by Judy Handley | Mar 9, 2009 | Sailing Logs Year 4, Thailand Refit |
Day 138, Year 4: Bit of a Slow Start
Date: Monday, March 9, 2009
Weather: Torrential Rain Midnight; Sunny Day; Late Day Rain
Location: Boat Lagoon Marina, Phuket Island
For a month now, we have been preparing for today-the first day we could really be back on Windbird putting her back together. But it didn’t go as we had planned. The first problem is that Windbird looks like a brand new boat and it is very, very difficult to even think about putting anything back on her for fear of marring the new paint job. The second problem is that some of the things we tried to put back on just didn’t make the grade. The big stainless pieces we have cleaned so meticulously looked great, but the hatches which had been locked inside Windbird the past few weeks, did not. They are Bowmar hatches and are anodized aluminum painted to look like stainless steel. We had never noticed the bubbling in the paint before but we have decided that they cannot go back on as is. Luck gave us his wire brushes that we could use to strip them with our drill, but after working for more than hour, Mark decided this was not the job for him. First of all he has strained muscles in his lower back and bending over and holding a heavy drill is just not working for him. Second of all, we think we will have a better product if we have someone else do the job for us. So we will talk to Oh in the morning to see if he can do the job for us, and if not, we know we can find someone here who can do that. But in the meantime, finishing the job of putting cabin top back together will be a bit delayed. There were other factors that slowed us down as well. The sissy bars that go on either side of the mast have a teak board across them and the boom crutch has a teak piece that actually cradles the boom. The stainless looked great after yesterday’s cleaning, but I decided that I just had to clean that teak. Another slow down was the fact that Nop could not come today to put the arch and handrails on. He says tomorrow, and we shall see. So we didn’t come out of the gate like gangbusters, but we are working slowly and steadily.
The crew worked all day sanding on the mast. The scaffolding has been taken out of the main tent and moved to the side ten where the mast sits. The height of the scaffolding gives more room below for working. About two-third of one side of the mast looks done after today’s work, so I think it will take the rest of this week just to get the mast and boom ready for painting.
Mark did put the bases of the sissy bars and the boom crutch in place and is ready to install those first thing in the morning. He also has the hatch over the galley ready to install. It is a new addition since we bought Windbird and doesn’t need the refurbishing that the others do. We also got the framing for the dodger and bimini in place so that Muzza, the canvas guy, can start his work tomorrow.
So we are making progress. And even though things went a little more slowly today than expected, we are still working at 10 pm. The aluminum mast steps and an aluminum track that goes on the deck needed cleaning, so that is happening tonight. Windbird looks so good that we are having a little difficulty adjusting to the new look, but that is a great position in which to find yourselves. Give us a couple of more days and we will think she always looked this good.
Tonight was even more interesting that the day. We decided to walk across the highway to have dinner at the super cheap, super good hole in the wall restaurant. We left here about six and got to the highway at 6:15. Normally there would be unbelievable traffic and we would have to wait a very long time to cross. But tonight there were policemen walking and security guards everywhere and very little traffic. We couldn’t figure out what was going on, but it was so easy to cross the highway and that was a relief. As soon as we reached the restaurant, the gray clouds rolled in and it looked like the heavens would pour down upon us at any moment. The woman who owns the restaurant commented on the fact that our friends were probably not coming due to the bad weather. But eventually our friends did arrive and they explained what had been happening that we had totally missed. The King was headed south to Phuket Town and all traffic had been stopped. They had not been allowed to cross the road until he passed. So we must have just made the cut and gotten across before everything came to a stop.
