Our avid readers are probably wondering what happened to Sunday Island and the Hewson family???? Do not fret, we are alive and well and have slotted back into 9-5 life – sort of!
In April I had a contract with Incat Tasmania to commission their high speed catamarans and captain them for sea trials so I would have been away for at least two months. We also had some repair work to do on Sunday Island so the decision was made for us all to fly home, do some work, put the kids into school for a couple of terms, catch up with family and friends and avoid the hurricane season.
The Incat commissioning went well and after two months I had sent the 76m high speed ferry “El Dorado Express” over the horizon. The kids were fitting in well at school and loving their teachers and new friends.
After the Incat contract I had a few weeks off, and got stuck into house maintenance, so spent the next few weeks throwing paint around the house, fixing floor boards, and general maintenance of our little house by the beach in Cremorne.
At the end of June I was just about to start sanding our celery top kitchen benchtop when I was offered a contract as Chief Officer onboard a Tidewater anchor handler sailing out of Darwin. It has been good to be back in the offshore industry, but the days are long and far away from family. I am really looking forward to getting home to Tasmania tomorrow and seeing my tribe of beautiful people!
Sunday Island lies sung and cosy in the Powerboats yard in Chaguaramas Trinidad having some work done by our new friend Cow from Classic Yacht Services. There have been numerous delays with the work which involves repairing the damage done when a vessel collided with us in Malta last year. The damage has caused some deck leaks that need to be investigated and repaired, and of course the hull needs to be straightened, painted, teak replaced and everything put right again before we sail across the Pacific Ocean. We have experienced some issues with offending yachts insurance company Pantaenius making us pay for the work upfront. We pray Pantaenius honour the claim and pay us back once the work is complete as it will cost a good percentage of our yearly budget to complete repairs.
My highlight of being at sea was being given a book to read “South Sea Vagabonds” by John Wray. This was the book that gave Sunday Island her name and is a fantastic read for cruisers, dreamers and anybody who likes boats! Another highlight is designing a new logo for Sunday Island that will soon be printed on T-shirts, stubby holders and other merchandise! Get your orders in now!
Tomorrow I travel home to Tasmania from this ship. I will have the next five weeks off to enjoy tassie life, work on our hours, build a fence, slip Mum and Harry’s boat and if not too cold, dive with mates and learn to wing foil! In five weeks I will be back onboard the anchor handler in Darwin for another 5 week swing…… Then…… Back to Sunday Island!!! We cant wait!
Lovely newsy email Richard. Jennifer sent me the clipping from the Tassie paper that had you and the Incat featured. Glad the kids are enjoying their school and being land bound at present. Look forward to hearing about your next travels on Sunday Island and hearing the repairs to Sunday were fully paid for by Insurance. Cheers Di Jensen