller boats. The approach to the ways car is open to the sea and in a blow onshore waves can make hauling out dangerous indeed.

This yard operated for several years holding fast to their monopoly. Damages to boats were not uncommon and boat owners always held their breath before the final bill. This winter, sailboat owners got fed up and began to pester city hall for another option. After several meetings and stalled decisions last week the word was out that the yard had been closed. What boatowners will do now is up in the air.

Fortunately the first year we owned Yofy we had the chance to do one major haulout including an osmosis job on the hull. However that was six years ago and to say our hull is foul is an understatement. Every few months Manny dives on the hull and scrapes her as clean as he can, but we cannot replace seacocks and inspect our rudder or shaft.

Last Saturday we went out sailing with Doron and as luck would have it we caught some shots of the family having one last barbeque on their business premisis. It was a calm day with almost no wind and Yofy barely moved in the water sluggish with her foul bottom. We didn't really care because it was a hot sultry day and all we really wanted to do was to get off shore and jump in for a swim.

Around four in the afternoon we dropped our sails and drifted in the middle of the Bay of Aqaba. As I made lunch, I heard Manny pointing out some clouds to Doron and saying "It looks like rain." We all smiled. "Rain? In June? No way." Manny grabbed his mask and snorkel and slipped over Yofy's transom for a quick inspection of her hull. Moments later I looked out the companion way and saw a line of sharp waves heading our way. As I headed for the cockpit, Manny raised his head and clamberd on board. Within less than a minute a southerly squall passed over Yofy, letting loose a few sprinkles of rain and whipping the sea into a foaming temper. Spumes blew off the tops of waves around us and Yofy leaned on her side against the gusts. We all watched in awe as wind speeds leapt from 8 knots to 35 or 40.

Manny and I moved into heavy weather procedures. He pulled up the swim ladder, started the engine and kept it in idle. I added extra ties to our sun awning and made sure everything on deck was secure. We both eyed our searoom, ready to head further out to sea if we had to. And then the wind died and in fifteen minutes it was all over.

This is so typical of sailing conditions on the Red Sea. The day's weather forecast had been for benign conditions. Sailors who headed out that day were more concerned with sun protection than sea condtions. The only warning was that odd line of clouds that could just as easily blow over- that and one day before full moon. I always take the weather seriously close to a full moon.

So, just as any day on the sea can call for a change of plans, we are rethinking our summer choices. These economic times and Eilat's limited facilities for cruisers are calling for some creative thinking.