Bite Me gets her Bottom Checked

Its that time of year again when I spend at least a week in Suva hauled out on the slipway and doing annual maintenance on Bite Me. Also on the list - my Fiji Islands Maritime Safety Authority (FIMSA) Marine Survey...Out of water...and in-water...
Just to give you some idea of what I have to cram into 5 working days...

Drive Bite Me to Suva
Haul-out on a slipway
Bring in FIMSA Marine Inspector and agree a defects list
Remove Stb'd engine turbocharger for service
High pressure hose blast the hull / running gear and sand down the old anti-foul
2 new coats of anti-foul
Inspect and clean all underwater inlets and outlets
Drop Rudders, clean, inspect, grease and re-install
Remove Port prop and have it balanced and re-installed
Buff and polish both props
Clean, inspect and measure both shaft bearings (Clearance report for FIMSA)
Open up Shaft seal housings, clean shafts, install new shaft seals
Repair autopilot rudder indicator connection
Underwater Report for FIMSA
Bring in FIMSA MArine Inspector to sign off on completed Defects List
Un-slip Bite Me and tow round to Suva Yacht Club for further maintenance work and in-water FIMSA Survey (Engineering / Deck Safety / Life Saving Apparatus / Fire Fighting Apparatus)

And that's just the out-of-water bit....
Other fun things for me to cram in after getting back in the water...
Chance engine oil in both engines
Change gearbox oil
Change oil blow-by filters
Change main and pre-fuel filters
Re-install serviced Stbd turbo and sea-trial
Repair Bimini
Get the Liferaft serviced
Re-fuel
Pull and clean raw water intake strainers
FIMSA in-water sea trial and survey
Scrub all the engineers oily fingerprints off everything....

Oh, and get our 2,000lb scales re-certified for another year...and renew my Boatmaster license...and get a haircut........and get home....in time for the next fishing charter...

Don't kid yourself that the life of a gamefishing charterboat skipper is a glamorous one !

A slipway for Bite Me on the left hand side. In the middle a longliner and on the right the world famous Naia liveaboard dive ship.

The work begins...

Bite Me is dwarfed by the hanger usually used for much larger ships

Before...

And after...