Hello everyone
Not all our readers are yachties – so “a bottom job” needs explanation. It has nothing to do with the state of Jim’s backside but everything to do with the state of Intention’s bottom. A “bottom job” is shorthand for taking Intention to a boat yard and having her hauled out of the water, scrubbed and the bottom repainted – so she ends up with a sparkling clean bottom. Costs serious money. As far as I can see Intention’s bottom looks pretty good, but not good enough for Australian customs. Australia requires arriving yachts to have documentation showing that they have had a “bottom job” within the previous 6 months. As Jim points out pretty silly since freighters are arriving daily in Australian ports with dirty bottoms.
So at present Jim is trying to make the decision:
* have a “bottom job” Port Vila in Vanuatu and sail on to Australia or
* abandon the idea of sailing to Australia this year or
* have the bottom job done later in Luganville Vanuatu
Jim tells me (Pam) that he intends to mull the question over a bit longer before making a decision.
In the meantime Jim and I are anchored off the Craft Market in Port Vila and having a relaxing time in between various maintenance tasks. Hopefully an airparcel of necessary bits and pieces should arrive shortly including dinghy wheels which fit to the transom. They will make pulling the inflatable up a coral beach a lighter task. We are also starting to turn our minds to the arrival of Lee and Nicky on the 22nd June. They are more swimming friends of mine. I hope Jim will be able to cope with having 3 Aussie shielas aboard.
We expect to remain in Port Vila a while longer (I am being intentionally vague). The 3 days of events surrounding the Vanuatu Ocean Swim start tomorrow. However tonight we can claim a free cocktail if we swim into the Watermark Restuarant at Iririki Island. I intend to swim in (at least for a few metres after I jump out of the inflatable). Jim is hoping that by wearing his swim trunks he will also qualify for a freeby – he cannot swim today as he still has an infected coral cut on his shin. He hopes the cut will have completely healed by Saturday so he can take part in the shorter 1.5 km race. I will also give that a go. Neither of us are up to the 3.2 km swim right round Iririki Island.
Jim – The 3.5 HP outboard stopped working so I just got the 4 stroke 5 HP outboard working, with the help of a local mechanic, and mounted on the inflatable dingy. That engine has not been working for almost a year so it is satisfiying. Even yesterday was a beautiful warm sunny day, last night was a little cooler requiring a doubled sheet over me.
Bye for now, Jim & Pam