Coopers Quest

[David Fox]

More Nuts, might as well be.

Nutmeg .JPG (41.1 KiB) Viewed 29594 times

Nutmeg with red mace coving inside shell.JPG (74.17 KiB) Viewed 29594 times

Nutmeg with red mace covering.JPG (48 KiB) Viewed 29594 times

Now a bit of Flora of the island of Grenada.

Immortelle tree in full bloom.JPG (119.24 KiB) Viewed 29594 times

marina plant.JPG (190.24 KiB) Viewed 29594 times

Name that plant you budding botonists, I can see what looks like a banana leaf to the right. You can call a friend if you want.
Perhaps various types of palm in the background.

Yellow Marina plants.JPG (153.46 KiB) Viewed 29594 times

[David Fox]

Can anybody name these?

Pink Marina Plants.JPG (147.3 KiB) Viewed 29585 times

White Berry pant at pool.JPG (86.04 KiB) Viewed 29585 times

And for something completely different and much closer to your heart.

West Indies Brewery.JPG (128.99 KiB) Viewed 29585 times

West Indies Beer Co bottle menu.JPG (106.53 KiB) Viewed 29585 times

Nautical Keg handle.JPG (99 KiB) Viewed 29585 times

Pirate Keg handle.JPG (78.99 KiB) Viewed 29585 times

Perhaps the beer disapeared down the hatch before Nicky could get a photo.

Thanks to our webmaster for the Dispensation.

[David Fox]

Pelican Keg handle .JPG (61.65 KiB) Viewed 29576 times

Pelican, Can it drink, by hellitacan.

Dock emergency box.JPG (110.68 KiB) Viewed 29576 times

Looks a bit Mozart with a List

Sitting in the Dock of the Bay.JPG (99.36 KiB) Viewed 29576 times

Waiting for your ship to come in, or sobering up after testing some of the local John Barley Corn.

Spot the odd man out.JPG (125.42 KiB) Viewed 29576 times

Looks like somebodies transport from the bar in true jolly jack fashion, choose you transport.
I have heard Fork lifts were popular in Malta, trouble was the Engineers that started its diesel engine couldn't stop it they were that mozart with a list.

Gerry tells me he fitted a solenoid valve to the sea water supply in the Electric Flush toilet to stop having to open and close a valve manually, leaving it open would fill the bowl.
Next project is a Jobby Wheecha, but you need to look it up on Utube, Billy Connolly describes it very well. tried to put a link, but its not having it.

Next time a few sunsets, but no green flash.

[David Fox]

Sunrises, Sunsets and other weather phenomenoma in no particular order.

sunrise Luperon 2.JPG (6.75 KiB) Viewed 29556 times

sunset Bahama banks.JPG (8.09 KiB) Viewed 29556 times

Red sails in the sunset.jpg (7.56 KiB) Viewed 29556 times

s-s from Moho Bay St John851.JPG (49.32 KiB) Viewed 29556 times

s-s Moho Bay St John860.JPG (57.03 KiB) Viewed 29556 times

s-s Cane Garden Bay Tortola1046.JPG (7.52 KiB) Viewed 29556 times

[David Fox]

DSCN0532.JPG (7.61 KiB) Viewed 29532 times

airport at s-s Trellis Bay Beef Island1020.JPG (8.46 KiB) Viewed 29532 times

Rainbow, St Thomas692.JPG (8.01 KiB) Viewed 29532 times

s-s leaving Mayaguana 3.JPG (5.98 KiB) Viewed 29532 times

sun set over Charlotte Amalie Cruise liner dock746.JPG (7.43 KiB) Viewed 29532 times

s-s from Moho Bay St John848.JPG (102.24 KiB) Viewed 29532 times

Thats all for now folks .
We will catch up with Gerry & Nicky once they set sail in October hopefully.

Anybody wanting to add comments or questions for Gerry & Nicky, please feel free, its your website.

