Day 151, Year 4: The Weather is Winning
Date: Sunday, March 22, 2009
Weather: Off and On Torrential Rain Mixed with Sunshine
Location: Boat Lagoon Marina, Phuket Island

No painting on Friday. No painting on Saturday. No one working on Sunday, but even if they were there would have been no painting. So we are now in a battle with the weather. The weather report calls for rain through Friday. If that holds and the mast and boom can’t be painted until Saturday that puts us a full week behind. If that ends up to be the case, there is no possible way we could be ready to leave here for at least a week after that-and that is being VERY optimistic. And if that does
end up to be the case, we might be able to leave here on April 7 with the favorable tides and still get to Langkawi in time to secure the boat and fly out of Penang on the 16th of April. So we are in a holding pattern and just hoping for a weather miracle. We are looking into alternatives, like keeping the boat here, but that would cost us $150 US more per month while we are gone for eight months and that ends up to pricey. We have thought of everything from trying to build a truly weather proof
tent around the mast and boom and paint it even if it is raining, but when the rains come here, they really pour and there is nothing that is totally weather proof.

So in the meantime, we are finding plenty to do. Mark is working on the wiring of the solar panels, lights, and wind generator now mounted on the new arch. I polished the Monitor wind vane steering today. We have taken this off the back of Windbird and don’t plan to put it back, but we do want to try to sell it in Langkawi. If that doesn’t work, we will transport it all the way to the US. It is a huge hunk of stainless weighing about fifty pounds total, but Mark has taken it apart to make it
possible to stow it in the v-berth. I also washed down all the stays that have been wrapped up for the past few weeks. I wanted to make sure moisture had not been trapped in the wrapping and caused any rusting, but all wires looked great. Then I continued my battle with the bronze ports. It is a long, messy process sanding off all the green and trying to get the shiny bronze look back. I have the removable parts here at the apartment and work on them in the evenings. I am really questioning
my sanity in feeling the necessity to do this, but I am determined and will get the job done some time this week.

So we will just keep working away and hoping that things work our. Send us your most positive thoughts for sunny, rain-free weather. We need a little help from our friends to turn this weather game around to be in our favor.