When it was time to leave and go back across the highway, everyone headed out but at the last minute I stayed behind to meet the couple who had just arrived and who rent the apartment right across from ours. Just as I started talking with them I heard a commotion out in the middle of the highway. Evidently when Mark and the others had left, there was absolutely no traffic. So Mark decided that he should dance in the empty street and was being told by a Thai policeman in no uncertain terms to get out of the street. I got there just as Mark escaped the policeman and got to the median. You really don’t want to tangle with a Thai policeman. We did make it safely across the highway and then realized that the traffic was stopped once again because the King was now heading north. Mark and I actually waited to see the entourage of expensive cars and silver vans and police car after police car. Maybe it is like this in the US when the President is on the move. I guess I have just never been there.
by Judy Handley | Mar 8, 2009 | Sailing Logs Year 4, Thailand Refit |
Day 137, Year 4: A Sunday Morning Surprise
Date: Sunday, March 8, 2009
Weather: Torrential Rain Early Morning; Partly Sunny Day
Location: Boat Lagoon Marina, Phuket Island
What a wonderful surprise we had this morning. When we arrived at Windbird this morning, Oh was unexpectedly there and had removed much of the tape and plastic masking from the cabin top and all of the plastic boat covering. So we didn’t have to wait until tomorrow after all. We got to the unveiling of Windbird today. There is still much to do tomorrow to remove more of the taped areas on the cabin top and cockpit, but we got to see our baby today and she looks great.
We worked under the tent all day cleaning the big stainless pieces that have been stored away under the boat during the painting. We had a really torrential downpour in the wee hours of the morning and threatening clouds all day with no more rain. But the clouds kept the sun from coming through full strength so we had a cooler than normal day to help us get acclimatized. We are hoping that Nop is coming tomorrow morning to put on the arch and the new stainless rails on the back of the boat. We also hope we get to start putting hardware on the cabin top. So things are going really well here.
by Judy Handley | Mar 7, 2009 | Sailing Logs Year 4, Thailand Refit |
Day 136, Year 4: Waiting Is Soooooooo Hard
Date: Saturday, March 7, 2009
Weather: Partly Sunny Day; Thunder and Threatening Rain Evening
Location: Boat Lagoon Marina, Phuket Island
Painting on Windbird is complete (YEA!) but we have to wait until Monday to take off the plastic and see the results. Both the nonskid and the boat name were painted today. But waiting to see the final results is sooooooo hard even though we have plenty to keep us busy until the unveiling on Monday. We watched this morning as hour after hour Pong smoothed the edges of the logo so there would be no seepage of paint. As always, we are just amazed at the attention to detail and care with which each step is done. At the end of the day today, the crew looked very pleased so we hope that is a good sign. We will have to have a celebration on Monday evening if everything looks as good as we hope. Neil and Ley of Crystal Blues did have a little celebration with their crew at the end of the work day today. Their boat waterline was painted late yesterday, so the paint work on the boat is also done. Like us, the bottom and the mast painting is yet to come, but it is such a wonderful feeling to have the hull and deck-side done.
My brother and sister called on Skype this morning to wish me a happy birthday. They were getting together for dinner so we had prearranged this as a call time. It is just so wonderful to get to talk to them. And tonight we talked with Heather, Jed, and Sam. It was their morning and Sam was a very busy little man. But he took time out to show us special things so I thought I would show him a special thing. I have his sand bucket here in the apartment, still full of shells he collected while he was here, so I showed him that. And, of course, he said, “I need that.” I think I really need to make a commercial for Skype. When you are far away from family, Skype really bridges the gap. Add to that the fact that it is free, and you have a really unbelievable service.
