A Week Aboard S/V Sabado: 12/08/2024 – 12/15/2024 

Hello and Happy Sunday! We posted an exclusive video for our Crew and VIPs—did you see it? 

Last Sunday, we made the 40-minute trek from our Airbnb to the boatyard in the wet Tahiti heat. No matter how early in the morning we get going, we’re always drenched in sweat by the time we get there. Ray has been trying to wax the boat all week, but with the various sawing, sanding, and grinding going on in the yard, it has been impossible to keep the boat clean enough to wax. So, he used everyone’s day off to get it done. 

We try our best to wax Sabado every six months. It’s infinitely easier to do when on the hard or at a dock. Wax protects and preserves the fiberglass, slowing down UV damage. Plus, it makes the boat nice and shiny!

We hit the ground running Monday morning, getting to the yard right as they opened with our brand-new sail drive shaft in hand. Thanks again, Just Catamarans! They also sent us these cool new sunglasses. 🙂 

The mechanics immediately got to work putting our sail drives and propellers back together. We were hoping to splash the following day. Ray kept a close eye on everything that was going on. 

Thankfully, he was able to intervene when he noticed one of the mechanics had forgotten to use the tabbed washer to secure our propeller. Ray reminded him and watched him incorrectly bend it into place, cracking the tab about 75% of the way through. Luckily, we had a spare. Ray reviewed the diagram from the manual with him before handing it over. Don’t worry; he got it right that time, underscoring the importance of supervising projects if you aren’t doing the work yourself. This is how it looked before assembling the rest of it: one part bends forward, the other bends aft. 

Once Sabado was put back together, I ran to the grocery store. I had defrosted and cleaned our refrigerator and freezer, as we were overdue for a big reprovision. I struggled through the Carrefour, pushing two carts, giggling at the ramen noodles, bulk spices, and sugary drinks section being labeled “100% American”. 

I came out (surprisingly) under budget and took a taxi back to the boatyard. Ray helped me get everything up the ladder and stowed away before we began the long walk back to the apartment, stopping for a cold beer at the halfway point. 

My alarm sounded at 4:30 on Tuesday morning. I dragged myself out of bed, packed our bags, and called a taxi. We had run out of coffee at the apartment, and there was no way I was making that walk uncaffeinated with our luggage. Today was splash day. We beat all the workers to the yard, unpacking our bags, disposing of garbage, and readying our lines and fenders. Thirty minutes before our launch, a squall ripped through, bringing a blanket of rain and winds up to 37kn. We waited in the saloon, watching anxiously. 

We were relieved as the wind began to settle and the rain subsided. I walked to the office and paid our final invoice, and by the time I got back, they had Sabado in the slings. 

We watched as they drove our home to the well. We climbed aboard and assumed our positions as they gently lowered us into the water. The lead mechanic came aboard to assist as we checked both engines/sail drives/props—all good! Ray expertly backed us out of the well and swiftly steered us toward our anchorage. We were racing against the weather. The sky grew more menacing by the minute, and we were hoping to get on anchor before the next squall hit. 

We pulled into an empty bay and let out 280 feet of our brand-new chain. Ooooh, it feels good to have a proper scope out! We backed down just before the storm began, bringing 40kn winds and buckets of rain. 

This weather pattern continued for the rest of the week. There would be a couple of hours of calm conditions- although still grey and gloomy- then vicious wind and copious amounts of rain for an hour, on repeat for four days. We were just happy to be home. Before Sabado, I had never felt homesick. I wasn’t very attached to where I lived, and a phone call with loved ones always sufficed. Now, I am desperate to return whenever I’m off the boat. I suppose Sabado is much more than a home- we spend all our time (and money) caring for her, and she takes care of us in return. It feels like a piece of my personality is missing when we’re on land. Despite the lousy weather, we are both infinitely more relaxed now. Plus, the chronic sniffles we had developed from the pollution in Papeete and sleeping in air conditioning disappeared within 24 hours. 

We’ve been cleaning, organizing, and cleaning some more ever since. After any period on the hard, Sabado is an absolute mess. Tools are strewn about, dirty footprints are everywhere, and dust and grease spots litter the deck. I’m also learning a new video editing software, which is a humbling experience, to say the least. So, most of my “downtime” has been spent consuming tutorials and working on our current footage. I’m hoping to get a public video out next week, but you can join our Crew to watch the exclusive updates we’ve posted along the way. 

Yesterday morning, we spun around 180°. Despite the huge empty bay, a boat anchored right next to us. So, we kept an eye on them as the squalls continued rolling through, bouncing us around much more from this direction. As we were sitting down for lunch, we noticed a man swimming out to us from shore. We were pretty far out, and he didn’t have fins on, so we offered him a glass of water and sat on the sugar scoop, chatting for a bit. He was from France, here for a while for work, and swims for an hour a day for exercise. He’s working toward being able to swim from the public beach to the cliff opposite the bay. In broken English, he said that his “future project” is to learn to navigate a sailboat around Polynesia. He finished his water and began swimming back to shore. 

We told him we’d keep an eye out for him today. The weather is not looking great for a trip to the Tuamotus any time soon, but we’re considering pushing through for a Monday departure. I’ll let you know how it goes!  

I hope you had a great week. ❤️