What have we bought….
Written by Captain Simon (Dad)
We woke up early with a list of jobs to get done, top of the list was to sort out a hire car, as without one we were pretty much stranded. A quick call to the owner of the villa and the problem was sorted with the added bonus of a free lift to collect the car. Next on the list was to arrange to see the boat……..
A text to Serge our broker and a time was set to see our boat for the first time. To say “our” boat is a little untrue, as to date we haven’t actually brought it, we have signed a contract, paid the deposit and surveyed the boat. There were a “few” issues identified during the survey, which we used to revise our offer, with the hope we saved enough money to get the vessel seaworthy. With butterflies in our stomachs we pulled up to the marine.
We knew the boat had been on the hard (out of water) for almost two years and needed a LOT of TLC to get it in the condition we wanted it to be in. Generally the boat is in good shape, but is in desperate need of a deep clean, bottom job (painting) and some of the fibreglass repaired before its ready for live-aboard. We expected this and had already set aside funds to continue to rent something on the land until we were ready. Additionally the boatyard is not the safest place for the kids to run around. We had saved a little more than expected, so decided to find a villa with a pool to keep the girls entertained and happy, which we will move into next week for two weeks. Hopefully this is enough time to get the first round of jobs completed and have the boat lowered into the water. Before we can start work on the boat, it needs to be moved from the storage area to the work area, fingers crossed this will happen tomorrow.
Without much more that can be done today with the boat, we decided it was time to explore one of many beaches and headed to Jan Thiel, its definitely one of the more tourist beaches but as its only a short drive from the marine it perfect to cool off in the afternoon heat. This is why we are doing this, crystal clear water, white sandy beach and 30+ degrees heat.
Today was a pretty successful day, we always knew the boat needed work, but the kids weren’t too disappoint and generally pleased through Hope did have a look of disgust when she looked at her bed, surprisingly not due to the size, but more the two years of dust and grime that has been collected. Once cleaned and decorated, she will be fine…I hope. A stop at Basket Robbins on the way home and a fridge full of groceries and beer meant that we could chill out and get ready for what lies ahead tomorrow.