This week we got Antara out of the water to have a look at her hull and the propeller. This meant looking at the tide tables to figure the date and time for high water. We need at least 2.3 metres under the keel to dry dock Antara. The best options for us were between September 17 and 20, during Spring tide this New moon.
Monday and Tuesday were a washout with the persistent rains. The abridged week, therefore, was a flurry of activity. We spent a day clearing out the boat so as to lighten her and help her float as high as possible. This meant taking out all attached doors and panels, the gimbal galley, the life jackets and the sails. The life rafts are still being serviced as are the fire extinguishers.
We reached about 10 am the next day. The Aquarius team was all set and raring to go. We motored her towards the dry dock and passed the ropes across to the boys waiting on both sides. With Mandar and Sachin coordinating, the team gently tugged Antara into position and secured her with a crane and several ropes. By 1pm she was securely in place. Now we had to wait for the water to recede so we could access her hull.
A quick lunch later, Dilip and Sachin got onto a boat-shaped plank (that’s me being diplomatic) and proceeded to replace the sacrificial anode and grease the propeller. That done, they got on to the highlight of this event: fixing a rope cutter on the propeller shaft. An expensive, serrated bangle that we hope will help us deal with the innumerable fishing nets we encounter on every sail, even at 15nm out to sea.
We had left this rope cutter in the Aquarius office the earlier day not trusting our lax memories. When retrieving it the next day, we realised a rat had gnawed through the plastic encasing. Unable to make a dent in the Marine grade steel, it had drunk up the bottle of locktite glue packaged with it!
To complete the drydocking, Hunter and I then waded in, literally, to clean up the hull and gave her a good spray wash. What barnacles the water couldn’t knock off we scraped off with a metal scraper. The next day was drab and drizzly, but that didn’t deter us. We went right back to cleaning her up and tasks completed, had her back in the water the same afternoon.
Here’s a short video of the drydocking:
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