Haul out number three.

Went across to the yard first thing in the morning to see what was what, and talk to the very affable Greg at Mackay Shipyard and of course sign my life away with regard to the lift which was to take place.

Mine would be the last lift of the day, so we waited until getting the call to shift over to the hoist at 1315.

Out she came, beautifully and I had arranged to be left hanging in the sling and go back in the water first lift in the morning all being well, and if not, if I had encountered any problems be shifted further into the yard.

Apart from the usual stumbling block of not having the right strength, or perhaps more to the point correct tool for the job, it went well.

as usual sitting down on the job!

The antifoul is holding up fine. 36 barnacles in total after 11 months and most of them were in the difficult to antifoul spot on the top of the rudder blades, the rubber boots and  the very bottom of the keels, which got antifouled last, just before the refloat in Thailand.

As for the right tool, I managed the port saildrive oil change just fine, but struggled to undo the plug on the starboard side. A quick visit to the lovely Yanmar people in the yard and I returned with a borrowed impact screwdriver. Q.E.D! I now have purchased  my own, for future use.
Oil change and anodes change and all was done before dark- just as well as it bucketed down about 7pm.

Hanging about on the descent

Back in the water first thing in the morning, at low water and yes it looked a long way down to the water!
Everything checked out as ok when I restarted the engines, so it was over to the fuel berth, to refuel.
We had to wait for the fuel berth to open at 0830 and then having finished that needed to wash the boat as it was without doubt the dirtiest  diesel hose  so far, and despite being incredibly careful, anywhere it had touched needed a soogee to clean off the diesel.

safe'n' sound back in the water

By the time that was done, we departed at 1050, ostensibly heading south. That idea was quickly changed to returning to St Bees for the night, as the speed we were making wasn't going to get us anywhere handy to anchor for the night if we carried on to the south.

Anchored for the night in the now almost empty Homestead Bay at St Bees. Interestingly in the intervening three days since we were last here, someone had unfortunately come a cropper in the NE corner of the bay. A couple of masts at a "rakish" angle on a monohull were clearly visible, but not much else. I guess the proximity of the reef to the anchorages was as bad as we had thought. Some body's dream had come to a watery end.