Making Repairs

Thursday 30^th Nov 2017

As I spend time in Tortola it has become increasing clear how much quicker the repairs are getting done in the marina than in the surrounding area. The reason is simple – money. I suspect that the boats, buildings and businesses that comprise Nanny Cay are well insured and as insurance adjustors evaluate and agree what needs to be done, then the money becomes available to make the repairs happen. Less so in the broader community where the people I have talked to indicate that shortage of funds is the limiting step to getting things put back in order. I suspect that well established business and wealthier individuals have insurance, but those that can least afford to make repairs do not.

I was fascinated to see how the salvage crews would right the toppled boats. They attach slings and use a crane to lift the boat, still tilted at the angle it fell. They then wrap an additional strap around the keel, leading up one side of the boat to a separate wire on the crane. This is then tightened to pull the boat vertical within the original slings and reposition it on stands. It’s a pretty quick and effective method (see photos below). Unfortunately, a number of boats have broken keels and I saw one boat where the keep stub was separated from the hull and it looked like the keel bolts might be bent. I was also told that in some cases the boat stands punctured the hulls as they toppled - probably repairable, but at what cost.

The roofs on buildings took a real hammering and you do see a lot of roofing repairs ongoing. One of the issues was the arrival of the second hurricane Maria that dumped an enormous amount of rain on to buildings that had already lost roofs and windows in the previous storm.  When we first arrived at Nanny Cay we were inside the main reception building when a heavy rain shower hit. The building looked relatively undamaged inside, but almost immediately there was water pouring down everywhere. Of course, the roof was not intact! These types of problems are being fixed pretty quickly here but less so in the wider community.

On Tuesday I visited the local desalination plant. The island relies on reverse osmosis for fresh water. The plant looks OK from the outside, but when I went to look inside and talk to people it was obvious it was totally trashed and out of operation. Again, I’m sure a new roof is needed, but I also suspect that being next to the ocean that the equipment was inundated with salt water during the storm surge. You do see water trucks driving around delivering fresh water to houses, and there are commercial filling stations for water containers, but many of these seem to be out of action. I was impressed to see that the marina has a water supply at the entrance for anyone to come and fill their containers for free. I assume Nanny Cay has it’s own desalination plant.

Righting a toppled boat - initial slings

Righting a toppled boat - an additional wire from the crane is attached to a sling around the keel

Righting a toppled boat - a firm pull on the yellow strap rotates the hull in the original slings

Roofing repairs and interior repairs to building in the Nanny Cay complex

Roofing repairs - it must be as hot as hell up there!

The local community center needs a new roof and who knows what work inside - where will the funds come from? These are not wealthy communities

Community center roof in detail

Inside the desalination plant - it looks like it needs a lot of work to get it going again

Brian’s thoughts on the passage

Wednesday 29 Nov 2017

Hours of Boredom, Moments of Terror

I was by far the least experienced sailor of the crew.   My only claim as a sailor is that I am a somewhat successful Sunfish racer on a small lake in the Poconos  My foresail is that little triangular part of the lanteen sail that sticks out in front of the mast.  Why were there no telltales on the mainsail?  My sail is littered with them.  Oh, they are on the foresail, where you really need them. 

I was shocked and amazed when Mike asked if I would be interested in being part of his crew on Cotinga with the ARC 1500 to Tortola.  My only experience on a real sailboat was years ago when I had taken a costal sailing course in Boston.  I had the unfortunate experience of getting incredibly seasick and made sure to get a prescription for scopolamine patches.  I tried one on my maiden overnight voyage from Great Island Boatyard in Casco Bay to Buzzard’s Bay.  I went below after my first watch and as I lay there in the dark, I found the packet and tore off the end and slapped the patch behind my ear.  I felt instantly better and fell asleep.  On my next watch I asked Mike if I had it on correctly:  No! You haven’t taken the plastic off the active side.  So much for that wonderful placebo effect (medicinal chemists beware). 

The patch worked so well that I didn’t replace it after 3 days, but by the 5^th day, both Mike and I put on fresh ones as the setting sun was lighting up the fluffy clouds on horizon.  Look, there’s Mickey Mouse, and Donald Duck, and a crocodile, and, and, and…..  I can imagine what Carlos Castaneda was talking about in “The Teachings of Don Juan”, but his dose was a little higher.

The only notable moment of terror was during a midnight thunderstorm in a 40 knot squall.  The main was double reefed and the foresail rolled up and the gunnel was in the water.  My new foul weather gear was doing its job against the horizontal rain.  My glasses covered most of the remaining exposed area.  I was reassured by Rod’s tone of voice at the wheel, ‘this probably won’t last much longer’ or something to that effect.  He was right and there was no need for another cup of coffee. 

The next day it was calm but when I read the depth off the chart at 17,600 feet to the bottom of the ocean, my stomach did a small flip.  The digital depth meter had been reading - - - since we left the continental shelf.  We were definitely off shore.

