Monday would prove to be a very long day as ROMA had to be prepared to be pulled at high tide just about 11:00AM. This meant removing the Bimini, Sails, Boom, and everything we did not want to leave on the boat for the next few months.
As planned, ROMA was successfully pulled, and after a short trip across the boatyard was blocked on stands. She was immediately pressure washed to remove as much slime, barnacles, and loose paint as possible before drying out.
After the pressure washing, it was very clear why the diver had advised us that the paint was in bad condition when he cleaned the bottom in early November. The salt water environment is very harsh with organisms constantly trying to attach themselves to the boat's bottom. Historically, boats have used copper as a natural repellant to marine growth. In olden days ships would actually be covered below the water line with thin sheets of copper. Modern vessels are painted with a marine grade paint containing up to 65% solid copper. The key to longevity is multiple coats of paint, but at $200-$300 per gallon most boats get only 2-3 coats at a time. A good bottom paint job will last 2-3 years.
In addition to repainting the bottom and having some fiberglass work done, I also planned to completely rebuild all the mast systems. This would include replacing the running rigging (halyards & topping lift), standing rigging (steel cables that hold the mast up - forestay, backstays, upper and lower shrouds), electronics (wind instrument), and lights (steaming, dock, and anchor lights) with LED type, as well as all the internal electrical wiring in the mast. This meant that the mast would be dropped and strapped onto a trailer and taken back home to Warrenton, GA where I would complete the work.
By 3:00PM we were ready to hit the road with the mast in tow. We had to travel back to Delegal Creek Marina on Skidaway Island in Savannah to pick up our second vehicle. It was an unusually long and slow trip because of the side trip through Savannah at rush hour, and pulling a trailer. The usual 4 hour trip home turned into an over 6 hour trip as we arrived back home around 9:30PM.
Early Friday to late Monday night was four long days, which I will never do again! We accomplished everything planned, but it was just too much on this seasoned skipper and his first mate. But, the long trip down the ICW from Savannah to Darien was a wonderful experience. I've now traveled the entire coastline of Georgia on the inside (ICW) and outside in the open ocean. ROMA is safely blocked and ready for much needed repairs below the waterline, and the mast is at home where I can more conveniently work on it during the winter months. Come Spring, we will once again be ready to enjoy sailing and exploring the Southeast coastal area on the decks on ROMA.
Known by our family and close friends as “Hugh & Suze” we live in Warrenton, Georgia, which is a four hour drive from St. Simon’s Island, Georgia. [...]We enjoy periodic visits to our Catalina 34, CAILEIGH ANNA, where we participate in club races and cruise the coastal area of Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. Our "extended" crew for many years was our daughters although their participation barely deserves recognition for anything more than a courtesy. Cail, our oldest daughter, is actually a very good Hobie Cat sailor, but has never become comfortable with larger boats. Leigh hates sailing and that's the most positive comment I can make about her involvement in the sport. Anna has no fear when it comes to sailing, but she's not going to take the time to learn. Her life moves at a far faster pace than CAILEIGH ANNA. The “girls” are grown now with their families, but they do visit us on the boat at least yearly.
I have sailed extensively with my first boat being a Sunfish I built from a Popular Mechanic plan at the age of 14 for a shop project in high school. Next I joined the Georgia Tech Sail Club and raced wooden Y-Flyers on Lake Lanier, Georgia.
While stationed near Washington D.C. three army [...]
buddies and I leased a 30' Piver Trimaran and sailed the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay for nearly two years. Because of our work schedules much of our sailing was done at night.
It was on the Chesapeake that I learned important lessons about navigation and the hazards of sailing. To this day I still reflect on the experiences learned there. One of my goals is to return to the Chesapeake some day and rediscover some of those forgotten treasures that are the Chesapeake Bay.
After returning to Georgia I purchased a Venture Newport 24' and a Hobie 16' and sailed on a Clarke Hill Lake for many years. I was never happy with the Newport because it was too light for stiff winds, at least compared to my experiences on the Chesapeake. It was a great looking boat, and even today I still have a soft spot for this model. I learned my lesson and sold the Venture Newport after a couple seasons of sailing. In hindsight it would have been a suitable boat for "trailer-sailing" and making trips to the coast and the Keys.
The Hobie 16' was a scream and I've had many great experiences with her from fresh to salt water sailing. For several years I used her with youth groups and gave many young people the first and maybe only sailing experience of their life.
I purchased ROMA, a 1974 29' Seafarer, in 2000 from a former sailing buddy. I was looking for a solid boat in the 30' range with light blue-water or coastal cruising credentials, and wheel steering. ROMA is a left-over relic from the era when boat designers were discovering how to manufacture boats using fiberglass.
She has a great pedigree being designed by McCurdy/Rhodes and very traditional lines. ROMA sails extremely well and the swing keel configuration works well for shoal draft sailing. The Coastal Georgia waters are notoriously shallow sand or mud bottom. There's not a question of "if" you're going to run aground, but only when.
In May 2012 I became a contributing writer for Southwinds Magazine with responsibility for covering sailing news along the Georgia coast. This has given me the opportunity to combine my passion for sailing with my interest in promoting the Georgia coast. My first assignment was covering the Tall Ship Festival in Savannah. In addition to the article one of my photos was selected as the cover shot for the June issue of the magazine.
https://issuu.com/southwinds/docs/southwindsjune2012/01
I purchased CAILEIGH ANNA a Catalina 34 in the fall of 2013 and spend the next nine months bring her back to life including an engine replacement. ROMA was sold in the spring of 2014 and is now enjoying life on the Gulf at Mobile Bay, Alabama.
I've also crewed on other boats including BLU, a 48' Racing Beneteau sailing from Charleston to Jacksonville, two America's Cup Challenge Yachts - Australia 29 and Canada II and the square rigger PEACEMAKER – a 150’/400 ton Barquentine, sailing from Brunswick to Savannah. I often crew on SABRINA, a Hinckley Bermuda 40, owned by good friends who also crew with me during club races.
I've never missed an opportunity to gain sailing experience and I’ve never failed to learn something new every time I set sail.