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Week
Ending 1 June 2002 (Bob)
Pleasant Return to Phuket - Sunday evening and we were
back steamy Phuket and could hardly wait until Monday morning to see what had
happened while we were gone:
- Paint - The hull gleamed white,
 the boot-top
was a rich dark red, and the gold of the cove stripe provided
a nice accent to it all - we were happy with the paint job so far, and Pro
Yachting has required very little supervision or intervention. The final
touch was the boat name, being replaced after 2 months of being 'Anonymous'
- Cabinets - The interior woodwork is finished, and
(although it has no doors yet) we are very happy with the changes.
- Cushions - Jin
 and
Pong worked miracles while we were gone, and appeared to have stretched the
buffalo skins into a shape so that they cover our entire sitting area!
Such are the small victories we savor here in Thailand! She was also
eager to show off the shape of our new cushions.
Back in the saddle - We feel that we are back at work:
alarm at 0700 and on the boat by 0745 (after a short commute by bike). Pro
Yachting has taken the week off, and allowed the carpenters free access to the
decks so that they can cut and drill to their heart's content:
- Toe-rail - By week's end, a new
rub-rail encircled the deck, and 1/3 of the toe-rail had been bolted in
place. They seemed HUGE compared to our previous versions, but are
consistent with Shannon's current practices.
- Paint - None this week, but at week's end Pro took
us to the sign shop so that we could pick out the lettering for our transom
- to be applied next week.
- Varnish - The cabin sole has had a couple more
coats, the interior walls have received almost the final treatment, and will
be ready for the final coat early next week - it looks really nice!
- Misc - Chrome coating and polishing of metals
is very cheap here, so all of our green-coated dorade rings went off to the
local chrome shop (OSHA could fill their yearly quota of violations in this
one shop) and came back looking like new.
Overall we feel that a lot of progress has been made, but we
are afraid that our launch date of 21 June may be in jeopardy - we'll see.
Week
Ending 8 June 2002 (Bob)
All varnishing complete - This week  was
a little quiet for us as we watched the final coat of varnish go on throughout
the interior. With a mixture of 1/3 Gloss and 2/3 Satin she
really looks like new below. The cabin sole received its final coat of
gloss, and
the floor looks like a piece of glass! Although it has been somewhat expensive
for the varnish work, we think it looks great!
Toe-rail stalled - Nai and Toe told us they would use
10 tubes of caulk, so we ordered the type Shannon recommended, and had it
shipped to Langkawi 3 weeks ago (plus a couple of spare tubes).
Unfortunately they underestimated, and ran out, so Kak, the conscientious
carpenter doing the work is now stalled. We have ordered more from West
Marine, it reached Bangkok in 2 days, and now languishes "delayed in
Customs".
Week
Ending 15 June 2002 (Bob)
Drama with Customs - After 5 days of the DHL status
showing "delayed in Customs" we got Nai to call and find out where it
was. After 2 more days, an angry phone conversation, and $100 in duty
and fees, we finally broke the $150 shipment free. It was a first-hand
lesson in why all of the yachties ship their goods somewhere else (Langkawi,
Singapore, etc.) and then travel to pick them up.
Toe-rail and rub-rail complete - Despite  the
lack of caulk, Kak plugged on, shaping and fitting the chocks and other bits and
pieces until the caulk could be extricated from the clutches of Customs.
With the caulk in hand he put the finishing touches on it, and she looks really
good and solid - better than new.
Beautiful new cushions - At week's end, Jin and Pong
brought our new leather cushions by for a fitting, and they look wonderful -
rich green! One of the settee cushions need a little trimming, but the
rest fit beautifully. They really do good work!
Moving back on board - This is the week that some of
our off-loaded stuff started to move back on board - lockers are starting to
fill up and we have a feeling that things are starting to come together rather
than being torn apart - a good feeling.
Week
Ending 22 June 2002 (Bob)
The Coachroof and Cockpit sport a new coat of paint - After
a week of much sanding and filling in good weather, Pro-Yachting was ready to
shoot the first primer coat last week.  All ports were taped, hatches
wrapped in 'Saran-wrap' (they use clingy plastic by the mile to protect
everything here), and the deck covered in plastic tablecloth - so the spray guns
came out. After an hour, the coachroof and cockpit gleamed white, and all
minor imperfections were clearly visible. The crew then set about to fill
and smooth it all over again! Next week may see the next primer coat.
Prop removed - The 'drip-less' seal installed in New
Zealand had developed a minor leak during the last few months and this seemed
like an ideal time to take care of it. The mechanic from ... came by
bright and early Monday morning and jammed himself into the small working space
above our prop shaft with all of the right tools and tons of confidence.
Five hours later (with time off for good behavior) he emerged, tired and smudged
but victorious with the coupling, shaft, and propeller intact. In
summary:
- Prop shaft was not warped, good news.
- Cutlass bearing needed to be replaced (of course)
- Taper on the prop did NOT match taper on the shaft - this
was a surprise since we have been using it since replacing the engine in
'90. This will be fixed.
Sawadee Kha - This is the standard greeting one hears
in Thailand any time of day - from women. The guys will greet you
with a Sawadee Khap. It turns out that the gender of the speaker is
used to end many phrases in Thailand, the first time we have experienced this
type of grammar.
Starting to Re-assemble the boat - We have started to
drag boxes back on board and refill our lockers slowly. Radios have been
re-installed, clothes hung in place, food re-stowed, and books returned to their
homes.
Week
Ending 29 June 2002 (Bob)
Water panic - Workers started to prepare for the final
coat of paint by removing all existing plastic and giving the boat a thorough
cleaning. UNFORTUNATELY they neglected to tell us in advance and our deck was
like a sieve with many holes awaiting installation of stanchion bases - tempers
became frayed as books and a radio were soaked as collateral damage.
The plastic cocoon -  At
week's end, Long Passages looked like a fiberglass caterpillar wrapped in a huge
Saran-wrap cocoon! Workers recovered all decks with plastic, and then made
a waterproof/wind-resistant 'tent' of plastic wrap and then vacuumed all debris
from the decks. By Saturday the entire boat was clean and ready for its final
coat of paint.
Preparation for Visitors - As  the
impending visit by Sharon and Stephanie from Oregon approached, planning went
into high gear. Judi put together a detailed itinerary designed to test
their endurance while giving them good insight into much of Thailand. We
spent the weekend sprucing up the boat (even though we would be living in the
apartment) and 'provisioning' for the visit.
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