This is a new experience for us – getting the boat ready for storage and being hauled out of the water in 6 days! We’ll have 2 more days after haulout to finish the storage job. Normally we take 3 weeks so this is pretty crazy. To add to the fun of our shortened time, it’s been raining everyday (except for today – so far) since we arrived on Friday, April 25. Certainly makes things interesting!
On Saturday April 26th, we were up fairly early and right after breakfast, I washed all the cockpit cushions and left them on the foredeck to dry. Caroline was busy packing and Mark worked on some inside jobs. We left for the airport around 11 am and made it there in about 1 hour. We gave Caroline a big hug and off she went to her plane. We did a bit of shopping in Sun Juan and then headed back to the boat. We got back just before the rain poured down! Good thing I moved all my clean cushions back into the cockpit before we left!
In the past 3 days we’ve had more rain than all the other days we’ve been in Puerto Rico combined. It’s making our outside storage jobs very challenging. We have many lines (ropes) that need to be stored inside the boat so they must be dry. We keep moving them around – inside the cockpit then back on deck as the rain comes and goes. I took advantage of the rain on Sunday (it rained all day) to get 3 big loads of laundry done!! That was great!
So far we’ve completed many of our storage jobs. Here’s what we’ve accomplished so far: interior of the boat has been washed with Pinesol and wiped down with water and vinegar. Boat laundry has been vacuum sealed. Sails have been rinsed, dried and stored inside the boat. Dinghy motor is in its storage spot on the back rail and the dinghy is on the bow. The wind generator has been secured so it won’t spin. All lines are mostly dry and in the cockpit. Portable generator has been prepped and stored for the summer. V-berth mattresses have been wrapped in plastic and the V-berth is filling up with all the vacuum sealed bags. Cockpit cushions are now also in the V-berth (it’s very crowded in there!). I’m sure there are more jobs but I think you get the idea – lots is getting done!
Yesterday (April 28th) we met with Sam – our storage caretaker. Our insurance company insisted we hire a concierge service to look after our boat during the storage season. Sam and his wife will be checking our boat every week. The service includes lots of really great features. They will run a dehumidifier every couple of weeks and wipe down any visible mold (it is very humid here!). They will check for leaks and make sure our drains are not clogged. They will watch our batteries and keep them charged. We have a sun shade that we put over the boat to help with the heat inside. When the bad weather hits (usually sometime in August), Sam will remove our sun shade and store it for us. Sam will also send us a monthly report on the boat and be in contact whenever necessary. Although it’s an added expense we hadn’t counted on, it is very reassuring to know our boat will be well cared for during hurricane season.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) will be our last full day before we are hauled out at 10:30 am Thursday. I have my list of jobs still to do and I know Mark has his list. Once we’re on the hard, we’ll still have 2.5 days to finish up before we fly to Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, May 4th.
Crimson Kathryn and her crew 