Beware! This is about work-the less glamorous aspect of boating.

Friday August 29... Deltaville, Va

After coffee we signed the car out for a provisioning trip to the grocery, the hardware and a stop at West Marine for a new prop shaft zinc On our return I worked on sanding the hull and applied a coat of West Systems (epoxy) to the leading edge and the bottom of the keel. During the process of scraping barnacles from the bottom of the keel I also lost most of the barrier coat. The epoxy should do the trick.

After lunch I fired up our new heat gun and began the task of removing the Cetol from our rub rails. Most of the brite-work can be done from the deck but the rub rails are impossible and need some attention while we are on the hard. Kathy did laundry as the washer and dryers were amazingly free. The laundry room seems to always be busy here.

We worked all day ... but quit early for a dinner of grilled chicken, broccoli, and salad. Later we began watching the "Deadwood" series that were gifts from Ellie and Matt.
(The bad guy may be too bad for my taste but the setting is interesting.)


Saturday August 30... Deltaville, Va

We were up at 8am, which is late for us. After wasting the requisite amount of time, I moved the ladder and continued removing finish from the rub rails. Kathy headed back to the store for three or four things that we forgot yesterday while I scraped.

When my feet started to hurt from standing on a ladder, I mixed up a batch of West Systems, added as much filler as possible and patched the keel where we lost a hunk of fiberglass last summer. The stuff ends up about the consistency of peanut butter which is troweled into the area that needs filling. Then I used wax paper to cover everything ... smoothing the epoxy into the shape of the hull. I taped the wax paper in place and let it cure. I will have some grinding to do but over all the patch seems perfect. There were three of four other small spots that needed attention and before long the job was finished.

I went back to ladder work and by about 3pm finished removing the finish from the rub rails.

The boat "Bold Endeavor" joined us in the meadow yesterday with about the same agenda as we have. We've seen them for the last year but this is the first time we've met. We pop back and forth when we need a break.

In the evening we listened to the Spartans on the computer...before calling it a day.


Sunday August 31... Deltaville, Va

Taking a lesson from my sisters, we went for a walk as soon as we got up this morning. It was warm and humid but mostly clear. On our return and after a couple of cups of coffee it was back to work on Sapphire. Kathy used the heat gun stripping the teak on our deck, the hand rails and eyebrow on the cabin top, while I sanded the repaired keel. In the afternoon I finished preparing the starboard rub rails for varnish and then sanded the teak that Kathy had stripped.

We quit at about 4:30 and showered.

There is one house on the perimeter of the meadow where Sapphire is parked and we are close enough to hear them talking when they are on their porch. We are thinking that it is used as a cottage or fish camp. When we were here in July it was well kept but empty. This weekend there are about three couples here.

During the afternoon one of the guys came over to borrow a drill bit...and returned it in about an hour. Later when they returned from fishing they dropped off a bag full of Spanish Mackerel for out dinner.

They ranged in size from about a foot up to 18 inches. I knew that they are a little oily so we grilled them in some tin foil with lots of drain holes. It tasted good, not at all strong but was a little soft... similar in some respects to a Whitefish.



Monday, September 1st... Deltaville, Va

Today was the fourth day in a row that we have worked almost nonstop. I started this morning sanding the epoxy on the bottom of the keel in preparation for painting and then shifted to the final prep of the starboard rub rails which consisted of a final sanding, a light hit with bronze wool and finally taping.

Then I mixed up and applied some epoxy to finish up our keel repair. We also applied epoxy to any place on the hull where bottom paint has chipped or flaked off.

After some lunch I began the process of scraping the toe rail while Kathy finished sanding the teak on the deck. We spent the afternoon sanding and scraping. At about 5pm I applied a coat of finish to the rub rails and the deck teak finishing up about 6pm. It was a long day and we have about three more until we can relax a little.



Tuesday September 2nd... Deltaville, Va

Work ...work...work...

Out of bed at 7:15 we walked for an hour between the two rivers that dominate this area. Kathy made some coffee on our return and then it was it was time to get the bottom ready for painting. I sanded and all of the filled spots on the hull and then wiped it down with solvent. Then I took a shower to get the dust off. Returning, I taped the water line and we both began painting. After about 2 hours we were finished. I went back for another shower while Kathy worked with the heat gun removing finish from the toe rail. My next task was to fill one small spot on the bottom of the keel and apply a coat of resin to the bow portion of the hull. ( I left those spots unpainted) Finally I applied a coat of finish to the starboard rub-rails and the teak on the deck. Kathy finished while I talked with the kids in London via Skype. ( She had chatted with them the night before)

By that time we could smell our dinner of sweet potatoes and ham. We watched an hour of "Deadwood" and went to bed.

It is looking like we will feel the effects of Hanna on Saturday and will keep our eye on the weather. We are in as safe a position as possible, our preparation will be determined buy the wind forecast.

We have been doing so much outside work that Kathy has not had time to post the blog lately. Also, the inside of the boat is starting to look like a disaster area and the hurricane is still far out at sea, so it couldn't be from that! Time to do some posting and inside cleaning before heading back out to scrape some more on the toe rail.