[David Fox]

You will be pleased to know that Gerry & Nicky are getting back into gear, Nicky starting the SailBlog up again and there are two folders of images to have a sort through and add to the Log Book.
The bad news for Gerry & Nicky is that their sailing companions in the catamaran are going to have to call of the trip to the South Seas due to family commitments. All four of them are unhappy about it, but as you all know at this time of life when you have got rid of the kids and retired, you sometimes have to start again with other family concerns.
Anyway, this last week Opal has been out of the water for careening, bottom painting and white hull clean and polish. As you will see the hull wasn't too badly fouled, so the anti -fouling paint was doing its job, considering how long the boat has been swinging round the pick or med moored at the marina.
Prior to going into the marina, Gerry had been over the side giving the hull a bit of a clean as best he could, which paid off. I will include a shot of a catamaran that had not been touched in 12 months as a comparison.

I need to transfer images off their Sail Blog on the New steam PC thats running on Windows 10, rather than Vista.

We are not up to full away yet on the new one, still a few items mainly Microsoft items that needs sorting out.

G&N are still waiting for the Hurricane season to subside and make sure they can move to ports south.

Will see you soon.

[David Fox]

Just been trying to copy and paste images off G&N's blogg to my desktop or a folder and its not having it, might have to go begging for advice from our webmaster, Jim Lad.

*******??! Windows 10, Vista was much better, and Win 11 & 12 are just round the corner to fleece everbody again.

G&N are busy fighting the reefer again, so won't have time to relay me the photos by email.

When they came off the slip, the compressor started making awful mechanical screeching sounds, never a good sound. Gerry checked the sight glass, but no gas. No doubt the air was blue with lots of sailor speak and "Oh! dear me's" , but not in so many words. I am sure its parentage came into it.

Time for a beer and have a think, works every time.

Gerry cut his losses as he has a long voyage ahead of him when they can get away so they don't want to be on short commons or BOT rations.

Called in local reefer people for a 2nd opinion and a price. He decided to rip out the 'new ' compressor and the eutectic plates ( Evaporator plates) in both the fridge and freezer, piping, wiring and make a new base for a split system. A compressor for fridge and a compressor for the Freezer, with air cooled condensers in the lazarette.

When I have the know how to copy the photos I will start on the careening and continue logically time wise. No doubt there will be some images of the new compressors.

Grrrr

Back soon

Shoreside Qtrs whilst careening

Cool Running Apartment block2067.jpeg (9.79 KiB) Viewed 29112 times

Well that worked by 'downloading' to my tablet, rather than Copy and Past to my PC Desktop. So better still a I can sit in my armchair to do the job.

I can see Android replacing Windows, if it hasn't already.
27/11/2020
So we will get back to the careening with a few images.
Nicky has kindly labeled each image so she can tell the story.

Whilst at various anchorages during the summer, to relieve boredom Gerry and his sailing buddy in the Cat have put their waterwings on, jumped overboard and helped each other give their hull a bit of a scrub up.
The first image shows the previous boat on the slip that has not been cleaned for over a year.
Opals hull is relatively clean, apart from the prop and around an overboard discharge, perhaps for the reefers as they were on shore power in the trots at the Marina, but running the reefer ( more about that later). Now onto a few images.

Boat before us with its own coral reef.jpeg (101.85 KiB) Viewed 29070 times

1 Opel being repositioned.jpeg (93.5 KiB) Viewed 29070 times

2 Slings being positioned.jpeg (112.79 KiB) Viewed 29070 times

3 Sling tightening starboard side.jpeg (101.77 KiB) Viewed 29070 times

4 Slow rise out of the water.jpeg (99.32 KiB) Viewed 29070 times

[David Fox]

Had my ration on previous post, the picture story continues.
Nicky was busy taking photos at each stage of the slipping process just in case something went wrong so they had photographic proof for insurance purposes
plus for their Sail Blog and in turn for the BSL log book.

