Super Value

A woman from one of the boats in the Marina had her pocket book stolen walking back from a nearby restaurant. Had it hanging off her shoulder were it was easy for some kids to grab and run. The pocket book is found later, but the contents are missing aside from the cash. In the afternoon we go for a long walk to the Super Value and take the long way back.

Nassau Harbor Club

Robert Brown launches us early at 8:30 am and we head back to Nassau Harbor Club Marina. Wayne and Betty stopped by and invited us to dinner in the evening at the Nassau Yacht Club with Tom & Anne. In the afternoon we walk over to the Montagu Park, old Fort and beach. Lots of fish vendors and food trucks. That evening we all get the same dinner, Ribs, was very good.

Linda, Betty, Anne, Tom, Wayne

“Fixed” rudder

Stopped by early to see Albert, told me his guys would be there right after lunch to put the “fixed” rudder back in. I spend a few hours in putting a coat of Poly-glow on the hull. This stuff is a polymer coating that is much easier to put on than wax and lasts a lot longer. We have a nice shine again on our hull. Robert provides me with some bottom paint for the bottom of the wing keel, which obviously lost some paint with our grounding.

It is getting late and Alberts guys still have not shown up. Finally they arrive around 3:30 PM. Since they normally quit at 4:00PM this does not look good for completing today. The re-welded post is not straight and the weld site has not been ground down to a small enough diameter to fit back into the rudder post tube. It took a lot of grinding of the weld site and grinding of the fiberglass shell of the rudder to get the rudder to “slide” in place. Then it turns out they shortened the rudder post, so the holes through the top of the post will not allow the rudder bearing to fit. I am not happy. I had told them to error to the long side since the rudder would work fine if it hung a little lower. I do not have enough confidence to sail off with this fix and return in a couple weeks to install the new rudder. We will stay in the area until the new rudder arrives. Its irritating to have to pay for this additional labor to fix their f**kup.

Albert Marine Services

Up early to stop by Albert Marine Services to discuss the rudder repair. They do not have a press big enough to bend it and doing so would probably further weaken the rudder. He recommends that they send it out to be cut and re-welded. I am skeptical that the heat of welding will not be a problem and stress that the welding site has to be ground to less that the original post diameter to be able to fit back in the rudder tube. I acquiesce to his recommendations.

I spend most of the morning cleaning the hull and removing the last three months of scuff marks from various dockings. Linda spends her morning cleaning the interior. We walk to downtown Nassau for Lunch at Rachel’s Take a Way. It was recommended by some cruising friends. They do have a couple tables inside, but most people are here for take out. We are the only non-locals here. Linda and I share a fried fish lunch, chunks of fish with skin, bones and meat. Rather interesting meal. We have fun talking with a few of the regular patrons. We then head downtown to an ice cream shop and then to the bank to replenish our cash which got decimated paying for our towing. We stop by Fresh Market early in the evening for a rotisserie chicken. Should of gotten it in the morning, it is now over-cooked and dry after spending most of the day under heat lamps. By now the bones are almost edible.

Each evening the boatyard is locked and we have to have the security guards let us out and back in. We have their phone numbers to call them from the gate, Sean and Cherise. We come back after dark and the temperature is about 70 with the wind blowing, and Cherise is wearing a heavy jacket and a wool hat with earflaps, which I have to tease her about, since we are in T-shirts and shorts.

New Rudder

We ordered a new rudder this morning to be manufactured by Foss Foam Products in Florida.  Will decide in the next couple days whether it gets shipped to Nassau or stateside.

BoatUS has already worked up a partial settlement.

I have worked with Jaime Medina at BoatUS exclusively via email. BoatUS has been very helpful and understanding. Have nothing but good to say about them.

Bob "Al" Walker at Foss Foam Products of Florida has also been excellent. Between email and texting we have ordered the correct rudder to be manufacture this morning.

Robert Brown of Brown's Marina and his crew have been excellent, we are in good hands.

Albert's (Albert's Marine Services) crew took our rudder this morning. It will be tough to get it functional. It is bent in two directions. Alert had to sent it out to another machine shop. If they can straighten it, the top will have to epoxied and reseale, since it is already cracked where the post enters the rudder and will only get worse when they try to bend it back.

Fun in Nassau

Early in the morning around 4:30AM I hear some loud talking on the dock. Not enough to wake anyone in a sound sleep. After we get up we find out that a couple boats further out on the dock were robbed. They come off the water, probably swimming, looking for cash mainly. They were on “Carrie May” and stole a paddle board on the deck and went through Maria's backpack in the cockpit. Bob wakes up and surprises his unwanted guest, Bob has a gun and his guest disappears. The security at the marina could care less and doesn't do anything. Bob is friends with a retired Nassau Police commissioner and calls him which gets some action. The police come but are initially more upset that Bob has a hand gun (declared and registered upon entry) Bob holds it by the finger guard so they will not feel threatened. Boats are robbed almost weekly at this marina. Anyways they do finger print some of the objects the thief touched. Apparently they do have a suspect, but have not been able to nail him, yet.

In the afternoon our boat is towed over to Browns and Albert's guys come over and drop the keel. Tomorrow hopefully it will be straighten and reinstalled. I am working on getting a new rudder fabricated in Florida which we will eventual get installed. Tonight we have another very calm night sleeping on the boat in the travel lift slings.

Browns Marina

 

Erin, one of Albert's workers, who is obviously quite flexible, in our after locker

Bent rudder on the ground

Rain again !

We make arrangements with Robert Brown at Brown's Marina for our boat to be hauled out. Then we contact Albert's Marine Services to pull the rudder and to bend it back into alignment. We talked with Bob and Maria “Carrie May” a very nice 51 foot Morgan Out Island. Bob and Maria were at Browns Marina and Bimini Sands while we all were waiting for good weather to move on. We have a couple hours of heavy rain and squalls in the afternoon, so not much else gets done for the day, except mother nature washing the boat, again.