We caught 2 mahi mahi by dragging simple cedar plugs rigged to clothes line and a bungee cord.  Mike and Dave did a great job of dispatching them and creating beautiful fillets.  One was cooked by Mike with a wonderful ginger, lemon butter sauce.  The other was frozen to be grilled and turned into fish tacos by Dave at Nanny Cay.  We were very happy to share it with our neighbors.

The hours of boredom really turned out to be a new appreciation of the passage of time.  At night Orion slowly rose from his slumber on the horizon to make his way to the top of the mast.  Then on the next watch, he receded to the other horizon.  Plenty time to think.  My phone was full of music for the trip, but went unused.  Instead, our conversations were far more interesting and entertaining.  Four people in a small cockpit for 10 days could have been crowded, but it wasn’t.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to get to know Dave Anderson, whom I had never met before this voyage.  He generously indulged my dumb questions about weather and enlightened us with his work on historical weather data, as well as his many other adventures.  I am also grateful for the confidence that Rod displayed when the sailing got rough.  And most of all to Mike, who knows all the systems on the boat and how to fix them.  It was, after all, a house sailing on the ocean, with all its plumbing, etc., plus all the electronics.  I think we all agreed that the autopilot was a fifth member of the crew.  Thank you again Mike, Rod and Dave.  This was an adventure of a lifetime.

Brian

... a few more cloud shots from the passage ...

This a partial Black & White - partial color rendition. In the past people used to tint Black & White photos so I figured why not just use the natural color of clouds lit up as the sun sets to highlight this image. In Photoshop it's really easy - all you do is apply a B&W layer with a mask over teh areas you want to retain the original color ... et voila!

Not to Everyone’s Taste

Tuesday 28 November 2017

Am I weird? Well there’s a question that should provoke some comments! But let’s focus a little – I’m talking about my interest (obsession?) in photographing rusty old boats. To be even more specific, taking abstract photos of the incredibly varied colors, shapes and textures that make up the hulls of boats. OK, I admit it’s a bit odd, but when I walk around boat yards I see modern art all around me - sculptures formed in fiberglass, iron and bronze with delicately curving lines or striking angles; paintings often created by a combination of rust and weather on old bottom paint. I like to try and shoot from unusual angles and crop closely so the immediate context is lost and you are forced to focus just on the shapes and colors. As I walk round the boatyards here, trying to capture images of the destruction and recovery efforts, I can’t help but be drawn in to the abstract images. I know it’s not to everyone’s taste, but I really like that these mundane subjects can generate such wild looking pictures. So I guess the answer is yes – I am weird!

FYI - I typically adjust brightness, contrast, clarity and pay close attention to cropping - but I don't enhance or "paint-in" the colors, this is what the camera is capturing. Occasionally, as with the final shot here, I will use partial black and white to create an unusual effect.

Déjà vu – All over again

Monday 27^th November 2017

Well, as expected Simrad confirmed that our radar dome is kaput. I phoned them this morning and, as ever, their technical support was excellent. I spoke to Tom and he told me we need a new dome and that we can get it as an “in service replacement”, which is good because it cuts the cost in half … but it’s still $990. We first bought the radar in 2012, basing our decision to build a Simrad navigational system primarily on the quality of this radar and indeed, when working, it is a fabulous system. But as some of you may recall, this isn’t the first time the dome has flooded and needed replacement. In the summer of 2015 Simrad replaced the original unit under warranty … hence the blog title. I questioned Tom about the quality of the plastic casing, but he said they have had very few incidents of this type. He did comment that sometimes with power-washing leakage can be an issue. However, our unit is on top of a pole 8ft above the deck and the only part of the boat that ever gets power-washed is the hull.  Maybe torrential rain in a 40-knot squall is the equivalent of a power wash, but you’d think they should be built to withstand that environment. Anyway, Tom was really helpful and we now have a new unit ordered that should come by FedEx some time in the next few days. I’ll keep you posted!

I have a fun day ahead revisiting one of the older technologies – “snail mail”. I have been struggling to have decent conversations with my mum, partly because she has great trouble hearing me on my brother’s or sister’s mobile phone. So I figured I should just do the decent thing and write her a letter. Last night I put an actual pen to real paper and wrote the first hand written letter I have sent in years. It was a surprisingly painless experience, but the same may not be true of my mum’s efforts to read it. My handwriting has always been bad, but after years of neglect I’d have to say it hasn’t improved any! So now I’m off to town to find a post office to buy some envelopes and a stamp.

It's all about the light! These damaged / destroyed boats are lined up on the outer breakwater of Nanny Cay marina. I was leaving Cotinga to go for a swim when I saw how striking the light was, so I dropped my stuff and went back for my camera. This is my favorite picture since I've been here

This young man was cleaning a pick up truck at the marina at Frenchman's Cay (Sopers Hole). He was super friendly and I mentioned how impressed I was with the attitude of the local people towards clean up / rebuilding after the hurricane. He seemed surprised that I would think it exceptional, as if he couldn't envisage being anything else but positive

... and he was happy to pose for a portrait!

I came across a group of guys net-fishing for bait. I thought this character was visually striking (and a bit intimidating) but after asking if they minded me taking a few shots they seemed friendly enough

Net fishing for bait - in the cut between Frenchman's Cay and Soper's Hole