Musket Cove
We ended our year-long cruise with a nice relaxing stay at Musket Cove on Malolo Laila Island. Only 20 miles from Lautoka, we found the anchorage and marina full of yachts waiting for the big regatta coming up in a week. We spent 3 days there enjoying the resort pool and restaurants and for $5, became life-time members of the Musket Cove Yacht Club–the requirement to join is that you must have sailed here from a foreign port!

Vuda Point Marina
We hauled out Apropos at Vuda Point Marina on September 4, 2015, a little over a year from when we left Seattle.  The travel lift took us to the wash-down area and the bottom paint looked better after a good pressure washing (we’ll re-paint the bottom in 6 months before departing Fiji).  Next was the drive to pit #40, where Apropos will remain for the cyclone season. The workers were very meticulous with adjusting the tires to keep the boat upright and level. It was a bittersweet moment–on one hand we realize a direct hit from a big cyclone could severely damage Apropos, but on the other hand we are ready for a break from living on a boat and looking forward to visiting Sydney and returning home to Seattle.

Vuda Point Marina
But first, there is a lot of work to do! Not that sailing and maintaining a boat for 10,000 miles is all play, but we did get used to a slower pace of life while visiting lots of cool places and meeting lots of nice people. Now we had a long list of things that needed to get done in a short amount of time. I decided to spend an extra week after Karen and Jacintha fly to Sydney so I could get everything done before leaving Apropos for 6-1/2 months. Here’s the task list (strikethrough denotes completed):

1. Sort through a year’s worth of stuff that was added on the boat and decide what to keep.
2. Remove all 4 sails, fold, and STORE BELOW.
3. Clean, deflate, pack up the dinghy, and STORE BELOW.
4. Change engine oil and filter.
5. Empty and clean Racor diesel filter bowls, replace filters.
6. Flush engine with fresh water.
7. Drain water from lift muffler https://p..iagra-sur-internet/.
8. Flush dinghy engine with fresh water, STORE BELOW.
9. Repair dinghy chaps canvas and genoa sail chafe areas.
10. Remove, wash, and dry weather cloths, STORE BELOW.
11. Clean refrigerator, stove, microwave, freezer.
12. Remove and service windlass (hire out).
13. Pickle water maker.
14. Wipe interior with tea tree oil & vinegar solution.
15. Remove wind vane paddle and vane, STORE BELOW.
16. Find a caretaker to look after Apropos while we’re gone.
17. Change generator oil, STORE BELOW.
18. Remove BBQ grill, STORE BELOW.
19. Remove dodger and bimini canvas, STORE BELOW.
20. Remove jacklines.
21. Remove solar panels and STORE BELOW.
22. Run trace lines through masts and remove halyards.
23. Polish and wax hull.
24. Fix bilge pump leak.
25. Fix gelcoat dings, bubbles, and scratches (hire out).
26. Drain water tanks and hot water tank.
27. Remove everything on deck and STORE BELOW.
28. Polish stainless steel stanchions, dodger frame, bimini frame, bowsprit, wind vane.

A common theme in the above tasks is STORE BELOW, the problem is, there is only so much room for storing things below! With the rainy summer season in Fiji approaching, humidity and moisture become an issue. If things are packed too tightly, air flow gets reduced and mold could grow on things. We ended up donating a lot of things (clothing, food, toys, etc) to different people working at the marina. We also filled up 6 duffel bags to carry and check in on our flights out.

With 4 days left before I fly to Sydney to join Karen and Jacintha, 16 of the above tasks are completed. Should be a fun 4 days!

Jacintha’s friend Polly from a liveaboard boat at Vuda Marina