With a complete crew of 10 people, we were determined to keep the ball rolling and get SV Millennium in the water. I had already been onboard for two weeks and knew that the estimated two weeks in the shipyard was a bit of a miscalculation. There was still plenty to do as we finished removing the rust on the outside and began painting the various components of the boats day after day.
Eventually, yard workers showed up to paint the hull of the boat and sprayed it with a coat of primer followed by two coats of black paint. Once this was done, we painted the bottom of the boat with copper paint. We worked about 6 hours per day, 6 days per week, and slowly began checking things off the to-do list. Unfortunately, we were also adding things to the to-do list as well as new setbacks were discovered.
In many ways, it felt like the best of times and the worst of times. Nobody enjoyed the work but we all commiserated and bonded together. Candice and I would often be found under the boat drumming on the paint cans waiting for a new batch of top coat to be mixed and we spent afternoons singing and dancing to music as we slathered it on. The evenings were out at restaurants or ordering in to play card games. Nate even set up a projector and screen to watch movies on the back deck. Days off were spent sneaking into hotels to use the pool or beachfront facilities.
To keep the morale up, Nate planned fun activities for us throughout the week. One night he surprised us with bowling and another day we did a tour of some nearby mangroves and bat caves. Amy and I even took a pottery class and I made two ceramic coffee mugs. Twice a week we would check out the local markets, one in the nearby town and the other in the larger town of Kuah. It was fun walking around the markets and trying new fruits like snake fruit, dragon eyes, and mangosteen. Each day became a mission to try a new restaurant until we settled on our favorite place called Pizza Hills, which created customized pizzas based on your dietary preferences.
We were slowly transitioning from tourists to actual residents and we didn’t even need a phone to navigate around the island anymore. Since there was still no end in sight to the boat work, I decided to use this time to catch up on some medical appointments I delayed in the US due to cost. I was relieved to find an appointment for a 15-minute standard procedure that I had been quoted $800 in the US, which only cost around $60 in Malaysia. I also got a full physical and blood panel for around $30 and dental cleaning for just $20.
Given the large population of Chinese in Malaysia, I also dabbled in Eastern medicine with some acupuncture and reflexology. The reflexology doctor loved Candice and me so much that he offered to give us some classes in Chinese medicine. We learned how to make a good foot soak from local plants and how to unblock the different energy channels in the feet and lower legs.
The days and weeks went by quickly and were filled with many highs and lows. Part of what made life in the shipyard bearable was the boat kitten that had adopted us who I’ll share more about next week!
