winny’s blog

Yesterday, when I was in the eye clinic, the Watermeid was lifted out of the water. And there she is, on land. Very different then when in the water. I rather see her sailing.

Under the waterline it all looks very good. It is the wooden doghouse that needs work, a lot of work in fact, because there are a lot of seams yielding (is that good English? When there is room between the seams). The varnish must be sanded down completely, the seams filled with Sicaflex and then varnished again. At least 6 times.

It wil all be done when I’m in Antigua again in June and July.

Also in the Times is an online sudoku. Easy you think when you see it for the first time. Is that so? Then you can proceed with the fiendish version.

And in that same newspaper (NRC, a Dutch quality newspaper) was another very interesting article. Look for yourself.

In Mexico men has a habit of protesting nude!
The article didn’t mention anything about women but I wouldn’t be surprised if that will be different.

Thank god this is not happening in Holland. Imagine, all those fat, white bellies and…

Some things never change. I just was reading the weekend paper (a bit late, I know. But hey, I’m reading) and this article came to my attention. Is says that on Queensday the fleemarket was different then expected. Men had predicted that they should sell more then they actually did, women predicted the reverse. As always women are to modest and men….

I am not so sure about that….

The examination was very thorough and the results excelent. That is good news. Bit thin cornea but nothing to worry about. Got drops in my eyes to anaesthetise. The pressure was messured by pulling with a little tool in my eyes. I did not feel anything, really nothing. This drups are the same they use during the laser proces. That is quite reassuring I must say.

Also got drups in my eyes to widen the pupils for a while. That was necessary because he had to look inside my eyeballs to see if they were healthy enough. They were. But my vision was blurred for a couple of hours. With my strongest glasses I can write this now.

But the most interesting outcome is that I need much stonger glasses and thus contacs then I use now. +3 in stead of +1,75. I am going to try that first. If I can have contacts which don’t give me the feeling that I have to look with one eye or the other to see properly, I find that the best solution. Contacts I forget to put out at night because I forget that I’m wearing them, that would be the best for me. I can always laser later, can’t I?

And all of this made possible because of my good neighbourfriend Yvonne, who took me to the clinic and back. She even made me a very good diner which is now in my oven.

While we were sailing the French were voting. Voting in a minor majority (53 against 47) for Sargozy.

At least he is 52. Chirac and Mitterand were 78 and 79 at the end. And although Sargozy is rightwing maybe his age will do some good at least. It’s a shame that the French missed such an opportunity to have some real changes. But this is all you may expect from a country that is this nationalistic I presume.
Here is an article in the Times.

Cleaning the Watermeid was not wasted at all. We had a wonderful trip today. It lasted at least twice as long as I had said it would be but luckily that was no a problem for the crew.
And also we had a very good captain as you can see, captain Boris.

And now the Watermeid is in Barendrecht, 5 hours sailing from the Entrepot Harbour (10 minutes by car). Waiting to be lifted out of the water. It so happens that she will be lifted in the afternoon. I cannot be there then because I’m at that very moment in the clinic where they are looking at my eyes. So I will go there on Tuesday to see that all will be fixed.

And although my cold was getting worse and worse during the day, that is my nose is running away by now, we had a very good day alltogether.

Here is a report about activities this year around Antigua. They say that the chance of hurricanes this year is greater then the past 50 years.

That will be exciting, won’t it?

The other day I was invited to have diner with my dear neighbours Yvonne and Marcel. He just had his new all in one phone from the shop. Also a HTC but the newest. Made a picture of me on their terras which is actually quite a good quality.

Way better than mine of the Watermeid this afternoon.

Tried to turn it but obviously I didn’t succeed. Please turn your head.

Been bussy all day cleaning my boat. After these last months, outside in wintertime, she was awfully dirty. It costs me the whole day only to clean the outside.

I made a picture with my phone when I was finished but it turned out to be a ‘moving’ picture. Bit blurred.
See for yourself. But believe me, she is very clean again.

Had to do it because tomorrow we are going to sail to Barendrecht, to the marina where she is lifted out of the water. The hull is being cleaned and they are trying to fix the leakages. That would be very nice because now the inside is wet if it rains. Very annoying.