HAUL OUT CAT-TASTROPHE
We haven’t updated in a while, so here goes!
The good news as always, is God is so good and always on His throne! We have been hard at work on our new catamaran refit. We have tackled sails repairs, have ordered flywheel bolts for the starboard engine and have a mechanic lined up to install them and get her purring again. We have ripped out disgusting blue, oil stained carpet off walls everywhere and have scraped years of glue behind it, sanded, applied primer, re-sanded, primered again…lol. We’ve scrubbed and cleaned ick and in the process, discovered a few unwelcomed guests on board (termites), which are being treated Monday. It has been long, hard working days for us without a beach day in over two weeks (I know, feel free to weep for us).
Yesterday was a treat, however. It was a day of God showing us what we have continuously prayed for, open doors meant to be opened and closing doors meant to be closed. After motoring on one engine around the island for 90 minutes to get to the only marina with a lift large enough to haul out our somewhat wide catamaran, we found that we didn’t fit. Our boat was a couple of inches too wide. In fact, we almost got stuck in the slip under the lift. We motored back the other 90 minutes, knowing God had clearly shut that door for a reason and we would just take in the blessings of the day.
Oh, what blessings there were! We had our two new friends (September and Kevin) helping us along
since we had limited control with only one engine. On the cruise back to our slip in Red Hook, we were
blessed with lessons on the many surrounding islands. We learned about Blackbeard’s shenanigans at a
nearby island, the Rockefeller family’s legacy on another, another small island for sale for $56 million
(any takers?), and countless other islands. We saw Christmas Cove, a beautiful protected cove we have
only read about in our cruising/sailing books. Within that cove, we found the infamous “pizza boat”, Pizza Pi VI, a sailboat which has been converted to a pizza kitchen with pull up service in your dinghy.
Michael really got a good feel for the boat in open waters, and she handles light and beautifully. We all
sat atop our front deck and just enjoyed the views of countless surrounding islands, turquoise blue
waters, white sand beaches, and shorelines dotted with lovely boats from all over the world. We took in
the sunset and imagined our days sailing, when the painting and refitting is over, when we can stop
being tired and filthy every night from a hard day’s work and instead be covered in sand and salt water,
excitedly discussing our day’s discoveries and adventures.
Ironically, when we returned to our marina, our slip was taken and we could again not “fit” into the
open slip next to it. This being the second time in a day we nearly got our boat stuck on either side in a
too-narrow space, we found a plan B quickly and with laughter. Maneuvering a wide catamaran in the
windy waves on only one engine is tricky at best, but we made it. God reminded us, once again, the
path He has laid out for us sometimes differs from that we had planned, but His way is always better.
“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps” Proverbs 16:9.
The day was blessed with the unexpected, and we have found that a better place awaits our boat (and
us) in Tortola, British Virgin Islands for our haul out and bottom job paint when she is ready to go, if that is God's plan. We will continue working with surrender, stopping to be thankful and grateful for each and every blessing along the path.
