Skip has been in Virgin Gorda for most of the week, assessing things on Saralane and cleaning up the mess the best he can. When he gets home we'll sort through his photos and try to figure out what's next.
A few weeks ago we had a brief conversation with Maurice in the yard who said even though Saralane was on her side and her mast broken, she looked like she might be OK. A few weeks later, our friend Ted, who was still on Tortola, rode out to Virgin Gorda to check on Saralane for us. He looked her over and took some photos which more or less confirmed what Maurice said and left us feeling optimistic. No big gashes anywhere. The rudder and prop both look OK. No holes in the deck.
The stainless rails around the stern are bent and twisted, but the solar panels are still attached. The outboard came off it's wooden rail mount on the port side and in the first photo you see it hanging from it's hoist over the starboard side of the transom. There are some big rigs from neighboring boats lying across us, but they don't seem to have caused much damage.
Here are some of Ted's photos that show a bit more detail than anything we'd seen so far. They don't really need much explanation.
One big concern, after seeing the extreme angle of her position on the ground, was how much water made it's way below through cracks in the companionway closure. Any water than gets into the cockpit normally drains aft, but in this position it'll just keep filling the cockpit until it spills over the companionway lip and down into the boat. Two category 5 hurricanes and several torrential rains since then add up to a lot of water. Not to get too far ahead of photos that show the interior, but that's just what Skip found when he finally got on board. Lots of water filling up cupboards, seat backs and the galley space on the starboard side.
In addition to concerns about Saralane, we have some growing concerns about the yard management and what may or may not be happening there. They've been avoiding communication with boat owners and have not offered any information about conditions there or potential plans for untangling things in the yard. We are anxious for information and willing to help in whatever ways we can but at this point it seems there's not much we can do. Very frustrating.
I'm aware that this post is all about Saralane, but please don't take the narrow focus of my post as disinterest in or lack of consideration for the far greater issues in the islands. I find that if I stray too far from just what's happening with Saralane, there's just way too much to cover and I get lost in it. Saralane is just our little piece of a much bigger story.
I'll leave things here for now, but when I have more photos I'll do another post and I won't let another month go by before I update again. Thanks for all the emails... it really is good to hear from everyone.
6 comments:
Well written and composed, as usual. We are hopeful Saralane will sail again soon enough, put back together and no worse for the wear. So difficult going through this and frustrating not knowing what you can depend on with the boatyard. Thank you also, Maddie for being sensitive to the larger story as well as your own piece, as you so eloquently stated it. We will look forward to the next installment, when you can provide it.
The news is the place for the big picture; we turn to you specifically to find out about you, your story, what happened. No apologies needed. You have continued to be on our mind as we wondered what happened to Saralane and hoped for the best.
So Maddie & Skip, this is so sad. We appreciate you sharing your story, honestly and from the heart and not sugar-coating despite our hopes that Saralane's story had a happier ending.
Given the lack of communication much less cooperation from the yard, what are your plans? Understand if it may take some time to formulate them given the lack of accessible resources there.
One big over-riding, fingers-crossed question....
Do you have insurance?
The other... longer term, is your inclination to see if Saralane can be resurrected? Find another boat? Or try out some other means of adventure for a while.
Our hearts go out to you, wishing you the very best in navigating your way through these tough times. Feel free to reach out any time if you feel like you need someone to listen who gets how truly hard it is to have your dreams shattered. We know you will move past this, and find something positive to take away from it, but that doesn't make now easy.
Hi Madeline
You may not remember us but we met in Antigua back in 2015 in Jolly Harbour. We had chartered a boat with Horizon and the airline had lost our luggage. You graciously offered clothing to my wife and I if we needed some. I immediately recognized your boat as a C&C as we had one of our own back in Vermont. We also met your friends who were cruising in a Cape Dory. Ironically, we are now in the same situation as you. Our Jeanneau is on her side in Nanny Cay, severely damaged without a rig. We have a broken rudder, the keel has been displaced somewhat, interior furnishings are all twisted and we do have a hole on the deck where the pushpit was ripped away. Funnily enough, all the instrument covers remained on in the 150+ kts of wind. Should send a photo to Raymarine! We totally feel for you and can relate to your situation.
We were scheduled to launch and head to Martinique next month but now, we are actually hoping for a write off, as trying to manage repairs will be a nightmare. Luckily, we still have a home and livelihood which can't be said for so many in the BVI at the moment.
Hopefully our paths will cross again under much better circumstances. All the best and we will stay tuned to your blog to see how things go.
Cheers
Paul and Noemie
Thanks Ed & Elizabeth (aka Skylark)... next installment is mentally in the works.
Dana & Wayne (I really want to call you two Dwayna!) - Yes on the insurance, but she's worth more to us sentimentally than she is to the insurance company in dollars. No decision on what we'll be able to do yet; we need more information about the damage and the cost to right her and repair/replace things. We're working on taking a very l-o-n-g view of the situation. Hope houseboat living is treating you well!
Paul & Noemie - Wow, yes of course I remember you two! We joked about how ironic it was that you're in the airline industry and yet your luggage was lost! I had no idea you were checking in on our blog. This is such a nice surprise - I'm glad you made a point of writing. That was Simon and Hilda on Brisa, the Cape Dory, that you met... we'll be missing their company this season since we'll be boatless.
I'm so sorry to hear about your Jeanneau; the damage sounds pretty catastrophic. I hope you get the resolution you want with the insurance company. That's crazy about the instrument covers - maybe they're some kind of good luck charm and you should hang onto them as backups for your next boat.
Nanny Cay seems to be getting on with the cleanup as quickly as they can, which is helpful. Our friends Claudia & Ted are part of the Nanny Cay sort-out-the-mess team. Claudia is the contact person for questions about when and how things are happening, so you're in good hands.
Thanks again for stopping in here to say hello. We'd love to know how you make out with your boat - send us an email at sailingsaralane@gmail.com and keep us posted.
I hope too that our paths cross again... in sturdy boats, sailing in warm water. With luggage.
Thanks for posting, Maddie. It almost hurts to see the photos of your lovely Saralane like that, I can't imagine how difficult it must be for you. But looking at the photos for the second time - it doesn't look like there's any big structural damage. So we have big hopes that it can be repaired and we will meet you and Saralane somewhere in Caribbean in not so far future.
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