Tomorrow Mark and I will unpack the stainless that has been stored away under the boat. The dodger and bimini frame need to be polished so they will be ready to go on the boat on Monday. Getting used to working outside again is going to be interesting. As we have been sitting in an air-conditioned apartment for a month, the outside temperature has been creeping up and up and up. So we will take it easy tomorrow, working as long as we can and then escaping back into the apartment. Since I have always hated air conditioning, it is interesting that I have become so dependent on it. But it has been wonderful the past month and now we will slowly wean ourselves as we get used to the heat once again.
by Judy Handley | Mar 6, 2009 | Sailing Logs Year 4, Thailand Refit |
Day 135, Year 4: Getting Ready for Painting Nonskid
Date: Friday, March 6, 2009
Weather: Absolutely Beautiful Day; Very Hot
Location: Boat Lagoon Marina, Phuket Island
Windbird has been wrapped in plastic for two days now and we are very anxious to get that plastic wrap off. There are certain thin plastics that can harm the paint surface, but we are assured by Oh that he uses the higher grade that will not harm the paint. Luck, Lock, and Pond worked all day under the cellophane tent that is inside the big white tent preparing Windbird’s cabin top and cockpit for the nonskid painting tomorrow. For those of you who are not boaters, nonskid is a paint with either sand or some synthetic fiber in it that is applied to surfaces where you do not want to slip on a wet deck. This is almost everyplace, but for looks you want some smooth surfaces, thus the painting, then the masking off with tape, and then the repainting with nonskid. Mark was fascinated with the way Luck cuts masking tape into very thin strips to outline the areas, making absolutely perfect circles around fittings. Just this year, we learned that we could buy this very thin masking tape, but
that is expensive so they cut their own.
The nonskid will be applied tomorrow and hopefully the boat name will be painted. Once that happens, all the painting from the waterline up will be done!!!!!!! On Monday, we can start putting Windbird back together while the crew sands the bottom and the mast. In the meantime, we are finding more and more hardware to clean. Mark went into Windbird today for the first time in a couple of weeks. He dug deep into our spares supply and found things that he thinks we might use. He also got the aluminum mast step and stainless steel plate that sits under it. We had left those inside and needed to get them to clean and then have Oh’s crew paint the cast aluminum piece. So we cleaned these pieces and hardware on a few lines that we had bagged and forgotten about. Tomorrow we will just have to wait patiently and then on Sunday we can start by cleaning the big pieces of stainless that have been stored under Windbird during the painting-the supports for the dodger and bimini, the windvane steering that we hope to sell, the sissy bars that go around the mast, the boom crutch that sits behind the cockpit. On Monday, we will put all of these big pieces of stainless back on top so Muzza can start the canvas work and Nop’s crew can install the new arch. So after tomorrow, our “lazy” days are over. We will be working out in this heat all day everyday, and I have a feeling we will start using the pools here more frequently to cool off mid-day.
After working most of the afternoon on cleaning stainless pieces, we got a call from Neil and Ley of Crystal Blues. They wanted to drop by our apartment to drop something off. This something was a birthday gift of homemade mango chutney, make on my birthday by Ley. What a special gift. Thank you, Ley and Neil. And then this afternoon, Mark saw Linda and Pieter of Dutch Touch. This is a boat that crossed the Pacific at the same time as we did. Arrangements were made for us to meet for dinner. And then Tory and Piet Hein of Double Dutch called and said they were coming to visit and hoping to have dinner. They have a “Dutch” connection with Dutch Touch so it was a perfect time for all of us to get together. Tory and Piet Hein will be leaving on Monday or Tuesday for their Indian Ocean crossing and Pieter and Linda are here to provision and will be leaving in about a week. It was great fun getting together. Tory and Piet Hein are counting on us going around South Africa so we can visit them at home in Cape Town. We’re just not ready to make that decision yet, but Tory is counting on the visit.
by Judy Handley | Mar 5, 2009 | Sailing Logs Year 4, Thailand Refit |
Day 134, Year 4: Windbird’s Cabin Top and Cockpit Painted – Happy Birthday Judy!
