Sat /Sun16/17th Feb08
By the time the riggers had finished drilling out the rivets and replacing with (shorter) screws, making sure the reefing blocks/cars inside the boom were finally able to move freely, it was late morning. I rigged a flag halyard on the backstay, using a tiny block I attached to it, and hoisted a brand new 'red duster' (the previous C.A. blue ensign had been looking very tattered for some time now).
I don't know quite where the day went.... I spent some time on the Internet, using the convenient Club (free) computer, mixed some epoxy for some over-large screw holes in a few places and then drilled & replaced the screws - hopefully that will work. I had several visitors over the day - very friendly & sociable but definitely interrupts the work...! spent a time double-checking things and clearing up metal bits etc ready to leave early in the morning - but that plan went by the board after 'Trudel' asked me to join them at "Panama Jack's" - a nearby restaurant - that evening. We had a lovely meal and got back late..... I didn't get up until 10 o'clock next morning! I'd deliberately not set an alarm, knowing I was tired, but hadn't expected to sleep in quite so late.
I was supposed to be moving on today, but suddenly remembered my log impellor was stuck & not giving a speed/log display on the way around to here from Simon's Town (despite the diver's efforts at freeing the impellor a week ago). It needed withdrawing and cleaning - it was really encrusted with 'wormy' growth inside, so that was my morning job. Then I decided to go up the mast to attach seine twine between mast steps and shrouds to prevent halyards catching. Got interesting since wind gets strong off Table Mt every afternoon, gusting up to 30 knots - and, since Nereida is beam on to the wind direction at the fuel dock I'd moved to, she was really heeling over suddenly & often while I was up there! Two good jobs done, though, ready for my forthcoming ocean crossing.
Tonight's job is to re-connect a cable into my autopilot remote control - it's been misbehaving for some time so I decided to investigate - one wire disconnected & another very loose. Hopefully, an easy, quick after-dinner fix!
I should reach Luderitz (Namibia) by next weekend, stay a few days & then it's over to St Helena - everyone I speak to tells me how beautiful it is & that I really shouldn't pass close by & not visit the island where Napoleon was exiled.