Bottom Paint, Polish and Relaxing in Fenwick, DE

June has been a great month for us.  Sharon is in her glory as she has spent more time in Fenwick Island this month than she has in the last five years combined.  From hot and sultry summer weather mid-month, to gorgeous, dry 80 degree days, it has been a treat.  We have accomplished lots of jobs, hung out for hours on the screened outdoor room, shared time with family and friends and went swimming in the 72 degree ocean.  Delightful!

While we were hanging out in Fenwick, the boat got hauled in order for the bottom to dry out for a few days.  We got back to Galesville while it was 98 degrees and were fortunate to be able to stay in one of the inn rooms at the marina.  A bit easier than trying to function on board while the boat is on the hard.  That night there was a very dramatic thunder and rain storm.  We watched lightning for hours across the West River.  The good news was there was no damage in the area and it brought with it cool, dry air.  Perfect for bottom painting!  

The next morning, we started at 6am to get as much done as possible before the heat arrived, sanding the black paint to scuff it up and allow new paint to adhere.  It is a very messy job, masks and eye protection required - and of course - not your best outfit.  The ground was covered with a large cloth to contain the old paint, which is toxic. We use an ablative paint which has a lot of copper in it (it is much heavier than a regular gallon of paint) and costs a lot!  Best price Greg found was online, shipped from Florida for $239 per gallon.  We needed three gallons.  We got almost two coats out of the three gallons and noted where we didn't give it two coats so we could see if it made a difference.  According to the manufacturer, two coats should repel sea life for two years, even in tropical waters.  An ablative paint wears away little by little as the boat moves through the water, sort of like a bar of soap.  This was our choice of bottom paint due to the speed of our boat and the waters in which we will be cruising.  

Voted best dressed for sanding and painting a hull

We worked much faster than we expected because the sanding went so well. By 8:30 we were finished applying the first coat.  That meant, we needed to let it dry, so we moved on to polishing and waxing the freeboard (or topsides....the part of the hull you see when the boat is in the water).  (Sharon's favorite job - ergh)  We used a cleaner/polish that accomplishes both at once.  As Greg says, "Wax on, wax off."  It is hard work on a car, but on a boat you are usually having to raise your arms above your head to reach the spots you need, or angle yourself around a ladder and move the ladder every 10 minutes.  We have an electric polisher, but this job is better done by hand. So, that job took us the rest of the morning and our shoulders and arms were sore when we finished.  We welcomed the convenience of the marina restaurant for lunch and a beer.  

Afternoon meant a second coat of paint.  It went on pretty easy and we were done by 4pm.  A shower and lay down was never more welcomed by us both.  

The next morning, it was more detail polishing (see that nice white stripe below the green one....sore shoulders again!). Then the waited for the yard to be ready to return Dream Catcher to the water.  It is always so fascinating for us to watch the boat being pulled or launched.  Sharon wants to learn to operate a travel lift when she is no longer cruising.  The wheels each work independently and will pivot in a circle on any one wheel.   They drive right over the boat, secure the large straps under the hull and chain the two straps to each other so that they don't slip apart.  Then, they lift the boat a bit (over 20,000 pounds) and remove the stands that held it upright on land.  Once secured like this, they just drive it to a special slip with reinforced docks on either side, the lift goes along each side on a purpose built track, then they lower the boat into the water until its floating again and remove the straps.  We hop on board and drive away.  Amazing!

So pretty!

It looks so small, but the travel lift is 20 feet high.

On her way back to the water

Click on any picture to enlarge.

Floating again

Once back in our slip, we were eager to get things back to normal.  As we tried to get the air conditioner to run, we found there was no water pumping through it. The AC circulates seawater as a coolant, like a geothermal unit does. For those of you who are regular readers, you may remember we (i.e. Greg) replaced the air conditioning motor in March when we were in Boca Raton on our way south.  So - the pump failed - again.  When we tried to locate a new one, we found that two had been returned for defects to the nearest West Marine.  Hmmm.  We found one at another of three West Marines in the Annapolis area and by the time Sharon went to get it and returned, Greg had the old one out and was ready to install.  West Marine took the old one back for a full refund.  Still - we have to wonder how long this one will last.

The next morning, we polished the cabin top and deck.  This has not been done since we have had the boat as we were always concerned about making it slick and unsafe under foot. But, the cabin sections are mostly vertical, and the deck is mainly non-skid material. What a difference it makes!  Dream Catcher is looking good all over!  Next week, the new chart plotter and radar will be installed.  Our current chart plotter (which we had installed ten years ago) has been occasionally blinking off and on for over a year.  Once we got new instruments and Sirius Weather, it got worse.  We think the processing power is so low that any other upgrades have a negative effect on its performance. A reliable chart plotter (GPS, RADAR, etc) is something we are not willing to live without.  Unfortunately, the new ones require digital radar, so that has to be replaced as well.  We are on the schedule at Hartge Yacht Yard in Galesville for Monday.  It should only take a couple days.  Then, we start our trek north.  The plan is to head up the Chesapeake, through the C and D Canal (Chesapeake and Delaware) that links the two bays, down the Delaware Bay and poke into either Cape May or Atlantic City.  From there, we plan to do an overnight sail to Block Island and then on to Newport.  We plan to spend several weeks in the area, visiting our old haunts, catching up with our New England families and friends and enjoying the fabulous sailing in that area.

Maybe we will see you there!  'Til  then -