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We left Fort Pierce about three weeks ago. Caribee's rudder was fixed and re-attached, the keel was sanded and repainted as was the saildrive and the prop, the antifouling was redone all over and the anodes all replaced. We got to our slip in Harbortown Marina and started the summerizing. This took close to a week. We stored our linens and clothes properly in sealed bags, we covered the windows, we added more water trapping sacks and we added an air conditioner. We are sure that this time we won't come back to mold and humidity- fingers crossed!
When we got back to Montreal we were able to stay in the downstairs unit of our home, it was not rented until June 1st. We got right to the task of sorting through our personal things in storage, and we emptied the basement of the downstairs unit so as to be able to access our belongings when the unit is rented- the only access to that basement is through a trap in the kitchen floor. At the same time we took the tarp off Mako, removed the frame and started the cleanup. Mako has not had much TLC the last two
summers since we have been away most of the time for work, and it showed. We cleaned and repainted the bottom and got ready for launch by May 31st when we would have to move aboard. We then managed to get the bottom unit of our house cleaned up beautifully and made our transition to living at the Royal St Lawrence Yacht Club on Mako.
Mako's batteries were absolutely dead- could not hold a charge. We managed to get enough charge out of the starting battery to get the motor going and we moved to our dock. Next up- battery charger/inverter decided to call it quits. No problem- we ran an extension cord for now with an old portable charger we had in storage to keep the electronics charged, the fridge going and the lights on. Marty has since bought a new charger and new batteries- these will be installed in the coming days. An intricate job he had not expected to do, but we have no idea how old the charger was since it came with the boat... I guess it was time. Meanwhile I have been fixing up the shelves/closet that once held all our tools and
a gazillion life jackets. Mako has only been used for pleasure until now- of course we have slept on board but we did not LIVE on board and therefore never really had a worry about storage. She is a 36 ft C&C racer cruiser, a 1979 model- from a time where boats were built like tanks but the interiors had not yet been redesigned to maximize interior space and storage. Our challenge now is to transform her into our house. We cleaned out all the tools and lifejackets and most of them will now be stored in a locker on the grounds we were lucky enough to get just before moving to the Club. I have stained and varnished the shelves and they can now be used for clothes, food, whatever we decide. I have cleaned out the bathroom cupboard and our toiletries are now in place. Everything has been sanitized, but a deeper clean of some areas and re-staining and re-varnishing will be in order this summer. We brought our bissell back from Florida so I will tackle the cushions too when the weather behaves. The kitchen shelves and cupboards and fridge have been cleaned and all the dishes
as well so we can eat here. The cabinets below the sink have been emptied and washed and will be filled with kitchen things for once instead of cleaners and misc junk. We will have to fix the leaks... the heavy rain two days ago has shown us where they all are, and there are more than we remember. We will also have to get our stove working for the first time, that will be exciting. It is a great stove, far better than Caribee's. The outside wood is also in desperate need of repair and some touchups need to be done to the deck. Lots of work, but it's coming along.
It is so relaxing and peaceful living here at the Club. It is early in the season, there are not many people around and it is very quiet. On our pier there are only two boats with liveabords. We are on the breakwater, so we share our dock with only one other boat which is not even in the water yet, and the owners are hardly ever around anyway. In front of us instead of having other boats we have a rock wall and the road. We
have brought our herbs and some flowers from the house to make us feel more at home. The sunsets are wonderful, there is always a breeze and songs of various birds constantly fill the air. Although we are busy and we would like to get organized and live without a mess, we are still relaxing in this beautiful environment. I will learn to play tennis, the pool will open next Saturday and the Friday races start next week. The Wednesday series is already running, but we might join now and then as well. We will focus on the boat of course, she is in need of us. But we will also focus on ourselves- we need to de-stress a bit, slow down a bit, and get back in shape. I think it will be a good summer!
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Rachel ,Alfred n Pete
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Good to have you home !!!!
Welcome back, take time to do the things you want to do and kick back a little. You deserve it, time to enjoy all you have n smell the herbs, roses n rum. Be selfish n spoil each other it's been a super fast paced couple of years n now enjoy all you have accomplished .....so few of us get the chance and sometimes when we do most of us cannot reconignize it. Time for Marty n Lori .....