The boat has been at Vuda Point since last Monday. We reserved a long time in advance to get a space here, as it is a very popular place.
This is the fourth time we have laid our boat up for an extended period, and the third time we have left her on the hard. So we are no strangers to the work involved, and always on the lookout for ways to make the process easier. It was an easy decision to rent a modest cottage from Vuda Point marina, so that we could leave the mess behind at the end of each workday.
The boat yard crew, headed by Mo, were very easy to work with, and very gentle with the Travelift. However, they did not heed my warning that we had a deep fin keel. Consequently, the Travelift had to wait while they dug the keel pit another foot deeper.
There are several people here who will look after your boat for you. We went with Mr. Bharos, a diminutive Indo-Fijian who had looked after our friends' boat
Tomboy two seasons ago. He campaigned hard for our business, and we feel he will do a good job for us. He's already polished all the stainless.
So here is how we left her, in a hurricane pit with sails and canvas removed, but with a full cover in place to protect from sun and rain. Mr. Bharos assures us that he will remove the cover in the event of high winds, and re-install it afterwards.
Our last night in Fiji, we had dinner at the First Landing restaurant next door to the marina. The local musicians sang us the traditional "Farewell Song."
It's been a wonderful seven weeks in Fiji. We look forward to another season here next year!
This is the fourth time we have laid our boat up for an extended period, and the third time we have left her on the hard. So we are no strangers to the work involved, and always on the lookout for ways to make the process easier. It was an easy decision to rent a modest cottage from Vuda Point marina, so that we could leave the mess behind at the end of each workday.
The boat yard crew, headed by Mo, were very easy to work with, and very gentle with the Travelift. However, they did not heed my warning that we had a deep fin keel. Consequently, the Travelift had to wait while they dug the keel pit another foot deeper.
There are several people here who will look after your boat for you. We went with Mr. Bharos, a diminutive Indo-Fijian who had looked after our friends' boat Tomboy two seasons ago. He campaigned hard for our business, and we feel he will do a good job for us. He's already polished all the stainless.
So here is how we left her, in a hurricane pit with sails and canvas removed, but with a full cover in place to protect from sun and rain. Mr. Bharos assures us that he will remove the cover in the event of high winds, and re-install it afterwards.
Our last night in Fiji, we had dinner at the First Landing restaurant next door to the marina. The local musicians sang us the traditional "Farewell Song."
It's been a wonderful seven weeks in Fiji. We look forward to another season here next year!
