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Published: October 16th 2012
We are going into our third week here in Chesapeake Boat Works yard. We spent this past weekend in the sling so we could finish painting the underside of the keel and the spots where the pads hold up the boat. Now we are focusing on preparing the topsides for painting- we have removed the decals and sanded off the painted boot stripe and cove stripe. We have also dremeled out the cracks which we presume were caused by a less than perfect dark blue gelcoat application.... the cracks were primarily on the transom which even in its current faded state is stupidly hot to the touch on a semi-sunny day. We hope by filling them in and strenghthening them they will not reappear when we paint the boat back to its original white. It is interesting to see what that gelcoat job looked like when new after the decals were peeled away.. such a nice dark blue that I understand the pull to redo it that way despite the fact that dark colours are not smart for the south on many levels. We are researching instruments and plumbing, and we have the front head stripped of all hardware and caulking
ready for its restoration. All through hulls have been replaced in this bathroom, we just need to decide whether we will also replace the tubing before we reinstall the hardware.
We have met so many interesting and wonderful people here who share their experiences, their recommendations and also their un-needed equipment with us. We picked up the Explorer Charts from a neighbour no longer needing them for a great price, a free pair of foul weather deck boots in pretty much new condition for me and a few bags of food from another neighbour having to winter earlier than expected. Our newest neighbours are younger than we are and already have been living and traveling aboard for 7 years now. And they have travelled with cats! Their enthusiasm and positive, calm approach to otherwise slightly scary scenarios for me is encouraging and inspiring. They had far less experience when they started out than we do now, so that reassures me I will be fine.
The last few days have been pretty productive ones so we are in a positive mood right now. Simba is also getting more brave. He is meeting us in the cockpit a lot more
often, and taking walks all around the deck without looking back as much to see if mummy is following and watching... but of course I still am! We all have to learn about living on a boat together, and I have to learn to trust him too. He has no desire to get off the boat, has not even tried to go down the transom stairs. In fact when I brought him down the ladder with a leash on to take him for an evening walk in the yard, after not even 5 minutes of staring around him he was trying to climb back up the ladder to get to the safety of "home" as he now knows it... so that's a good thing. We are all doing fine.
Here are some pictures of the last week or so
Lori
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Craig Baldocchi
non-member comment
HELLO SAILORS
Hi Lori, Martin and Simba, Thanks so much for letting me share in your adventure. The blog is great and I always look forward to the newest entry. I'm very impressed with the work you three are doing, I guess you will know your boat very, very well after this project. Good to have the confidence in her before heading out. Thinking of you both and looking forward to your departure date. All my best, Craig P.S. is this the best way to communiquate with you?