We’re Baaack!

 On September 16, we had the boat hauled out for, what we thought would be a two week, bottom paint and general maintenance stop.  However, it turned into a seven week ordeal…I hate to use that word, because it has been said that the only difference between an ordeal and an adventure is your attitude!  I agree with that saying100%, but will also admit that by the end, my attitude was getting pretty crappy…so ordeal it is!

The original plan was to get the bottom soda blasted down to the barrier coat (which we were told there were two layers), and start from scratch with new bottom paint.  We also needed to check thru hulls, change zincs, and get props tuned…easy peasy…not!  The very next morning we received a call from the guy soda blasting the bottom, that he had great concerns because there didn’t ever appear to be barrier coat on our hull, and it appeared the gel coat was chipping and cracking because of it…we needed to have the bottom epoxied😟

Oh well, luckily we were staying with my dad, and had a long list of projects we could work on!

I started with outside teak projects, because the weather was perfect for that task.  After the first week, I decided to move inside to some of the projects difficult to complete when we are living aboard.

I refinished the tub, and painted the inside of the medicine cabinet, and under the sink, in the main head.

Two weeks into our stay, as the bottom job was progressing slowly, it was determined that our shafts were worn and needed to be replaced…ugh!  First off…why are we learning this now??  Secondly, they were only 3 years old (for those of you who have been traveling with us for a few years might remember they were replaced in Carabel, FL), but apparently they were some installation mishaps, which caused unusual wear.  Adding 7-10 days for shafts to be made.

Well, now that I have more time it would be best to refinish all of the interior stairs, as this is a nearly impossible task when we are living on the boat.

At the end of the 10 day window, we learn the shafts will probably take 3-4 more days…

I’ve always wanted to reconfigure the storage area under the galley sink, and move the trash can to a more accessible spot.

Old trash can spot repurposed to store (and give easy access to) all of the baking pans and serving dishes.

What do you mean another 3-5 days for the shafts…😟

Well, I do have materials left, and the only storage area not yet updated is under the sink in the guest head.

I was also able to clean all of our blinds, paint the metal housing to our movie screen, and clean and polished the stainless steel rub rail removed from the sides of the boat, for teak restoration.

On one rainy weekend, I took my sewing machine and fabric to my dad’s house, and set up shop in his basement. Those fender covers are $65 each at West Marine.  I was able to make 8, so we have a backup set…yay👏

Keith was also extremely busy during this time, but his projects aren’t always as picturesque as mine🤣

In search of a new helm chair, we spent several hours walking through a junkyard.  I would test for comfort, and he would determine if it could be retrofitted for our purpose…we settled on this one for $65.00.  🙄 I know…purist yachtsmen will get their eyeballs stuck in their heads forever, with the eye roll they probably give us, but we don’t care…we go for comfort and functionality, and I guarantee my $65 helm chair is more comfortable than their $4,000 helm chair.

He crawled around the bilge installing this new barnacle buster system, which required attaching 8 transducers to the inside of the hull…will it work? We shall see! He also installed two new transducers for our depthfinders, and all of the wiring needed for both of those projects. He replaced all of the zincs and line cutters, cleaned and painted all thru hulls, replaced exhaust riser and hose, and rebedded port engine exhaust.  All of this in addition to some maintenance on our truck…he was also a VERY busy person!

He was responsible for all projects involving a ladder! He sanded and refinished the one piece of teak that wraps around the bow of the boat and can’t be reached from inside. He also found a spot where the Portuguese bridge was not actually attached/sealed where it meets the hull (under that teak piece) so his fiberglass skills were put to use.

And finally, after 4 weeks of excuses and delays, on Wednesday, October 25, Keith gave the ultimatum…either deliver our new shafts by Friday, or return our old ones and we will get new shafts farther south!!!  And guess what happened…those are new shafts in the picture above, delivered on Friday, October 27…yippeeee!

On Thursday, November 2 we were back in the water😆😁😄😃😀🥹 

The good thing that came from our extended stay, is that I got to see my dad every day😘. Thanks for letting us stay with you Dad…I hope we didn’t cramp your style too badly!

We didn’t take very much time out for fun, but we did squeeze in a few seasonal activities.  Thanks for sharing your Halloween fun with us, Melanie and Dave.  

We made every effort to visit our immediate family members, but I will apologize now to all of the friends and family we missed!  I am sooo sorry, but we just couldn’t stay any longer!

This waterman bringing in his crab pots was the first boat we came upon after leaving the marina.  It was cold and windy, and definitely time for us to head south!

Heading for the Bay bridge, and sweet freedom!

Chesapeake lighthouses

The dolphins are so happy to see us, and we are soooo happy to see them!

On November 4 we pull into Tilghman Island for a fuel stop before heading south.  I am always entertained with boat names, and usually let my mind get creative in picturing how a boat got a particular name.  However, the name on this boat is fairly self explanatory, and I have challenged my brain to find some happy/positive spin…one week in and I’m still working on that one.

It is common, when traveling along the coast, to get with a pack of boats, and pass, or be passed by the same boats every day.  One boat we have seen every day for the past 4 days is named ‘Mother Fricker’.  Why, you might ask yourself, would someone name their boat that…unless he is a ####, and he hears it so often that it just made sense to name the boat that, however, I have found that to be untrue. He seems like a very polite man, but if I talk with him on the radio, I call him ‘Mother F’ and he laughs… people🤷🏼‍♀️

Today is Sunday, November 12, and we are taking our first layover day since we left on the 4th. It’s a cold and rainy day here in Southport, NC, but watching this beauty fish all morning, has been the highlight of our day!