ALL THE 'PREPPING' IS DONE ...........................

After four grueling, dirty, smelly weeks of labour in the bilges and under the floors, "SOUTHERN COMFORT" is relatively clean, dry and functional ............. The Ford Lehman 120HP engine purrrrrrrrrs like a kitten and the bilge pumps are all working ...... The hull has twenty-six through-hull fittings, now all checked and working ........ We are exhausted and ready for a break .........We'll do some more sailing on " ARITA " ........ Going to miss her heaps when we sell her, but ....... This could well be a last cruise if a buyer calls in the near future ........ You can see the 'For Sale' details on www.stthomasyachts.com ....... Working in the boatyard has been fun and very interesting ..... Just look at that rainbow over the yard with its amazing array of yachts left behind here for the hurricane season ...... But in the last week more than a hundred have been launched for winter time in the Caribbean is sailing time and all the 'snowbirds' from the U.S.A. and Canada have returned to claim their yachts ......



And not only snowbirds return here in the winter ....... We saw what we thought were these 'sanderlings' which are actually 'Ruddy Turnstones' on the dock, who were willing to share breakfast with us ........... Not scared at all ....... Though we think that these birds live here all year round ...... (Thanks Richard) ....



If it is not raining then the sunsets are the reward for each day's labour ....... To be shared of course, with the charter guests that come in to the marina each day...... New neighbours every day .......Our very own 'Alzheimers' test ...... "Didn't we see you here this morning?" .........



The last section to be cleaned out on "SOUTHERN COMFORT" was the dungeon at the back ..... The 'lazarette', where the generator and all the oils are housed ...... Add ropes, fenders, parts, cables, spares and crap ......... We are taking the old generator out and replacing it with a new one ..... A ton of degreaser is needed to clean this room ..... Everybody has to have a shed or a garage, I guess ...... Even boat owners .... Still, when I come up for air the view is worth it .........



Now you need to focus on two things, here ....... The first is the newly painted boot stripe in green and brown, which is now much straighter than it was ........ Not perfect but much better ...... And the second is that fill-in piece between the keel and the rudder that is now finally finished and primed ......... O.K., now you can focus on other things .......



Painting the boot-stripe was a real challenge ......... And if you look closely you will see the 'Supervisor' keeping his eye on me from the end of the orange jack-stand screw handle .... Cute little lizard ......



But no matter how exhausting the work, our walk back to the marina has its own reward .......The fragrance of the frangipanis and the visuals of the marina entrance are just some of the delights .....



The German couple who own this radical yacht were docked next to us one night and the following day had their yacht "MANATEE" hauled out until they can return for the next work break ......... This yacht is fast, just look at the underbody ......... The husband and wife team are in the airline business and anything under 500 knots is probably 'not moving' in their eyes ...... Believe it or not but it is a HUNTER, the company reknown for its absolutely normal fiberglass yacht designs ...... They only made five of these and thousands of their normal designs ......... Now this would be sailing 'on the edge' ...... Just look at the mast supports at the gooseneck .....



And speaking of 'on the edge' and 'walking on the wild side', we joined the street festival and Christmas celebration in front of the marina complex in SPANISH TOWN ... Little colourful stalls and plenty to eat ...... Our friend Linda has flown in from Florida to join us for ten days of sailing on "ARITA".......



All the flashing lights and knick-nacks are a delight for the local kids ...... Virgin Gorda is not big, so an event like this is great for young and old ...... The street is blocked off and the bands play all night long ...... All night meaning until at least three AM, and there is no volume button to adjust anywhere in town .... It is full-on ..... ......



We discovered a 'Prince' on board, clinging to the green canvas ....... Actually he clung to my leg first ..... Maybe it was a Princess? ..... Do Princesses also turn into frogs? .......Still trying to work out where the frog came from ......

Tomorrow we set sail on "ARITA" for North Sound, VIRGIN GORDA to do more than a week of sailing to some of the beautiful spots in the Virgin islands and slowly head back to PUERTO RICO for Christmas and the New Year ..... And after that we'll catch the ferry back to the boatyard and bring "SOUTHERN COMFORT" to PUERTO RICO for the big renovation that should take many months .......