We arrived in Cebu and visited the yard first thing to see Silver Tern. She is actually looking like a boat although it will probably be a couple of weeks before the hull is completed. The lines look good and we look forward to watching her progress. The yard is working hard to keep us on schedule and avoid any mistakes.
Most of the Philippino yard workers live on site with room and board provided. They work 5 1/2 days a week and go home on weekends. We have 4 workers on our boat. I looked across the yard at a larger fiberglass catamaran that is being painted and counted 12 workers painting in unison on the deck.
We settled in at the SDR Apartments on Mactan Island, Cebu. We have a furnished single that is very comfortable with rattan furniture, cable TV, full kitchen and bath as well as a desk area. It as well as most buildings in the city are air conditioned.
We are on a quiet street where motorcycle tricycles go by, sometimes loaded with 6 people. There are nice restaurants just a 10 minute walk away.
We spent the first week organizing our shipments from Seattle and Australia into a 20 ft container at the yard. We brought in rigging, engines, electrical & plumbing- everything you need to outfit a 48 ft catamaran, we hope.
After the initial work is completed at the Harwood yard, we plan to move the boat up to the Mumby beach boatyard, where the designer, Tim Mumby is fitting-out two other Mumby catamarans that were just released from the Harwood yard last month. He is also fitting out his own. We will supervise our own fit-out there. The fit out consists of installing all of the interior pieces; electronics, plumbing, furniture and interior walls. It is a very labor-intensive process.We are spending our time driving between boatyards to observe their progress and are now the proud owners (we hope we stay proud) of a 2000 Kia Sportage SUV. We are adjusting well to the tropics. While it is hot and humid, it cools down nicely after a rain squall which are common this time of year.
