A very sad note

I still can’t really believe it, but Zaka, our shipwright, died at the weekend.

Simon, Zaka Gajadhar, has worked with us for four years. Without him we would not have got this far.  Now, close to launch we have lost him.  I learnt a lot from him, not just about ship building.

At times he could be impossibly exasperating but it was always fun to be around him, we shared a sense of humour.

I knew he was not well, he hadn’t been for awhile but he kept putting off going to the Doctor. But I had no idea just how ill he was.  I am more determined than ever to get Guiding Light launched, we cannot falter now.

Our hearts go out to his family, he will be missed by many.

This is my favourite photograph of him, Gill who’s hand you can see had just found a sprung plank, Zaka in typical form laughed…and then fixed it.

The exterior

 The photographs show the huge amount of progress we have made... I failed with the video

Still a mountain to climb

July and still hopeful we will launch in the autumn

 

Well it has been awhile since I last put pen to paper, so to speak. 

Critically Hurricane Beryl was centred some 100 miles south of us. Disastrous for Carriacou, we have two friends there with seriously damaged boats. But we survived unscathed.

Things have been up and down here we are constantly falling behind schedule. We spend a lot of time redoing things that we didn’t get right first time!!

Fran, our paint lady is coming this week to discuss hull paint, so that’s progress 

Having said that I think we are still on track to launch in September.  Don’t get too excited, not finished but launched.  We can then let her take up before putting the mast in, hopefully October. 

After that is the interior, electrics etc….

I will post a video of the outside later this week

 I am feeling rather more confident now.  Things are moving forward at pace.  I just hope I can keep up with all the ancillary stuff.

But I do now have a skeleton plan.

Complete hull....last few rib repairs; tighten planks; fill unrequired through hulls; drill new through hulls;

caulk and paint...

Install engine 

Fit basic electrics:- Engine, bilge pumps, charger

Launch June 2024

Monitor for leaks while fitting out interior

Fit sun protection

Fly back to UK in August for six weeks... stress and pray

During September

Step mast and rig

Continue refit and learn to sail her

March 2025, leave St Lucia and sail to Antigua for Classics

What can possibly go wrong

 I have had very mixed emotions over the last few weeks.  We have finished a number of things which is great.  

We have finished the cockpit, albeit that we will need to fit it, and cut new holes for the engine controls etc.  The metal work is being painted, should be finished this week, I have started rerigging the mast. 

However we have not progressed the hull at all.  Hopefully things will improve this week.

We had a visit from Suzie and Julie who helped by doing some sanding.  It is always nice to have help.

Other visitors have brightened our day too

Taking stock back in the UK

Back in the UK for medical check ups, and a quick ski trip in France.

 We are moving forward with Guiding Light....slowly

But taking stock of where we are, reveals that although we feel that we have spent over three years working on Guiding Light, we have actually spent only 19 months working in that time.  So there is still hope.  We will launch this year.

One problem we have is finding sufficient space to varnish.  I have my gazebo but i can only fit so much in there.  The rest is done outside which is far from ideal.

I tried to included two videos, hopefully they work...sorry

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Christmas and the New Year

Since my last blog much has happened here in St Lucia, sadly not to Guiding Light.

Poor Kevin had a slight accident, he fell down a ravine and ended up in hospital.  All is well now, he stayed an extra week which was nice.  By then we were into the ARC, and spent two 24 hour periods as the finish line boat.  The first time we had 25 boats in the 24 hours, so not much sleep!

Work is progressing slowly, with the odd notable, even if small, success... I finished the light boxes, see photograph for proof.  I am varnishing everyday over Christmas

Hopefully 2024 will be the year we launch, but I am no longer so confident.

Wishing you a very blessed and Merry Christmas