Windhorse Sailing

Shangri-La weighs 9.5 tons. I think that might be metric I didn’t ask because I don’t know the difference between a metric ton and a standard ton and I don’t care. Regardless we hauled her out of the water for three days to paint the bottom and replace the Stern gland (basically a rubber colar on the propshaft where it comes out of the hull.) I could say every thing went as planned, but that wouldn’t be much fun. So here is what happened.

The Shangri-La out of the water.

We’re paying this guy Quincy to paint the topsides (the side of the boat above waterline). We pay him the going rate of about 15$US a day. Marine paint usually has a chemical agent mixed in just before painting that makes it dry faster and last longer. He didn’t add that. The result is paint that never dries, except on my hands and right leg for 3 days now. He had to use paint thinner to remove it and then reapply the proper mixture. It took an extra 2 days. So it cost 30$ more in labor plus 10$ a day for the spot in the boat yard. All this is at Royal Cape Yacht Club, which isn’t too shabby. Thanks Quincy.

If you buy a boat or need to do a refit Cape Town is the place. They have everything you need and labor is cheap. The only downside is that certain foreign goods are rare and expensive. Usually a South African made substitute can be as good or better.

Speaking of labor… That carpenter and his son, the Indian Sanford and Son, showed up with the goods. They did all the jobs they said they would and did them well. Out of the blue they called to say they would be at the dock later. I had forgotten about them. They made a teak floor for the cockpit, fixed the companionway stairs, a door and replaced the sideboard in the cockpit where we hang the dinghy engine. They were done in 1 hour and they charged me $200 for parts and labor. Teak floor! You gotta be kidding.

We are back in the water and all is good, but there is one more story to tell about the haul out. The put-in. I couldn’t believe they would try as the wind was blowing 25 knots, but they did confidently. So confidently that they lifted 9.5 tons over a race boat moored to the crane dock. Tonga, the crane operator that I greased for good measure said “don’t worry Babba, I put you down like a baby in da tub.” He did.

Now that left me moored against an expensive looking race boat. I had to back up and pull away as smooth as ever. Francis was off taking his final for the Yacht Master. Bad timing. Stevo was there to help with a pat on the back and “oh dude you got it.” One wrong move and my ten tons of Steel crushes that race boat. And it didn’t help that the wind was blowing me on to her.

Thank God, we made it safely out and down the row of docks to our slip. Then I turned the boat in and the wind from dead astern kicked up to a steady gale 33 knots and was just able to stop her, engine full in reverse, before the bow hit the dock. Except the anchor sticking off the bow plowed through the back of the electric box on the dock. The box bent over on its post and now people have to walk around it. It shouldn’t have been there in the fist place.

All is good as we await Thursday inspection. After that we are legal to sail South African and international waters. Perhaps we’ll have a party Thursday night.