Decked-Out, Re-Fit, and there's no Place Like Home

It has been a  whirlwind of activity, so please accept my apology for the long delay in posting a new chapter. While Slow Dance is undergoing a complete Re-Fit here in Phuket, Ron and I traveled back to Los Angeles where we spent three fun and active months taking care of business and visiting with family and friends. There was a trip to Catalina Island, with old friends and some new friends, (Thank you Deanne) luscious dinner parties, and extravagant backyard BBQ's.  The months simply flew by, ending with an awesome evening at the Hollywood Bowl to see Pink Martina. (Thank you Martha)

Deanne on Jeff's boat in Catalina. Two cases of Champagne, 3 bottles of Tequila, and 6 bottles of wine! That was some party; it lasted 5 days!

Gary and Deanne, lunch at Is muss. Hope to see you both in Thailand for a great sailing adventure!

Amazing Thai dinner at Valmonte Sur with the kids. Thank you Lowell and Natalie for being my Sous Chef's! It was so great to spend time. Todd joined us later that evening. We kept his plate warm and the pool cool!

Relaxing with Jeff on his boat in Catalina. Thank you Jeff for all your amazing hospitality.

Beach on Catalina. It was warm, beautiful weather but the water was very cold. 

View of Catalina from Jeff's boat.

Cookie at the helm.

Susan, Teigh, Bill, Terry, and me. Dinner at the Sunset, Westward Beach, Malibu. It was cold for May.

Little Isabelle;  Laura and Bobby's youngest cutie Pie. 

Natalie and Isabelle.

Arlen prepares the BBQ for a delicious feast at his kingdom, in the Hills of Beverly!

BBQ in the Hollywood Hills. Max, Sandy, and friend.

Max, Ron, and Miss V.

Cheap Russian Vodka. After watching the news concerning Gay Rights, I should have been pouring it out? Amazing as it may seem, Smirnoff Vodka which is one step above rubbing alcohol, is the most expensive Vodka throughout all our travels! Coming in at $100.00 US Dollars in Fiji and a bit less at $80.00, here in Asia. We bought Absolute duty free at the airports, to stock up.

Palm Springs Windmills.

BBQ at Valmonte Sur. Ron, Max, Me, Deanne, Julie, and Max's friend, who's name I forgot!

Max at work in the kitchen making the most awesome Mexican dips; all from scratch. he even roasted his own chillies.

Poolside. Max, Julie, Ron, Cindy, and Deanne.

Max channeling Marge Simpson!

Max with the girls. Nice Wig!

Elaine with friend, Gary.

The feast served poolside. Roasted corn and black bean salad, fresh grilled vegetables, Lime and chili chicken, Chateaubriand, Pasta salad, red potato salad, assorted fresh berries, dips by Max, and an awesome Birthday cake. Happy Birthday Michele.

The awesome Cake

A very small basket of fresh blueberries in Thailand is $5.00! Love you America!

Fruit Kabobs

Wendy, Ron, Michele, Phyllis, and Ave

Ron and Gary. Brothers from a different Mother!

Ron with Wendy and Michele, the Birthday girl.

The girls with Maria

Cookie goes Thai. Green papaya salad, Pad Thai with shrimp and chicken, red beef Thai curry, and Jasmine rice

Different version of green papaya salad

Lunch at the Regents

Thailand is an exotic destination that truly radiates a hospitality like no other. So glad we are doing the re-fit here as opposed to New Zealand; the weather is good, the quality of workmanship is outstanding, and the price is right! Our project manager is Duncan McGregor from Eclipse Marine. Duncan is English and has been living in Thailand for 5 years. Duncan really knows his boats, and after so much incompetent workmanship in Fiji we are elated, as Slow Dance is restored to her former glory! The new teak deck has been laid. Once the filler dries she will be sanded down and sealed. All the dead ply underneath has been replaced and the metal primed prior to laying the new plywood and teak. The Detroit Diesel engine (671) has been rebuilt and purring like a kitten. The 271 generator has also been rebuilt. The refrigeration continued to be a challenge but Kuay from Chill, has changed the system to air cooled from sea water cooling. We hit the ground running after arriving in Phuket and in two days managed to deliver Slow Dance to the ship yard, find a nice condo to live in while the boat is on "The Hard", and learn how to get around in Phuket.(Not an easy thing to do) Duncan said it took him 3 years to learn his way around this crazy town, so I do not feel so bad. Driving here is nerve racking to say the least, as motorbikes whiz by from every direction, including straight for you on the wrong side of the road. There are no rules and no cops. Anything goes! It's actually become rather fun! We learned the route to all the necessary locations and are now getting around Phuket, like pros. We pretty much go to the ship yard every morning. Ron say's all boats are sinking but in the case of Slow Dance that turned out to be 100% true. The ole girl would not have made it on another sea voyage without going down, as she had some really serious holes in her hull. The good news is that she did make it and she will be stronger then ever!

New deck

Prep the mast area for ply and teak

The 271 generator gets an overhaul

Finally! A swim latter that goes down deep enough for an easy climb back on the boat after a swim. The steps will have teak and there will be protector padding so the dinghy doesn't rub on any metal. Yeah!!!

Up, Up, and away!

Currently, all the bubbles are being ground out and the boat prepared for painting. The Bilges are all being inspected, acid to remove any rust-reinforced, primed and painted. All varnishing on out side and inside has begun and interior painting. The new sofa, carpet, and scatter pillows have been selected and are being made. It's really fun working with Jan, our interior design gal.We have new sails, new Bimini, new shade cover and new outside cushion have been made. All the cabins will be revamped with new color, lighting, and paintings. I can't list all the work in progress. Oh yes, the hull was gone over with ultra sound to locate all weak spots. After all the work is completed on the hull it will be primed and painted with black Anti-fouling. I will continue to post photo's of the transformation of Slow Dance.

As things settle down we plan on exploring Thailand....so keep posted for more jungle, elephants, amazing food, and lovely beaches.