Back aboard in cleaning mode. I spent the day moving gear to uncover spaces, cleaning said spaces, cleaning gear, and then often moving the gear back into its original spot to keep things as organized as possible. Everything that can go outside was ejected into the cockpit to start clearing things out, and after about six hours of some serious scrubbing, the teensiest bit of headway was made.
We also excavated the lockers on the inside of our hull damage to assess and plan for the repair, and by the time we had spent necessary time sussing out our battery purchase and shipping (cheaper to fly them over, remarkably), it was too late to start grinding fiberglass.
No new surprises found, which is good, and I spent a lot time unpacking holds to clean and reorganize. There were three major spots where water pooled while the boat was on its side, and unfortunately one of them was our tool storage. LOTS of rusty clean-up, but in the end, it’s cleaner than it was when we left it! Also, I’m going to gel-coat the locker while I have it all open, so BAM! Even better than better. The one trick is the fact that sans batteries we are without water. I worked in the rusty, gunky still water of the low spots with bleach and other cleaners until the need to wash my hands was too overwhelming, and then I’d head to the yard bathrooms, wash up, and start the cycle again.
The girls entertained themselves for most of the day, and then we did a quick island tour in the afternoon, to try and source a new spot to stay. With the power situation on the boat still in a holding pattern of no-go, the idea of moving aboard tomorrow will be tough to say the least, and the expensive rental we’re in now is unsustainable for long-term. The drive opened our eyes to more Green Turtle destruction, and yet the growth on the casuarinas, the sea grapes that didn’t seem to be affected at all, and the buzz of rebuilding activity was encouraging.
Today the girls are running on the beach with the kite, and I’m giving them a break from the boat yard while Andy heads out to start grinding inside the boat. (Not a great place to be, so a good excuse to bag out for a bit!) We’ll walk over later so I can pick up where I left off. Onward!