From boat problems to marriage proposal

On arrival in the British Virgin Islands, everything went differently than expected.  Work had not yet been carried out and/or not properly, so that the boat had to be taken out of the water once more and new problems piled up.  We spent seven nights in a hotel before our boat was habitable.

An important job that we had carried out was the replacement of the oil seals of the propeller shaft.  Refilling the C-Drive with oil was unfortunately not done correctly, so three liters of oil went in instead of the minimum amount of six liters stated by the factory.  After inquiring with the old owner, it turns out that the oil of the C-Drive has to be done from below on our boat.  This means that we have to get the boat out of the water again, after which we had to wait four days before they had time to do so.

In the meantime we had another job list to complete with additional problems such as: the solar panels that no longer charge due to a cable break, toilet pump no longer works and had to be replaced, one refrigerator had a broken fan, our radar had not yet been repaired,  the anemometer at the top of the mast is broken, a leaking cooling water pump from the generator, the new autopilot had a software problem, the anchor had to be replaced, our repaired dinghy was not properly repaired and all sails and lines has to be reinstalled so that we can actually start sailing.

We let go of all expectations and went through the job list every day and tackled everything 1 by 1.  In the evening a well-deserved Sundowner (a drink at sunset) to cool down.  On 12 July 2022, we were able to leave the port for the first time and we were able to test everything.  In 3 days, we have to be back in port to pick up some parts that have been ordered for us.  In addition, we still need to discuss some things with the company that made our new sunroof (Bimini).  Our boom touches the sunroof at one point, causing a loose seam. The past three days we were able to sail wonderfully and we slept in a bay.  What a joy and a silence around you.  The sound of the water brings a lot of peace with it.  Snorkelling, swimming, good food and rest.  The return trip to port was accompanied by 30 knots of wind and a lot of rain.  This is also included and everything went well.  Back in the harbour during an errand Jeroen was stopped by a woman from the island.  She liked him and she was looking for a nice “white” man, she thought herself to be the perfect woman for Jeroen and wanted to marry him.  Unfortunately for her, this man has been taken for already 31 years 🙂