CAN we ESCAPE Napoleon and head east to Cote d’Azure?

We want to ESCAPE! The winds calm, bring rain and STOP works. We can’t get away for provisioning to sail east until parts and new Iphone arrive. Boater friends cast off increasing our frustration. Yacht repairs, winch service, forestay extraction, solar panel planning and sailing along a canal.
S2 Ep6: The Long Way EAST is halted again which extends our stay to five weeks in port AND we are STILL waiting for parts and a replacement phone. Thank goodness we have a long stay visa for France! Watch this video to see how we got the 6 month visa: https://youtu.be/0CPNj-9gUb4?si=8agFVBk4VrNxgW5U

Acknowledgments and links:
All the people in Port-Saint-Louis who helped us – you know who you are
Mistral Apartments: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g3135579-d25220853-Reviews-Mistral_Appartements-Port_Saint_Louis_du_Rhone_Bouches_du_Rhone_Provence_Alpes_Cote_.html
All the Port Napoleon team in the office and waterside: https://www.port-adhoc.com/en/our-marinas/port-napoleon/
Paulo and his team at Store Marine Service for sail cleaning, dodger repair, parts and tools: https://www.store-marine-service.fr/
Regis and his team at Global Nautic for stainless steel and sewing repairs: https://www.globalnautic.com/en/
Metal Marine for straightening the dodger frame
Stuart and Marina: www.youtube.com/@SailingSeabird
MrAlex Tech: www.youtube.com/@MrAlexTech

I said to him I’m just not sure about the the pink six and a bit knots there they’re going to blow off darling perf Explorer stiff winch that’s not good Can I you wear your fit box outside we have a we a stanion we’re waiting for we have end stops we’re adopting for to Do Sheena is cleaning the sheets for the head they’re a bit stiff so uh give them a bit of a washing some fresh water and see how that uh see how that is may need to give them a full wash may need to give them a full wash what do you think oh We those ratchets go in and out stop it going backwards and there’s so much conal grease on here that’s what’s making it stiff so Jonathan’s installing our first 2 m um stainless steel pole that is hopefully going to eventually um have solar panel on the

Side but as I said to him I’m just not sure about the the pink not sure about the pink how’s it going okay yeah yeah is it working I think so good I think so what you looking at I am looking at the book

To see what we need to buy if we need to buy anything we’re buying more things always oh my goodness me I know the first solar panel mounting bar in there you go goes along there and now it’s raining and I was going to be doing uh the starboard Stanson but unfortunately the uh the screw holes are damp and I’ll need to epoxy the screw holes because because they uh they’re just stripped and um so I can’t put the standing back in which means I can’t put the the starboard solar panel mounting bar in so what am I going to

Do um you’re going to put the build bracket back on build pump handle anyway nice lunch thank you you’re welcome I’ll get to that in a minute that’s where the rocket would go and you can see the holes from the last time now that’s the build pump

Handle operate P it was originally put in with these brackets so that’s pretty loose on so I’ve got This that would hold it better but it’s two different colors that’s not very good is it the other thing is it’s very thin there so there’s not a lot of fiberglass to screw into it’s quite as thin skin what are you doing making it back in Right so I’d like you to explain what you have cooked for our Saturday evening meal okay very a little okay because you got to the point where you wanted to go shopping but it was raining and you didn’t want to cycle in the rain so so we have

Potatoes um SLI um thinly sliced um with garlic and onion and a banet sauce right cooked in the oven a bit like dering War okay potatoes is this was the sausage which was with peppers green red and yellow peppers so that’s chipata isn’t it chipil Lata mushrooms and a

Pepper sauce that I had that I just mixed in the pan and put in the oven okay and then we’ve got corett uh green beans and leaks um sweated with white wine and some honey very nice delicious thank you you are welcome what’s that bit there was a spare leak

There was a leak a spare leak okay call the engineer a little bit of paham left over so U I quickly sort of wrapped the leak in paraham and just threw it in the oven but the oven I mean it everything’s been in the oven like an hour and a half and

