Yesterday morning we woke up to a gentle rock from the water as Miss Ellie was launched on the Monday afternoon.
It is really nice to be out of the not so glamorous boat yard we had been in 'on the hard' since our arrival a week ago! As far as standards go , the Abaco Yacht Services boatyard is a fabulous boat yard but all boat yards are really 'boat parking lots'! Boats are not meant to be lived in while out of the water for sure.
The insurance claims/assessor, arrived as promised on Sunday and checked Miss Ellie from top to bottom and confirmed what we had already suspected. It was a lightening strike. A 'direct one' at that, as opposed to the 'secondary strike' we had suspected . There are no holes or apparent damage to the hull.
Chartploter, autopilot, speed indicator, raymarine radar, inverter/ charger, xantrex control unit, hot water tank, running lights, cabin lights except for the ceiling lights, cabin outlets, fans, clarion radio etc. are all fried.
we had the ok to get the vessel in the water so Monday, Guy wasted no time asking the yard if they could fit our launch in. By 2:00 p:m we were moved to the water , and hung in the slings until we were sure water was not coming in some unfound hole from the strike.
Dry as a bone! We are grateful for the excellent staff at Abaco Yacht Services! They are very professional and a well run and clean organized yard. I would recommend them to any thinking of staying in the Abacos.
All was good so we motored to Leeward Yacht Club next to the boat yard and snuggled Miss Ellie in a berth at the dock.
Once at the dock, Guy could hardly wait to go up the mast to retrieve the halyards to start putting Miss Ellie together again. On his way up he noticed large pieces of debris and burn marks on the radar dome situated by the spreaders. Then once at the top of the mast he discovered a melted VHF antenna . This is where the lightening hit. Luckily the deck did not suffer burn holes from the falling bits as we figure it was likely raining and all was extinguished before it hit the deck.
As of yesterday, we heard back from our insurance company and they have agreed to our requests.
We did not want to loose our season, nor did we want to wait forever, in Florida, for the repairs as we were told that this is a very busy time for marine repair services. It may take, 1, 2 to 3 months for repairs to be finished. So now we will stay on Miss Ellie till the end of March! The vessel is somewhat compromised but we will manage just fine. In the water in the Abacos beats a hotel room in Florida. This way we have all of our things with us. You know... the important stuff...guitar, paints, books, clothes, our own bed! Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home!!
Since our inverter/charger is gone, being plugged in at the dock is of no use. Our engine works well and the alternator is charging our batteries just fine. Our dual solar panels are working fantastically in the Bahamas sunshine putting in tons of juice in the batteries. If we need hot water we just run the engine since our 'electric' Hot Water heater is blown. The heat exchanger from the engine to the Hot water tank is a very efficient and a quick way to get hot water. We have a small 400 watt inverter that plugs into a cigarette lighter for our computers and phone. OK, it isn't the "Miss Ellie" we are used to but hey there are a lot of boats cruising with less. We will be just fine!
We have the sun and the cold beers also!
We are staying in Green Turtle Cay till the New Year. With our handheld GPS with map unit, we will make our way to Hope Town during the first week of January where we will stay at the dock till the end of March. The insurance company will send a captain and crew at that time to take Miss Ellie back to Fort Lauderdale Marine Services for the repairs. Who ever said "life is an Adventure,"knew what they were talking about.
If you are wondering where the lemonade is we made from all the lemons we were given...not 100 % sure but I guess a cold "Kalik"beer , sun and sand for three months and new equipment at the end of the day......will be good.
Till next time......
Guy and Louise
