Seahike had been standing still in Tunisia for about 3 ½ months by this time. She would be sitting still for another six weeks or so until we started our sailing season. We decided that this would be a good time to have her hauled out to get her bottom power washed, sanded and repainted with primer and anti-fouling. We also took the opportunity to have her tops and sides polished, have a mechanic look at the starboard sail drive and engine, and replace the sacrificial anodes.

We planned to leave for the US via France in February and wanted to be around for the haul out. (You will also recall that we’d planned some time before this to have her hauled out, as that is why we returned from our trip to Germany and Switzerland earlier than we had wanted.) The haul-out was scheduled for January 31. A beautiful sunset kept us company as we took Seahike to a nearby port where they have haul-out facilities.

We were instructed to be at the port at 8:00 a.m. We were. We waited until 11:00 a.m. to actually get Seahike hauled out. I hadn’t witnessed a haul-out before, so I rather enjoyed it.

The huge travel lift has straps that are placed under the boat which then lift it slowly out of the water. Then the travel lift drives the boat to its resting place in the yard, where workers place (in this case) wood under the hulls. The travel lift and its straps then drive away to repeat with another boat.

While Seahike was on the hard, we had a few days to chill before leaving for France. We stayed in the hotel right at the marina. Michael went to the boatyard every day to check on their progress. I went a few times.

I had different priorities. I decided it was a prime time to work on a puzzle my friend had completed and shared with me. She told me, “There is a trick to it.” I wasn’t sure what the trick was, but what I did know is that it is 529 pieces and each piece is black and white and has no “bottom side.” By this I mean that both sides looked like the top of the puzzle piece. So you first have to figure out which side is up, then you have to put the puzzle together. I started on February 2nd and finished on February 10th. I worked on it when the light of day was strong because I needed it to see the pieces well (65-year-old eyes, ya know). Some days I spent a few hours, others I spent about six hours. It was hard! And so much fun!

Allow me to share my progress.

Step 1: Take out the pieces and set the edge pieces aside. Look at the printout of the finished puzzle. Become overwhelmed.

Step 2: Figure out the trick and solve it. Make some more sense of the pieces and make some progress with the aid of the helpful printout.

Step 3: Work on the puzzle additional hours each day as the countdown to having to be done draws nearer. Continue to use the helpful printout. As you near completion, discover the errors you made when dropping pieces on the floor and putting them back on the table. Fix the errors. Dream about black and white puzzle pieces.

Step 4: Take time to admire the completed puzzle since you have to put it away today.