Your most welcome to add posts, ask questions, Gerry and Nicky are only too happy
for you to take an interest and ask questions, I can relay the questions and answers to and from them and add them to the post. Once they set sail there will be delays as they only have Satcom which is expensive for chatter.

5 Floating above the water.jpeg (96.08 KiB) Viewed 29070 times

5 Clearing the dock with inches to spare.jpeg (111.52 KiB) Viewed 29070 times

5b

6Prop looking like monster from the black latrine.jpeg (135.92 KiB) Viewed 29070 times

7 Few stray barnacles and some hairy growth.jpeg (133.01 KiB) Viewed 29070 times

8 On the blocks in yard.jpeg (119.67 KiB) Viewed 29070 times

Block & Block as it were.

9. Side elevation on the blocks.jpeg (128.29 KiB) Viewed 29070 times

Time I turned to before SWMBO comes chasing.
More mañana.

[David Fox]

A word from Nicky.
Gerry wanted to check on the boat, make sure the guys were starting the acid cleaning and maybe the sanding today. Then going shopping and organize the paint and equipment purchases to do the anti-fouling work.

Gerry returned to the boat after lunch to finish removing the paint and buildup of gunk on the propeller and clean it up along with the skeg and prop shaft, then he greased the main through hole valve and removed the worn out zincs ready to replace with new ones. A bit more purchasing of stuff followed at the local budget marine store.
The through hole valve, typo, Through Hull valve is the main sea water inlet valve that can be greased by replacing a plug with a grease nipple, but Gerry tells me he tried whilst afloat but the water pressure forced the grease out, so a drydock job as it were.
The rectangular box on the port quarter is a Man over Board device.
The capsule halfway up the mast is the radar reflector and the Satcoms is in the arch over the dinghy.

10. Port Bow view.jpeg (132.51 KiB) Viewed 29051 times

12 Stbd Aft.jpeg (134.44 KiB) Viewed 29051 times

So ready to start work.

13 Port bow sanded.jpeg (108.41 KiB) Viewed 29048 times

The hull was sanded by the yard people.

14 More starboard side sanded.jpeg (9.27 KiB) Viewed 29048 times

15 Back to red paint.jpeg (10.13 KiB) Viewed 29048 times

16 Gerry wire brushing the prop.jpeg (10.8 KiB) Viewed 29048 times

[David Fox]

Nearly complete the prep.
As you ex deck cadets will know there is a lot of chipping ,scraping and sanding before the easy bit of the priming and painting comes along.

17 Wire brushing the single side band radio earth.jpeg (11.83 KiB) Viewed 29048 times

18 Shiny prop with new sacrificial anodes.jpeg (11.41 KiB) Viewed 29048 times

Almost completed painting of hull.

19 Shiny Hull, anti fouling almost finished.jpg (9.84 KiB) Viewed 29048 times

20 Almost finished anti fouling.jpg (10.18 KiB) Viewed 29048 times

21 Anti fouling almost finished.jpg (9.23 KiB) Viewed 29048 times

The report from Gerry was that he had now completed the painting underneath the support pads and had done a bit of touch up in places that needed it, all that was left now was the bottom of the keel which can't be done until the boat is back in the slings ready to be splashed as it rests on a chunk of wood on the ground whilst out of the water. Having completed the painting (and changing his name to Van Gough or maybe Angelo) it was time to clear away some of the painting gear and at the same time to install a new Grenadian curtesy flag, we had been saying for about 3 weeks that our one was looking worse for wear but it was now at the point of being downright dead and disgusting. As the flag was the same one we used in 2017 we felt we really couldn't complain at having to purchase a new one, they really aren't that expensive and are available everywhere here. So the ceremonial lowering of the flag (well the raggy bits that were left of it) took place and a nice new one took its place. I have to admit it didn't look quite so bad from afar but when it came down we had to admit it was well past its fly by date.

Granadian courtesy flag from 2017.jpeg (31.63 KiB) Viewed 29048 times

Ready for splash day in the next installment, leaving the luxury of the 'luxury' Cool Running Apartments.