Date: Thursday, March 5, 2009
Weather: Mix of Sun and Clouds; Threat of Rain All Day
Location: Boat Lagoon Marina, Phuket Island
Today was a bit tense. The morning started out sunny, but shortly after the painting started on Windbird, threatening clouds appeared and stayed with us all day. We visited the boat early this morning when Oh and Luck were cleaning the paint guns. We went over to see Neil and Ley’s boat, Crystal Blues. Her hull was painted yesterday and she looks fantastic. We went back to the apartment and cleaned more things and named more pictures. When we walked by the boat around 12:30, Oh was outside for a breather between coats 2 and 3 and he was looking at the dark gray clouds and appealing to someone higher to make the clouds go away. Well, they didn’t, but it didn’t rain. So the weather wasn’t perfect for painting, but we avoided the worst. The cabin top and cockpit got their three coats of AwlGrip. Tomorrow the masking will be done for the nonskid and it will be put on Saturday. Late this afternoon the template was being applied to both sides of the back of the boat so the boat name and home port can be painted, probably tomorrow. It looks like it might be Sunday before we can get inside Windbird, and then is when the reassembly process will begin.. Mark will work with Luck tomorrow making sure the nonskid taping is done just the way we want it. So lots of good things are happening.
We left a little late for getting to Patong Beach in time for dinner, so we ended up eating at a little Thai place across from the theater. We’ll have to go back to Patong one more time before we leave just have dinner there and watch the street show. But we did have a good time at the Simon Show. It is done in a Las Vegas showgirl style. Neither Mark nor I have ever seen a show in Vegas, but I am just sure they are much like we saw tonight. The scenery and costumes were both outrageous and spectacular and we really enjoyed the show. It was a great birthday treat for both Susan and myself.
by Judy Handley | Mar 4, 2009 | Sailing Logs Year 4, Thailand Refit |
Day 133, Year 4: Windbird Back in a Cocoon of Plastic
Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Weather: Another Beautiful Day; Late Evening Torrential Rain
Location: Boat Lagoon Marina, Phuket Island
Windbird is looking beautiful, but we won’t be going onboard for my birthday tomorrow. She is literally wrapped in plastic with plastic tent sides going up and down and over top of her. Cabin top and cockpit painting will happen early in the morning so she will have drying time before possible late afternoon rain. I am just so thankful that our hull was painted before the rains started. That was either luck or possibly the reason Oh wanted the hull painted first. Anyway, I’m really hoping the plastic cocoon might be removed in the afternoon before we take off for my birthday fling in Patong Beach, but if not, we will just have to wait. We are so excited that the painting is almost done. Non-skid will go on Saturday so by early next week we can be putting the boat back together. We thought it would be closer to the end of March before we would get to start this, so we are very happy with the progress. We have completed the cleaning of all the stainless hardware we have here in the apartment and I have only one more Australia photo file before I move on to Indonesia, so progress is being made.
We had an early morning Skype Chat with Justin. He wanted to wish me a happy birthday and tell me that he and his sister have gone together to get me the ultimate birthday present-two new grandchildren. That is the best birthday present I could ever ask for. I also got a Skype call from Helaine Kanegsberg back in Concord. She said they got fifteen inches of snow yesterday. That is hard to imagine from here. Sounds beautiful but I’m glad I’m here and not there. After working all morning, we realized it was past time for lunch, so we walked over to what I call “food alley” and had the pleasant surprise of finding Ley and Neil there. We haven’t seen them since our get together at their house last Friday, so it was great to catch up. Their hull was painted today so after lunch we walked over to take a look. It looks beautiful. So another successful paint job down.
It is now 8:30 pm here and the rain that started about 7:00 is now in full swing. We are getting the equivalent of a Nor’easter, just that ours is rain and not snow. Late tomorrow we head to Patong Beach with Susan and Richard of Sea Bunny. We are going to the Phuket Simon Cabaret to celebrate the double 62nd birthdays-Susan and I. This show is advertised as an entertaining transvestite show. The theatre holds 600 people. It is supposed to be grand and the costumes of the ladyboys are reportedly gorgeous. I know it sounds a little crazy, but this is a part of Thai culture that we are told you cannot leave without experiencing. So we are looking forward to a crazy, but fun, evening in Patong.
