Lift out

Plan is to arrive at the marina at 13:00, have sandwiches onboard and then lift out at 14:00... tight because I have an airport run at 15:30 and another at 16:15. And... of course... everything is running late!

So, we talk to Nickos and he hopes to lift before the end of the day. If all goes to plan, maybe 15:00 to 15:30. So we go to the club for a beer and then round to King Malu.

When we see Nickos lift the boat ahead of us we let go the lines and motor round to the wet dock to be next in line.

It's around 15:15 that Nickos is ready to start lifting us. The flights from the UK are running late so I do have a few minutes and Tim and Jacob will stay with the boat.

The for'ard mooring lines have to be let go and the straps walked underneath the boat ready for lifting. Since the wind is from the east, the tendency is for King Malu to drift over to the port side.

I just about see her starting to be lifted before I have to leave and go pick up relatives at the airport.

I never get to see the barnacles growing on the hull except on the photographs Tim took.

The was a line of barnacles along the water line. That is something we can keep under control.

The anode is pretty encrusted too... no surprises there, as is the propellor. We'll have to try getting some anti-fouling for the propellor to keep it cleaner next year.

But the strange bit is the the growth under the stern above the propellor. We have no idea why the growth was there.

Nickos power washed it down and that took off almost all of the growth and slime and then Tim and Jacob cleaned where the straps had been removed the slightly firmer encrustations.

We were the last boat out before the Christmas break and we will be the first boat in after the break. So Nickos put us opposite the workshop and left the crane just a few metres back (to give us clearance around the boat).