We were reintroduced to boat life with two weeks of hard work and what seemed like never-ending repairs and projects, which is no surprise really, because we are well aware of all the continuous work it takes to keep a boat not only afloat, but sailing nicely and looking good.
Last week Lil’ G got her bottom sanded, primed and painted, before she was reintroduced to the water. All the days leading up to the splash date were long and tedious, but those last few really tested our patience. We arrived at the boat yard Monday morning to make sure she was going to be sanded that day, in hopes that our scheduled splash date of Wednesday the 7th was still in the cards, and we were assured it was. They didn’t start sanding until after ten though and when we returned after lunch, we weren’t pleased with the outcome. The old paint was barely scuffed, we could still see remnants of barnacles and a lot of the blisters we had filled were still rough. We asked the owners nicely if they could give it another once over that afternoon and they agreed. When we returned around four, the bottom of Lil’ G didn’t look a whole lot different so, not wanting to delay the bottom painting process further, we asked if we could just borrow their sander for thirty minutes to hit some of the blister patches and barnacle glue prints ourselves. They were hesitant, but finally agreed, so we put on our masks and got to work with their sander as well as Adam’s cordless drill with a sanding disc. We spent about forty-five minutes smoothing over everything that had been missed. It was not pleasant, by any means, but as we all know sometimes when you want something done right, you just have to do it yourself.
The next day we arrived at the boat yard early to clean off as much of the sanding dust as possible (a step we were pretty sure they were going to skip) before they started priming the bottom. Late in the morning we left, before they had gotten started, thinking that if we just got out of the way they'd be more likely to move in on the priming and painting. However, when we returned after lunch time, the space around our LIl' G was empty. Adam approached the owner, not wanting nag but wanting the job we were paying for done, and after he stood there for a few minutes, the guy barked at a couple of his employees to mix up primer and get started. At that point we got in the truck, crossed our fingers that they were going to get the primer and the paint done by the end of the day and left. We weren’t feeling real confident though, so we stopped by Home Depot for all the necessary painting supplies and agreed that the following morning we’d offer to do the work ourselves if they hadn’t gotten that far.
At eight am the next day, our scheduled splash date, we arrived to a nice surprise. Our Lil' G was looking fit for the sea with her new black bottom paint and the centerboard we'd removed the week before was in the exact place we'd left it, up on blocks, but also coated in black bottom paint. Now it was our job to get the centerboard back in the keel before they planned to splash the boat later that afternoon. Of course, as all boat projects go, that was easier said than done. After some digging to create enough space under the keel, Adam and I laid down on the ground and pushed the 70 pound centerboard back up into it's slot. Then I tried very hard to hold it there while Adam replaced one of the bronze blocks, covered in marine sealant for extra hold, and screwed in the new bolts. If the new bolts had fit and tightened down inside the old corroded holes, we would have been half way done and smiling. But of course they didn’t and in turn we took two trips to the closest hardware store to find bolts that both fit and tightened down in the barely there threads that remained after years of living in salt water. And after all that, we got the centerboard back in and were able to crank it up and down from the cockpit. We were finally, and completely, ready for the water.
When we returned to the boat yard late in the afternoon, our Lil' G was up in the sling on the big fork lift and ready to be splashed. After a few paint touches on the keel and a bit of dry time, we watched as they gently lowered her into the canal. I know she’s a boat, but I swear she was smiling. I climbed down in the cabin to make sure she wasn’t leaking anywhere before we pulled out of the splash spot and nosed her into the dock to tie her off for the night. Then we loaded on some more gear, cooked our first dinner aboard and crawled into the Vberth.
The next morning we gave her a good scrubbing, secured our belongings below and set out for Boot Key Harbor. The wind was blowing about 20 to 25 knots, but straight out of the east, so we ran downwind with the working jib up and the motor put-puttering along. My lifejacket smelled like rat pee and I gave myself a fat lip on the winch handle while I was raising the jib, but despite, it was absolutely wonderful.
Then we turned up Sister’s Creek, lowered the jib and motored into the harbor. It felt good to be back, and we sat out that evening and watched the hundreds of boats dance slowly together as the sun dipped behind the horizon.
We’ve been back in the harbor now for less than a week but the work and cleaning haven’t quite subsided, and as always there have been lessons I guess we needed to learn. Adam’s spent days working on the unhappy motor, we each replaced a toilet part that was failing, we tackled a large handful of small projects and we’ve gone through and cleaned just about everything, again. During this third or so cleaning spree, I climbed out into the cockpit to grab the cushions I had placed up there to air out while I wiped down the berths and bench seats, and quickly realized one was missing. Thinking maybe I had placed it somewhere below and somehow forgotten doing so, I poked my head back in the cabin. It's not a large space, and clearly it wasn't there. Then it hit me, the wind must have snuck below it just enough to fling it off into the harbor. I voiced this idea and Adam quickly jumped in the dinghy and set out to chase it down. It only made it a hundred yards or so away, but required a fresh water rinse at the marina and nearly two days of drying out in the sun before we could return it to its cushion cover and bench seat where it belongs. Even though it seems like common sense, I now know from experience that even if it doesn't seem very windy, it's always a safe bet to secure cushions that are placed out on the deck while cleaning.
And now, really, after two weeks at the boat yard and almost a week in the harbor, we’ve had enough of the repairs and projects and cleaning. We’re ready for some adventure. Which works out quite nicely because today we will pick up our good friend Dave from Miami International airport and tomorrow we’ll set out on a four or five day cruise along the lower keys. Its time, let the fun begin!