It’s cuz it’s slow very slow right okay by five flying fox Fair Winds There She Goes a 25 class collor which you’re saying doesn’t fit even on here this color doesn’t fit oh and yet that one that you’ve got on does yeah what are you going to do then going to try another one even small boats like ours would be able to come through this

Massive lifting Bridge we have the enormous Bridge starting to go down it’s good to see we have sunshine today so it’s uh 1:00 and this is me just doing the the shopping can’t carry an awful lot obviously but I do manage to have um 6 lers of wine oh and there’s

Some beer and some olives and some paper towels oh Good great sunny day hoping that the holes in there for the stanion gate will dry out a bit more very happy with the result of that now this one I’ve got to remove to get um to get underneath this connection here throughs the bulkhead below has um has started to

Leak like the current position of the screw so I know approximately where I’m going to take it back to when I tension up after the the work done to seal the Deck what I need to do now is to undo the bolt stone below which are these bolts here and then uh then we can do some some ceiling so to get to the next set of tools got a bit of maneuvering to Do it’s a great tool store is that let’s get the right socket shall we the socket isn’t going to get in there because of of these screws annoyingly I’m going to have to take those screws out first go back together definitely be without be able to lift that up that’s going to

Take some doing I think it’s not going to come out easy is that the hammer to Use good old poder Wet very wet that needs cleaning up this needs cleaning up and then we’ll have to reat It yeah so these sit on there like that not going to take those out of there cuz they’re pretty pretty well set in we don’t need to come out so the important thing is to get a seal around here so when this goes back in that way around

Will’ll stop the water coming through now let it dry out for a while before I reassemble so we come for a little bike ride we’ve found some flamingos look at them great Stu the way they’re doing the legs really is quite Wilderness isn’t it oh there’s some fish jumping I don’t know

If I got it oh I don’t think that was in my frame either so I really should have done a before and after but I didn’t I have um cleaned it and I brightened it with special te stuff and once it’s dry I will oil it

Tada come to a bit of a a standstill really because the AFT gate stanion um there’s three holes in the deck only two of those holes are actually usable so there’s a hole to fill in but it’s damp uh underneath the gel coat and the fiberglass the core is

Damp so that’s drying out the four stay um ubolt coming through the deck again the core is damp so I can’t do that I can’t go on with doing the tensioning and uh pinning of the bottle screws until I’ve got the force day done so that’s basically three jobs that are

Currently waiting for the good weather to hold what else can I do Sheen’s gone shopping there’s loads to do but I don’t want to start anything until I’ve got these jobs done how frustrating let’s just check the list in terms of what we had to do get

The boat off the boat off the hard and into the water and then get it ready for sailing again that became a little bit busy so on the back we replaced that lot with all these other things then there was Essentials to do which is that so that was the port winch

Dismantle that’s been done the head s sheets to wash sheena’s done that we haven’t checked the life jackets yet actually but Sheen and I were going to do that together because she wants to know how to be able to um take the life jacket apart inspect it um to check the

Um the Auto Spring and the salt tablet in there and he’ll check the canisters so can’t do that at the moment build handle brackets put those back on that’s been done uh track end stops to repl they’re on order and haven’t arrived at the Chandlers yet cover the mount plate

The mounting plate ah well that’s done that’s the uh the mounting plate is there that’s going to be a mount for the iPad oh solar panel mount bar yeah I’ve got the solar panel mounting bars the port side is fitted and uh I can’t install the starboard side until the a

Gate stanion has been put in which can’t be put in until the core Dres out and the epoxy set furlex number of turns easy to do that’s been done connect the st6000 in the cockpit yes that’s done now so that’s all all good gas bottle she has exchanged that the other thing

That I’ve been doing is thinking about the solar panels and working out what’s going to happen with that and approximately how it’s going to fit starboard heads was squeaking yeah it was um I could have just changed the Joker valve and the bottom flap valve um

