It’s been a few days of late-season spring cleaning, addressing our list of chores, and metaphorically shedding our winter skin. It’s never-ending. The task list is considerable and while things get ticked off regularly, other items are constantly added. But we’re not complaining.
For the captain that has meant donning his snorkel, diving mask, and fins. The fins are very Kiwi in that they are a marbled blue and green design reminiscent of paua and hark of the ocean colours of our home. He has been diving under the hulls, scraping off any barnacles, algae, and growth that have taken hold since Waiata had her bottom coppered a year ago in Southampton.
The copper does a brilliant job, but it still requires maintenance as do all things ‘marine’. It’s a progressive job that will span a few days, and so today will mark his third underwater quest in ticking off and completing the job. The benefits of removing growth are that it prevents hull damage and improves Waiata’s speed performance and fuel economy. We don’t race, but anytime there’s another boat in the vicinity, we measure our performance against theirs so unofficially … we kinda do! The other boats just don’t know it!
He also has the installation of our deck wash well underway. The biggest challenge is finding the persnickety parts and pieces you want/need in different parts of the world. The local Tivat chandlery sells jubilee clips and had just restocked … but the smallest was a foot in diameter and therefore only suitable to the most super-sized of superyachts. And so, as we advance in experience and age, we advance in learning skills of patience to find everything we need to complete the job. As the captain says, “owning a boat simply means, fixing things in exotic places”.
As for me, well, I’ve been having a peachy time cleaning the strainless steel trampoline mounting points and the cabin hatches. It’s a job best suited to wearing swimmers and a hat. All things in this part of the world seem to end up with a pink coloured layer of dust that the wind carries from the Saharan desert across the entire Mediterranean. Every time you think you’ve got it all, it shows up again – like peach coloured talcum settling into a baby’s wrinkles and crevasses. It’s a constant battle against the elements but hey, it’s kinda paradise, so we just turn up the music, shake our groove things, and get on with it. And then maybe jump in the water to cool off after all of the vigors.
Today’s sound comes from the disco dynamite duo, Peaches and Herb. Whilst ‘Herb’ was a constant, seven different women have filled the fruity role of ‘Peaches’.
Let’s show the world we can dance
Bad enough to strut our stuff
The music gives us a chance
We do more out on the floor
Groovin’ loose or heart-to-heart
We put in motion every single part
Funky sounds wall to wall
We’re bumpin’ booties, havin’ us a ball, y’all
Shake your groove thing
Shake your groove thing, yeah, yeah
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2 Responses
Don’t you just love it 👍🏻
As the saying goes Connie, a clean bar is a happy bar 😎X