After 2.5 years in charter, it’s time to say goodbye to Moorings. Since arriving in St. Martin, Paw Paw has been configured for charter use, managed by Moorings. For her trouble, we received a few dollars each month and the usage of other Moorings yachts worldwide. Somewhat misleading at times, like for instance in Greece, we could only reserve a boat 7 days out. We made a paid reservation 9 months out and were lucky to get one of only a few remaining boats. Anyway, it’s all history, and time for a new beginning.
The boat was hauled out in Sint Maarten, the Dutch side of the island, after a short motor sail from Oyster Pond, on the French side. We nudged our way to the front of the queue and waited for about 15 minutes to enter the lagoon from Simpson Bay. At exactly 11:35 the bridge operator entered his cubicle for the 11:30 opening, on time by island standards. We motored across the lagoon, preparing fenders and dock lines along the way, until we reached a yard with a big enough crane to lift the boat, considering it’s 25 feet wide.
Once out the water, the excess sea growth with be cleaned with a jet wash. Thereafter the boat will be blocked in the yard and inspected for damage. We are expecting the sail drives to be serviced, the bottom to be sanded and repainted with 2 coats of anti-fouling and finally the entire deck and top sides waxed and polished.
The boat is expected to be out of the water for a week and then return to Oyster Pond for routine maintenance and minor repairs. Moorings have 90 days to completed the work before we do final sea trials and take delivery. During this period we’ll be shipping new sails for fitment and keep the existing sails as spare.