But it would have just come back the squeaking would have just come back so yeah bit the bullet and bought a a brand new set fitted that and it is sweet Port after cleat ah well I would be able to do that if the port AF cleat wasn’t

Already in use because was Stern to on a port side pontoon finger wiper blade motor failed yeah it did but it was a loose connection that sorted out so it’s really frustrating at the moment because we’re that far away from being ready to head off on the journey heading east but

For these little jobs that are dependent on Sunshine and I can see clouds coming over which is a Really Looks good Daring more gel coat repairs hello hello yes more gel Co repairs always always we got uh this is a cockpit this is the stunion Mount this has been a problem for a while which is the half stage decate fitting time to make a Mix I run out of time with the mix and it hardened off so I haven’t done that one I haven’t done those four either make another mix now oh Sheena has been polishing and the Taps are gleaming been polishing the cavis and bottle screw what’s happening pal I’m watching

This big 25 getting ready to go ah going do lunch in a moment as well we been have something to eat what time is it I’ve got no idea what time half one I think halfast One swallowers have been playing around haven’t they oh’ been amazing flying flying between the boats and in between the rigging and just uh what acrobats they’re quite tame though aren’t they they do seem quite T quite close yeah I’ve not done any videoing of you doing job today yes well we’re doing

Rubbing down again that’s what we’re doing well we’re not well you’ve made lunch thank you yeah your gel coat is looking good though well it’s yeah I’ve moved on to the to the uh half stay now just about to use the 1500 on it well

Yeah cuz that needs to get uh to then I got then I can reattach it cool so we’ve um with your help uh reentered the holes to fit the mounting plate and then I’ll need to uh put the deck SE in mhm um and avoid getting that all

Over the deck yes that’ll be Good so you reattaching the for day now y oh beautifully polished can I say it’s actually changed anyway cuz i’ I’ve reset the distances set up with a um my just a wrench one of them okay Bye ready to go well we’ got uh death sander working we got the bikes in the four cabin I checked the fuel yesterday done all the lines or we can just let go and drift away cuz it’s no wind okay okay can you believe it that’s and it stopped flashing now fingers

Crossed isn’t that weird right we’re going so after 5 weeks of being in France we are leaving you got a new hat new hat a new tit for yeah blue on to the boats so um flew across the marina and uh nobody claimed it goodbye Port

Napoleon we might be back we are waiting for two Parcels that haven’t arrived yet just settle back and enjoy a short trip across the uh the gulf defos goodbye Port Napoleon although we’ve had quite a few um days it’s um it’s been worth it it’s been worth it to spend the time doing

All the things we needed to do with with um repairs maintenance upgrades really having a bit of downtime as well met some wonderful people at those Mucky fenders that’s from the mistol got the aluminium off yeah I think that’s going to be quite a task is that boat abandoned or has it got

Somebody on it cuz the head sail looks like it’s been Shredded Bit of a nice anchor an anchoring but it was a a problem the Gypsy clutch slipped and all the chain went through I didn’t know that was happening Sheena couldn’t tell what was happening and um we got to the road uh which is the last bit of of

Chain then it’s attached to a a rope which is attached inside the chain Locker so that you don’t lose it and all of that paid out anyway we put it back here we are at our first Anchorage for a very very very long time you all right love yeah

Good so you climbed like a mountain boat to get the mountain boat you cled like a mountain goat yes to get to the windless did uh control then you had a bit of a scare because all of the anchor and the road paid out yeah just did so it was 40 m way

Down anyway back under control so we’re entering Canal St Louis and we got got the got the canvas up a 12 knot Breeze we’re actually going a little bit faster with uh under sale than we were by motor by engine and saving diesel at the same time so lovely when people

Way the closest we’ve sailed to the shore like this before was when we went to um on the east coast of England and we saw S Ogden that’s right which is umra yeah that’s right alra alra that’s it yes by alra Beach they got their vs The Changing Amazing so boats though isn’t there oh there thousands you know here Inc to six uh six and a bit knots There Precious