Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Captain's blog August 2010

So August has gone by and we have seen more rain that we would ever prefer. It has been raining hard, poured down with water, torrential rains, drizzled, rained moderately, rained vertically, horizontally and intermittently. Any description of rain that you may have, we have seen.

Sunset over Mumbai

Pouring rain at Cuffe Parade

The rain has not done any good to Kalizma, the decks are turning green from mold and when we don't have rains we wash the decks in order to remove the mold. Another scourge we have is wood rot from the rain, I have now had Carpenters onboard changing rotten wood on railings and other places where it is necessary.

Architecture on P. D'Mello road


Perhaps Poseidon?

For a week we had really good weather, the sea was calm as mirror and we got only a few showers now and then. Little did we know it was the prelude to a 3 day water fest that led into the Pakistani floods and in Mumbai it amounted to 550mm (in Finland it rains abt 600mm/ year). The dams are overflowing and farmers are happy. At same time on the eastern side of the country in Bihar they are suffering from drought. What can I say? India is really big.

m/y Linse at Reti Bunder

Rajaram's & Sunil's birthday party

Our tenders have each done abt 600nm in tendering since we arrived at our current anchorage, so they are also starting to show signs of fatigue and requires service. Contractors are crawling all over the ship now as we're gearing up for the upcoming highseason. Repairing lacquer works and renewing carpets inside, engine and A/C maintenance, valve overhauls and exterior carpentry, on bridge radio and safety maintenance.

Licorice from UK that kept my tummy working just fine...

Richard has returned from his annual vacation and is resuming his duties as Chef and also Chief Steward. Rajaram is back too. Sunil went to UK for his Y3 orals and onwards to France to learn how to maintain a cigarette boat. He was so kind as to bring me a box of licorice to satisfy my craving. Finally, Kalpana is studying for her Hotel Management course with big backup in the evenings from the crew helping her out in her projects. On the 14th we celebrated the combined birthday for Rajaram & Sunil.

Fishing boat being refitted at Mandwa

In addition all the other boats are eating up our time and we're busy running after quotes all over town and planning overhauls. M/y Linse is getting a total recall with engine overhaul, hull paint work and interior refit. About time for the 30yr old Italian lady. Other boats we're sanding and doing up for the season, new A/F on all hulls. Some glassfibre works and engine overhauls. It would be easy unless the Indian contractors would not always promise more than they can chew. It is constantly coming up, promises are broken, specs are altered, phones are not picked up - very frustrating. Anyway, despite it all we plod on, day by day.

Oil pollution from MSC Chitra

It also did us no good to witness the pollution resulting from the collision of Khalijia III and MSC Chitra. Our waterline was black from heavy fuel oil and our tenders too. Even weeks afterwards we can still see a container stranded in the Belapur mangroves and also at times cookies floating by in the sea from their cargo.

Women dancing at the beach

Men wrestling

Went to Mandwa with Avnish to check out some future potential yacht storage places, very promising ventures in the air but this will be actual only next year after the season. Same time I had the pleasure of witnessing the fishermen opening the fishing season. Women were dancing on the beach while men were wrestling (Naryal Purnima).

Joel Alvarez & daughter

On the 28th I was invitd by Avnish to come to Jazz by the Bay and listen to some live music and for his farewell party as he was leaving for Indian Empress. The music was fantastic and the singer looked like our Boss as well as his daughter had an amazing singing voice.


Well, busy as a bee and the show goes on, need to get cracking so the boats will get ready for the high season...










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