Year 3 -22 March 2026 - Stormbird -Another busy day in Kochi - India
I woke reasonably early and decided to clean the upholstery cushions in the cockpit whilst it was still relatively cool. These had been getting greyer and so with a bit of Cif and bleach I scrubbed them all and left them whilst I had pineapple and yoghurt for breakfast. I then rinsed them off and left them on the pontoon in the sun to dry as if I brought them on deck there was a risk that the shit machines above would target them. A sort of poem came to my head-Watch out for the Brahminy Kite because I can tell you they are full of shite!! Hardly poet Lauriet!
I checked the water and the starboard tank was low. I calculated that with 5 of us on board we should use it by the time we leave. I therefore filled it.
Armed with the new pledge I polished and hoovered the forward cabins and put the sheets on the double cabin. Therefore all 3 forward cabins are ready and ship shape (in a neat and orderly manner) as it were.
I then set about mopping the floor with some floor cleaner I had bought. It had an antiseptic smell and so Stormbird smelt like an old hospital for a bit. However, once the mats were back it was all nice and clean and the smell faded.
I looked at the cockpit cushions and as they had dried flat so had some residual dirt leaving marks -Ahhh. I therefore rinsed them again and stood them up this time.
I set about cleaning the cockpit. We spend so much time here it is surprising how dirty it gets and I always say you could eat for a week on what is under the cockpit floor. I could now clean and polish the surfaces and the protective matting was old and tea and coffee stained so I got out some new stuff and replaced them. The binnacle gets dirty as well but within an hour or 2 it looked rather good and I thoroughly cleaned out the floor. I listened to the Christians and David Bowie’s greatest hits and didn’t he produce some great songs. The last piece in the cockpit were the cushions with new towels on them. There were still a few marks but for another time. I did not want to clean them for the third time today.
By this time it was lunch so an avocado and tomato sandwich went down well and I had moved on to Operas Greatest Hits- some of those songs are so beautiful and had me singing along like Pavarotti! It is a good job I am the only boat in the marina. I set about thoroughly cleaning the remainder of the galley and threw out quite a few small knives that you are given when you buy chorizo which just clutter up the drawers and you are never going to use them. This cleared some space.
It was then on to the navigation station which is used as a bit of a dumping ground -really it is my office. It was soon neat and tidy and I did some admin on the way.
I then polished and cleaned my bedroom so the whole boat was now clean and tidy inside. I then thought I would stack away as much of the water I could to replace the emergency stocks I had been using and to clear some more space. This went quite well and I managed to get about 72 bottles stashed away. If we need them we know where they are, if not we have plenty spare.
By this time it was nearly 5.00pm and I felt very hot so I went off for a swim and a soak. This was very pleasant and when I returned I showered and felt clean. Luckily there was some breeze for a change and so I sat on the new padded seats and watched the world going by and having to waive and be polite to the tourists’ boat which pass every 10-15 minutes or so. “Hello Sir” they shout.
I had been chatting with my brother J who arrives shortly, who suggested sending up his son Jamie up the mast to fix the Windex. I was not sure whether I had a spare. The Windex is normally fixed on a bracket at the top and in examining the damagede Windex it is broken in 2 places so cannot be repaired. I therefore went to check the locker where there may be a spare and sadly I could not find one. I am going shopping tomorrow and I wondered whether I may find one here. I can try but I doubt it.
I had a light supper of sweetcorn and fruit and then watched a Clarkson thriller where he tries to find the most fun car to drive. He is one of the very best car presenters and often with quite a naughty sense of humour. It is a shame Top Gear has ended- another bit of wokism that lessens our lives.
I have one more day left and have decided to keep a few jobs back for the motley crew about to arrive. I suddenly thought – did Jules leave a mosquito net? I looked through her stuff and yes I found it. I rigged it up over my bed and hoped that I would have the first mosquito free night since I arrived. Why had I not thought about it before?
Good Night and b off mosquitos.
The picture of today is Stormbird viewed from the little golf course (it should not be called that) framed by Palm trees and Frangipani trees-quite a pretty shot.
Need/Opportunity Year Three
In year three I will be going from Thailand to Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and then on to Mauritius, Reunion, Cape Town, St Helena, Azores and back to the UK.
I am looking for one crew from Mauritius/ Reunion Island to Cape Town (mid June to end of July). If of any interest do email me.
The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com