Galt has been keeping us busy this week with projects. As we enter into October this next week, we realize how many projects we want to complete before we leave Luperon in November. November seemed like forever away when we arrived in mid-July but it is now just around the corner! We finished part one of the bimini this week which was very exciting! I must give Bill credit….when he initially sketched out the plan for me to see (and Felo the welder to follow), I was less than encouraged. Bill will be the first to tell you that his artistic ability is at about the level of a four year old so I had a difficult time envisioning the final product. It is awesome! It gives us at least another foot of head room on the deck, holds two huge solar panels, two smaller solar panels and shades the entire back deck area. Phase two included the hard cover to replace the dodger (covering over the helm area). We set that new piece in place this week and secured the other two large solar panels in place. We are waiting on the fiberglass roofing to be finished for the dodger and then we will need to figure out the remaining puzzle of the plexiglass installation for the helm station windows. The finished product will include built in benches, places for the fishing rods to be stored, winches for the dinghy and a lot of “oh shit” handles for me to grab. So, kudos to Bill for getting us closer to winning the “deck of the year” award!
Living in Luperon continues to give us daily entertainment. You have got to love a place that has a restaurant that everyone calls “the French restaurant” which only serves Italian food, a beach where the gringos clean their dinghys, kayaks, etc that they call ‘dog shit beach’ and a country that has a national holiday that no one can explain the meaning….they just know they don’t have to work and they can go out to eat. The responses to questions are always a delight and a lesson in creativity. We asked about a deserted building on the hill that looks like a school but so far we have been told that it was an old house or a school run by the American mafia. So, whenever we are with a different local, we always ask what these buildings are because the answers keep getting more and more creative! Sometimes living in paradise, you have to pay the cost….for us, the cost is dinghy day. Cleaning the dinghy is the equivalent of washing the car but imagine washing your car standing knee deep in water using a scraper and a hard scrub brush while people spit on you. Luperon Bay is known as a “nutrient rich” bay. Definition: a lot of crap grows in it and sticks to everything that is in the water. For example, this week, Poppo pulled up a rope that was tied to our anchor and it was so encrusted with “nutrients” that I refused to even allow it back on the boat. So, the dinghy and the bottom of the boat must be scraped every few weeks in order to keep them clean and functioning. We hire a local to do the bottom of the boat because that requires scuba gear. But for the dinghy, we tackle that one ourselves. We jumped in the dinghy and headed for dog shit beach but along the way, Bill spotted another beach across the bay that was deserted and looked like easy access. We pulled in, took everything out of the dinghy and then attempted to flip the dinghy over in order to clean the bottom. Since the dinghy weighs close to 300 pounds, flipping it over generally involves Bill doing all of the work and me pulling a rope to appear as if I am helping him in some way. Once the dinghy is flipped over on the beach, Bill takes the scraper and begins hacking away at the growth on the bottom of the boat. The barnacles are crusty little things that take heavy muscle but today, it was mostly long algae and the mystery pods. The mystery pods are some sort of crustacean and they literally spit at Bill as he scrapes them off! I have to admit, that is pretty entertaining since I am not in charge of that chore. Then, we sprinkle some Oxyclean powder on the bottom and commence with scrubbing the bottom to remove the rest of the gunk. Once that is completed, I ever so helpfully hold the rope while Bill flips the dinghy over and drags it back into the water. Task done. At least for the next 3 weeks. Today’s reward for completing the dinghy task was to go exploring. We walked along the cliffs of Luperon and took some amazing pictures of the bay and the ocean. We met a local man collecting conch for his family and found another mystery resort that was never completed. All in all, cleaning the dinghy was a small price to pay for the reward that followed! Until next week, we look forward to curfew hours in the DR being pushed to a later time so perhaps we’ll be able to eat dinner after 5pm for a change! Enjoy your week and may you not encounter mystery pods that spit!
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AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
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