Malua - an Adams cruising yacht
Malua - an Adams cruising yacht
The final touches to the interior, the battery, fiddles and headlining have been completed, now all that was required is to stow some equipment and remove the halyards, sheets and lines from the vessel. I understand the outside of Malua will be covered in oil and grime after the ocean transportation especially with the passage through the Panama Canal. The halyards were removed and in their place I ran a light line so they could be pulled back into their original locations. It is amazing the length of line one has on a yacht when you stack then on the deck. Most of these lines have not been removed before and now require a good wash which I will do before re-running them when Malua reaches Palma.
I changed the oil and filter on the engine, filled the diesel tank and pumped the bilges completely dry. The hatches and cockpit lockers were taped closed and the RIB and outboard stowed.
To load Malua on to the ship I will have to remove the back stays and place temporary lines to hold the mast up during the crane lift. This is always a tricky business because Malua has two heavy roller furlers forward of the mast. The side stays are abeam of the mast and any movement will push the mast forward. This happened to me on Alibi when I was on the hardstand. The crane touched the mast which fell forward, crashing over the side and bent the stantions. Thankfully on that occasion nothing major broke and the mast was not damaged but I would not like that to happen to Malua’s taller mast.
Denny arrived from Canberra to assist with the final preparations and the loading. We had anchored next to the Sydney Fish Market which provided us with the wonderful Australian ocean produce. I wonder if we will again see the quality and range of fish and shell fish available any where else in the world. We feasted on fish (red snapper), oysters and prawns over three days as we prepared the boat.
Last minute purchase where made: Tilley hat for Denny, scanpans, digital camera, Asian sources and additional clothes suitable for the marinas of the Med.
We shipped Malua on the deck of a cargo vessel.
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