Work through the winter

While the winds howled and the rains lashed down, winter work on Kealoha 8 remained as relentless as the Turkish winter. Punctuated by balmy sunny days you could not believe that it could also be so cold and hostile. I often wondered how the oranges and lemons managed in climes that were 1 degree centigrade sometimes.

Like the hardy citrus fruits, Thanks to a team of some exceptional local specialists, Kealoha 8 was refitted inside and out during the months of January through March and by April she was smugly gleaming in the yard awaiting transportation to the launch pool.

Friends and pricing benefits

For ourselves, the crew, Turkish refit doubled up as a Cultural lesson and one day, while seeking some obscure small but crucial piece of equipment, we befriended a well dressed local gentleman in a suppliers shop who offered us a lift in his car to another outlet where we could source the piece we were seeking. The gentleman turned out to be the buyer for the Turkish Navy and we gleaned a valuable lesson in how to manage price negotiations with different sources. A very large bladder is a key point as it involves several cups of chai (thimbles full of tea) before you can arrive at a mutually acceptable agreement. Also do not judge books by their covers, craftsmanship is understated generally in Turkey and the shop with the biggest front and most advanced advertising statements does not necessarily tick the boxes. The little shack at the dark corner end of the road probably supplies the gleaming shop that catches the naive crews’ eye!

Launch on time

Kealoha 8 sat snugly surrounded by perhaps 2000 boats. Thanks to our exceptional team the ship and the work aboard was completed in a timely manner though from my inexperienced eye, I could not see how the marina were going to get Kealoha and her mast into the lift pool for the date that was emblazoned on her rudder. But true to their word, the marina played out an extravagant game of shuffling boats (sometimes into the small hours of the morning) and K8 kissed the Mediterranean with precision timing and precision driving by the travel hoist driver.

Sea Trials

Sea Trials ensued – our sails were put on by one of the fantastic teams we have a lot to thank for at 9pm on a Sunday – where else do you enjoy such a dedicated attitude – including a sparkling new stay sail. After a seemingly mammoth amount of paperwork in order to be let out of the marina (one of the few down sides) We slipped the stern lines carrying a posse of 10 stoic work partners out, to put Kealoha 8 through her paces. It really did not take long for every one of them to break into a smile, enjoying over nine knots in a moderate breeze.

We knew then that Kealoha was just itching to get on with the exciting season ahead.