Anticipation
04 December 2011 | Indianapolis, Indiana
Kurt Flock, Dreary Winter Weather
No sailor should have to go this long between outings. I never expected when I put Myananda on the hard in June 2010 at Lockwood Boat Works in South Amboy, New Jersey that she would still be resting in jack stands November 2011. Despite the lousy economy and depressed real estate market, our business conspired to keep us too busy to splash Myananda. There's few things worse on a boat than lack of use, so I headed to South Amboy in October to check on her and tend to a few things to keep her happier through another forlorn winter aground.
I was fortunate to have a good helper along, Aaron Williams, who spent his week long break from law school helping prep Myananda for better times. We quickly fell into the typical boat maintenance rhythm, putting grinders, sanders, and polishing equipment and supplies to use. Our main focus was removing months of bird crap from the topsides and prepping the bottom for a fresh coat of anti-fouling paint. Even though the boat was covered with a winter canvas, birds found openings and left quite a mess to clean up. It took literally days for us to get the bottom in proper shape for new paint. I decided to remove all the barnacle build-up so I could and polish the brass fittings for a fresh coat of primer and paint.
And then there was the electrical system. The batteries were pretty much shot, so we took things apart in preparation for installing a new set of Gel Cells before we set sail again. All in all, the boat was in surprisingly good shape for having been left high and dry for so long. We got a good coat of Micron paint on the bottom, and left her clean and buttoned up well for the winter.
I watched with dismay as the Caribbean 1500 left Virginia this Fall without me, but I took solace in knowing we'll splash the boat for sure next Spring and explore the northeast coast before taking her south again next year.