The last few weeks have been quiet, Working on Meshugga, shopping, laundry, cleaning. Normal boat stuff. Very serene. Until……
Easter Sunday, and what a hectic day!
First off, is the fabulous news that our son Kieran, received his USA Citizenship, and we are keen to apply via Family Sponsorship to hopeful get a Green Card via his Sponsorship.
Never one to simplify things, we also reached out to Connor, Nicholas’ younger son (36) who lives in London, and Nicholas’s ex-wife, Michele who lives in Cape Town, South Africa, and with whom I have a great Family relationship with, to find out whether they want to apply as well.
I found out that each application for Sponsorship costs $535, and is increasing to $710 on Easter Monday 1 April. So to save approx $800 (for the 4 of us) it was a rush to get all the Sponsorship document applications submitted.
As I’m know as Admin in the Family, it’s obviously up to me to do the Applications, and send to our son Kieran for verification and signature, as he would be the one Sponsoring all of us.
Lots of chats, and mails, to get the odd bit of info or documents I did not already have, and I submitted 4 Applications. I have a huge pile of printed documents of Instructions, etc on how to complete a multiply page application. About a 4” stack!!! Headache material!
Eventually around 5pm, I’d done all and paid all the fees. YAY!
I’d put the Easter Sunday Lamb roast on in the morning, for a long slow roast to be ready for dinner. No Photo of a Lamb Roast, but it was Superb, with roasted carrots, roasted parsnip, peas, roast potatoes and gravy.
However, whilst chilling and scrolling through miscellaneous stuff on FB, before dinner, we suddenly heard a GREAT crash and looked up to see a boat right outside our Starboard window. Both Nicholas and I rushed out.
Some A***hole on a large powerboat T-boned us on our forward Starboard Bulkhead.
We jumped into the dinghy before they could leave and got various contact details (Drivers Licence), and took photographs, but not being too savvy, we did not get immediately get their insurance details, but did ask for it, which they promised to send….
We contacted the Miami Water Police telephonically and they were helpful.
The power boat owner/operator was cooperative to, sending us his Insurance details and Marina Berth info, so we can claim on his Insurance as 3rd Party Insurance Cover.
The next week was a whirlwind of Reporting the Accident to Florida Fish and Game Department, (on the instruction from the Miami Water Police), and for them to come to us, per boat, to take our Statements, and then the laborious process of trying to get Quotes for the Damages.
Here in Miami, all Work Docks are up the Miami River, which has Fixed Bridges at 75 foot, and Meshugga's Mast is 120 Foot!
We’re also having to deal with the Owner of the Power Vessels Insurance Assessors, and with every email they request more and more documents and information. Late this week they sent their Surveyor to do an independent Survey of the damage. Luckily I’ve took numerous photos, and photocopies/printouts of everything, as well as securing the details of independent witness on nearby yachts, and receiving a video taken by a witness of the incident.
Hopefully the quotes will be the last information they need to process the claim, but I doubt it.
Contractors are now looking for Work Docks in Fort Lauderdale, so that they can get costs for our quotes.
I’m chomping at the bit, as it’s now 2 weeks since the incident, and we still have no quotes for repair, and Hurricane Season is around the corner.
They say Bad Luck comes in Three’s;
- We had Nicholas’s halyard break when he was up the mast,
- We had a Lightning Blast destroying all our instruments,
- And now we were T-boned by a Power Vessel, whilst at anchor.
I think we should be good now!
Otherwise, Nicholas is getting to the end of all the new electrical cables he has to replace due to the Lightening Blast, numerous lockers have been unpacked to pull wires around the boat, and we’ve been using extension cords and multi adapters to power appliances whilst sockets are rewired.
Other than that, on a more positive and pleasant note, we have schools of fish in the anchorage with dolphins chasing them
And awesome sunsets
