ENVOY'S FIRE DAMAGE REPAIRS NEARLY COMPLETE

Envoy is in Lefkas Marina undergoing repairs for cosmetic damage caused by fire on an adjacent boat while we're staying in an apartment near the marina.

Last Saturday was four weeks since YachtPaint started the repair work. They said it was a four week job and we were skeptical, but most is completed. The painting and anti fouling is complete, the mast is back up and the only remaining things are the pilot house special curved window (due next week), the VHF antenna (due any day), the hull's name transfers (due any day), replacement navigation light (due tomorrow) plus a couple of minor things. The job is excellent and Envoy gleams.

Tomorrow the technicians from Internaftiki, Athens arrive to do a routine periodic service of the Naiad stabilisers, involving removing the fins and replacing the through-hull seals. This is a four to five day job and during this time we expect Sailand to complete most of their outstanding work. So we're looking at putting Envoy back in the water next week, then sea-trialing, then cruising by first week July.

This has been a long and at times frustrating process, but we can now see light at the end of the tunnel.

ENVOY'S FIRE DAMAGE REPAIRS PROGRESSING IN EARNEST

Envoy is in Lefkas Marina undergoing repairs for cosmetic damage caused by fire on an adjacent boat. We spent last week in Corfu with our friend Chris but are now back in Lefkas staying in an apartment near the marina.

It's now three weeks since YachtPaint started Envoy's repairs. Progress has been slightly slower than we expected but they are still saying it will take four weeks, meaning completion in one week. However looking at Envoy on Saturday we can't envisage this and expect a further week or so and then one to two weeks to complete various other jobs that can't be done while YachtPaint are working. This includes a routine 5-yearly service of the Naiad stabilisers involving changing over the fins' through hull seals scheduled to take about 4-5 days but if time becomes a problem we can post-phone this to next season.

YachtPaint's first task was lifting off Envoy's aluminium mast to ground level. It's been sanded back and primed for repainting with two-pot epoxy, including sandblasting of a few areas where oxidation of the aluminium occurred under the old paint causing blisters.

When the mast is re-stepped in the coming week all of the lines are being replaced although the stainless steel stays are OK.

Envoy's mast at ground level

The insurance is paying for repainting the hull's port side and polishing the port side. After discussions with YachtPaint we decided to pay some extra and have both sides repainted using Awlgrip. These areas have been repainted and now just need some paint runs removed and touching up.

Yachtpaint are due to work on the hull below waterline in the coming week as well as re-varnishing some teak coamings, and polishing those areas that aren't being repainted.

The flat windows and portholes have been repaired and will be refitted in a few days. The curved window has been an issue though. It's 10mm thick and curved in two planes. We finally found a Greek company that can build a mould to make this and got insurer's approval to proceed last Wednesday with delivery two weeks from then.

The next two to three weeks should see most jobs finally come to fruition and we're still on track to start cruising about 4 July.

We haven't posted any pictures for a while so here goes.

Outside and inside views of the atmospheric three-story house in the hills built in 1888, where we spent our first month

Amy was able to join us for a week in Lefkada and here we're enjoying lunch at Sivota

With Amy we did a three day road trip to Meteora where there's several monasteries over a thousand years old built on the top of inaccessible hills.

Look at the "cable car" used to access the monastery

This would have been quite a climb in the old days

But then you can partake from this 12,000 litre barrel of wine

Amy at Meteora