Category: sailing

Back in the water!

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Finally we are afloat again!

Mon Ami has been on land in Spice Island Marina on Grenada in almost 11 months.

We put the 3 sails back on while we were still on land.

It was very calm winds and Mon Ami was resting in the very stable hurricane cradle. So there was no risk of tilting.

Spice Island Marina has a 70 ton travel lift that easy caries Mon Ami’s 30 ton back to the Caribbean sea.

We are very happy to be back in the water and now we are waiting for our son Oscar to join the Mon Ami crew.

Sailing = Boat maintenance in exotic places

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Before we can launch Mon Ami in the water there are a lot work to be done.

We got assistance from Turbulence Ltd to take of the deck cover and fold it in two new bags. Just another thing to store onboard…

Then a lot of cleaning, polish and waxing.

When I replaced the zink anodes on our Gori propeller, I noticed a missing screw. There are 3 small M6 screws preventing the back cap to unwind and drop the propeller. The problem was that the hole for the screw had corroded and is now too big for the screw. Next size is M8 and that is far too big. After a lot of discussions with different mechanics engineers I decided to buy a more permanent Looktight that needs to be heated to 260 degrees Centigrade to be loose again. I hope this will be enough. A propeller is still a good-to-have-thing also on a sailing boat. 😉

Before launching in the water we always test if things are working or not. Like the bow truster, steering, auto pilot and sea cocks.

We found that one refrigerator did not work!

Spice Island Marina manage to get a refrigerator Technichian onboard the next day. During Mon Ami time on land it has been very hot inside and the gas had leaked out from the compressor. It was a easy thing to fix for the Technichian but we couldn’t have done it our selfs at sea.

We also enjoyed the surroundings of the Marina with it’s animal life.

Arrive back to Spice Island Marina in Grenada

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We are excited to come back to Grenada and see our beloved Mon Ami again.

We left her in Spice Island Marina a few days after New Year in January 2019.

We ordered by the sail company Turbulence to make a custom fit deck cover to Mon Ami. It was made and installed after we left Grenada, so we have not seen it before.

It has protected our new Teak deck from tropical sun UV and rain for 10 months and looks very nice.

The deck cover seems very professional made and without any damage from strong winds or chafe.

It’s made with a gap from deck to allow ventilation but still keep the sun and rain out. It’s quite dirty underneath and very warm in the saloon.