Full stress

The last few days have left their mark. My body odors can probably only be tolerated by people who have been used to them for over twenty years, i.e. one person. Although she also has a problem with her circulation and only drinks tea. That's saying something for Gaby when she only drinks tea. In lighter moments, I ask myself whether it could be me. We got a lot done this week. A lot by our standards, in fact. The old Katinka has come more than five centimetres out of the water as a result of the move. Despite the larger boat, we suddenly realize that we had a lot more storage space on our old boat. Early in the morning, we are already dripping with sweat as we try to get our belongings onto the new boat. We drag crate after crate from one side of the jetty to the other. Luckily, we were able to fold both boats together. This saves us having to walk over the hot planks of the jetty in the afternoon. It's better not to step on the aluminum edges of the jetty at all. They are so hot that you could fry fried eggs on them.

Katinka Enjoy Cockpit, Tahiti

We pile everything up first and put everything away later. However, that doesn't really work because we need to be able to walk somehow. So we set aside a day to stow a few things in the lockers. The whole moving process is interrupted by various alarms that we can't immediately identify on the new boat. The first to go off was the gas alarm. It could not be switched off, even after we had pressed every button that was available. The shrill sound was a pain in the neck while I was looking for the operating instructions. As suddenly as the alarm had come, it was gone again. Ok, we say to ourselves, on with the text. By the time the alarm starts again two days later at the latest, I'm annoyed that I didn't read the operating instructions. A classic case of RTFM. By the time I found the spot, the alarm had already stopped. But now I know that I have to hold the button down for at least two seconds to stop the alarm. So that the whole thing doesn't become too easy, another alarm sounds the next day. Even shriller, even louder. I've just come back from the Katinka fully loaded, leave everything behind and wonder what's going on again. The beep is coming from the saloon air conditioning unit. But the air conditioning isn't even switched on. So I crawl around on all fours and try to locate the noise. It's a test signal for the man-overboard barque, which is connected to the Katinka Enjoy's internal network and can be switched off using a button on the control panel. We haven't had this luxury before, which initially irritates us a little, but it's good to know that it's there. 

Katinka Enjoy sitting area, Tahiti

The next day starts with rain. It's really pouring down and the sky is overcast. The power supply has dropped to 74%, the best opportunity to try out the generator. We start the generator, which works straight away, and it chugs away. Just the right time to test the washing machine. So once again we get to grips with RTFM and start the appliance. Less than half an hour later, it beeps again from another corner. The generator's battery indicator on the control terminal is flashing excitedly. I'm a little surprised, as I assumed that the batteries would be charged automatically when the generator was used. This is not the case, as I find a switch on the panel that activates battery charging. After pressing it, the batteries are fine again and the alarm stops. We also have an alarm system on board that works both visually and acoustically. However, after all the alarms that we have unknowingly triggered so far, I don't dare activate the alarm system at the moment. Who knows how loud it is and whether I'll be able to deactivate it again. I think I'll save that until I get back from New Zealand.

Katinka Enjoy Pantry, Tahiti

This week we also had a visitor. Christer the “Old Swede” is back, which we are very happy about. And then there's the crew of the Fulmo. We got to know them in Santa Marta, Colombia. The Fulmo then decided to go to Mexico, so we crossed the Pacific at a different time. Ultimately, we would have met earlier in Tahiti, as the Fulmo has been in Tahiti for a while, but the two of them bought a new boat in Mexico and crossed the Pacific a second time. It's like the motto: you can't treat yourself to anything else. Anyway, this week they resurfaced and are continuing as Sea Bass. However, they now have the same problem as us in that they now have two boats.

Katinka Enjoy Owner Hull, Tahiti

Speaking of New Zealand. The hull cleaners were also there this week. To be able to enter New Zealand with the boat without any problems, the hull has to be clean. We have Coopercoat on the Katinka, which is very easy to clean. Nevertheless, this must of course be done and the cleaning must not have been done more than ten days before departure. While one of them is working on the hull with a diving mask and snorkel, the other is cleaning the propellers and keel with a scuba tank. I then documented the whole thing in a hull cleaning certificate and had it signed. If I'm prepared like this, there shouldn't be any problems when I enter New Zealand. We'll see. Now it's time to move the last few things and then it's time to prepare the old Katinka for her trip to New Zealand. Until then, fair winds and keep a stiff upper lip.