Contre Temps: we were the first!

“Ok, we had to stop messing about, it’s all very well leading an easy life, to the rhythms of the pahu (Marquesan drums), but now we had to take care of Contre Temps: there had been mayonnaise in the port engine saildrive for over a year, the antifouling dated from 2013, and needed renewing. We therefore waited until this excellent boatyard (the only one between Central America and the Tuamotus!) opened its doors. Sika (our dog) got her sea legs back, the captain got back into the rhythm of watchkeeping, to get to Hiva Oa from Nuku Hiva – around 80 miles direct, on one tack. We called Vincent and agreed on the next day at high tide. Contre Temps would be the first catamaran to be taken out of the water at Atuona’s yard. The first impressions of the trailer worried the captain and the ship’s boy: could a catamaran be lifted ‘from below’ without risk? Because Vincent’s idea was just that: no straps, no crane, but a ‘Parklev’-type trailer capable of supporting 25 tonnes and handling boats up to 18 meters, with a multitude of hydraulic rams, all controlled from the tractor, and foam supports which adapt to the shape of the hull and its dimensions! The captain of Coccinelle, who had had his boat taken out of the water the previous day, was there to give us more information; what’s more he contacted Didier, THE specialist in catamaran transport, at Infinitrans in La Rochelle, who approved the option: “it’s the best way to transport a catamaran.” Was this a coincidence? It was the same company which had transported Contre Temps for its launch in La Rochelle in 2012! We went to bed reassured: it was going to work! We ‘beached’ on the trailer, then the boat was placed on its stub keels. The saildrive lip seals were changed, obviously when you don’t have to worry about the rising tide, it’s a lot less stressful! Exactly seven days after being taken out of the water, Contre Temps was re-launched, with its pretty black hulls and oil as clear as…that in the can! The crew can continue living the dream in the Marquesas!”

Boat: Contre Temps, Fountaine Pajot Mahé 36.
Who: Cécile & Joni
Where: Marquesas, French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean.