Haul Out...Move In

So we are currently in Raiatea staying at a beautiful hotel called Le Taha'a. No, we didn't just see the hotel and leave Zen sitting at anchor. Zen is now sitting on the hard getting painted and worked on while we enjoy air conditioning, TV, and comfy beds in our 3 room beach bungalow. Not bad right? First, I'll tell you about the haul out. So we arrived in Raiatea after a 12 hour sail from Moorea, and anchored right next to a small 'motu' in about 6 feet of water. It was beautiful and we could see straight down to the bottom as if the water was 2 feet deep. Due to an emergency haul out (another boat lost a rudder and had to be hauled out before us since they couldn't steer), we stayed at anchor for an extra day or so, enjoying our peaceful anchorage. When we finally got called on the radio by the marina, we set up lines, and prepared ourselves for something we have never done...this is not your regular haul out. Step 1: We drove Zen up to a ramp where divers tied lines from Zen, onto a platform below us to make sure that the boat wouldn't move. Step 2: After we were secured tightly, the platform moved up a few inches, on what looks like a big, fat railroad, so that our mini keels were resting on the platform. Step 3: Some final checks and tightens were done, to make sure that we wouldn't move. Step 4: The Big Move...the platform then moved up a steep, concrete ramp, so that Zen was completely out of the water. There was only one little thing that freaked me out a tiny bit: we did a 'test run', and tried to pull the boat out of the water twice. The first time that we tried, Zen did a wheelie, and our bows, from the keels up, were completely out of the water, making the sterns dip really far down...it was quite interesting. Anyways, we are definitely enjoying life at Le Taha'a. We have our own bungalow on the beach, and look out over a beautiful, blue lagoon. Well, I everyone has decided that we are going to have a table tennis contest...I better go practice, I'm sure going to need it! 

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Camo