The Haul Out

Finally, after 2 weeks of waiting, our day in the boatyard had arrived. We were scheduled to haul-out at 8:00 a.m. for what would hopefully be a quick installation of a new cutlass bearing. Here we are coming into the sling.

(photo courtesy of Sue Budde S/V Eene Marie)

I always find this a nerve-racking experience. Boats aren't supposed to float in the air!

You can see the cutlass bearing working it's way out along the shaft. Luckily, the zinc kept it from coming out all the way. Hard to believe I polished that prop in St. Martin 8 months ago.

The repair was done quickly, no problems. They took off the prop and zinc, grabbed the cutlass bearing with a pipe wrench and pulled it out. The new one went in easily. The whole process only took about 90 minutes from lift to repair to splash. One of the men told Jim "You got very lucky today." Can't argue with that! With our repair finished we'll be looking at leaving Grenada in the next week.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving in the U.S.A. and we decided to celebrate with a big cruiser pot-luck dinner. The Prickly Bay Marina let us use their facility. About 40 people showed up and the assortment of food was incredible! It's amazing what people can make in small galleys. We even had a turkey!

Sharing some fun with Jane (Cheetah II).

When you can't be home with family, it's nice to have our extended cruising family to celebrate with. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.