The Haulout

Life on the hard IS hard! HAWKEYE hauled out a week ago last Wednesday to do some work on the keel, replace the bearings on the rudder, reglass the rudder and paint the bottom as well as some usual haul out maintenance. We had been watching a crack in the fiberglass where the keel is attached to the bottom of the boat for the last two years and decided that now was the time to haul out and see what was causing the problem.
I have attached some pictures of the haul out that Dave on IRISH MELODY took. It was supposed to be Linda’s job to do but she ended up in the water placing and checking the large straps that went under the boat in order to life HAWKEYE correctly out of the water. A large crane is used with large straps that go under the bottom of the boat on either side of the keel. Hauling out is always a stressful experience as there is always the fear that the boat will be dropped. All those horror stories come to mind at these times…
Anyway, all went relatively well. We had help from several cruising friends Dave on IRISH MELODY, Larry on KATIE LEE, Spike on HALUKI, Cary on SEAL, and Lee, our hired hand. Every jerking movement, made HAWKEYE shake and a sigh of relief went out as stands were placed under her to support her while on the hard.
We had originally checked with our friends of the boat PANACEA to see if we could stay on their boat which they said was fine; but, decided to stay on HAWKEYE instead, as it is easier to start work earlier and work longer in the day if we are on the boat. It would have been much more comfortable to stay on PANACEA as we can’t use the head, have to go up and down the ladder numerous times a day and have to contend with mosquitoes which are quite numerous on land.
The work has gone pretty good so far and with luck, we should be back in the water Saturday. The fellow we hired, Lee, is an expat. who has lived in Majuro for 15 years and is very knowledgeable in boat repair. Cary made all the arrangements for the yard and crane, getting the machined work done, etc. Without him, it wouldn’t have happened as he has all the contacts and makes everything come together. He also has all the tools needed to do the jobs-a great guy to do business with and a good friend.
Internet access has been quite limited for the last month so it is difficult to accomplish anything on the internet. It is up and down several times a day and always goes down when you are right in the middle of something. So, please excuse us for not responding to emails in a timely manner but we will try to get to it as soon as they have the system fixed. Fiber optic cable is supposed to be laid to the Marshall Islands by next May so until then, they just try to patch the internet system which is very frustrating.
One thing about life on the hard in Majuro is the spectacular view we get from the boat. We are on the lagoon side but just across the road is the open ocean. So you can get a better idea of just how narrow the land of an atoll can be. It just so happened that we are hauled out during the full moon which brings the highest and lowest tides. At high tide, it sure makes a believer of you that global warming is, unfortunately, happening.