Miike
09/12/2008, Deltaville, VA

September 8th... Deltaville, VA

My first task this morning was to remove the cockpit grates, sand them, and apply a coat of finish which took up most of the morning and all of our Cetol. The car was available so we made a quick run to the hardware store for finish and brushes.

After lunch we read until there was enough shade to apply the last coat of finish on the starboard rub and toe rails. We also gave the port side its second coat.

While not refinishing, Kathy cut out the fabric for the new cockpit jump seats.

Rain is in the forecast for the remainder of the week... which bodes poorly for the teak work that we need to finish. However, we only need to apply three coats and we should be able to do that between showers if we have to ....



September 9th... Deltaville, VA

Today dawned overcast and the radar showed scattered light showers for an hour and then clear for a few hours. After finishing coffee I applied a coat of finish to the cockpit grates and moved them under the port side of the boat for protection. Then we removed all the tape from the starboard side and washed it down. At least half of the boat looks good. We had an early lunch and immediately started applying a coat of finish to the port side finishing around 12:30. By 2:30 we heard thunder in the distance and prepared for a storm. Our dinghy is inverted on the foredeck with a halyard attached to it's bow. We raise the forward end with the halyard to a 45 degree angle to allow light and air in the forward hatches. When a storm is approaching, we lower the dinghy and lash it to the deck. We have a tarp over our bimini and another over our cabin and dodger. The one over the cabin is folded back so the we have better access to the cockpit. The tarps need to also be tied down properly in a storm. By the way, the tarps are not so much for shade as they are to protect our newly cleaned dodger and bimini from pine needles and sap.

We had a nice thunder storm around 3 pm but by 4 pm things were steamy again. We spent a few hours reading before making a pizza for supper.



September 10th... Deltaville, VA

Another overcast day here in Virginia. After coffee and checking the weather I applied a coat of finish to the cockpit grates. Next I sanded the portside teak and prepared for everything for the last coat of finish. Kathy checked out the car and headed for the store while I put on the last coat of finish.

After a little left-over pizza, I got out the bottom paint and painted the areas that were covered by jack stands on the initial painting, put another coat on the bottom of the keel and leading edges, and generally used up the remainder of the paint.

Kathy did a couple of loads of laundry... while I started a new book.

Between 5 and 6 pm while the second load was in the dryer, someone walked away with her laundry bag. It was nothing special but it's what we use to haul clothes around. There is an area in the laundry room where people put things that they don't need and our speculation is that some moron decided that the bag was one of the unwanted items and went home with it.


September 11th... Deltaville, VA

Happy Birthday Liam!

The day started very early with rain drops dripping on my pillow. It didn't look like we were sinking but a damp pillow is very low on the comfort scale. I got up and found a towel to lay over the area that was getting soaked and found a dry place to sleep on the settee.

After daylight and some coffee I began to track down the leak and found a little locker (closet) over our berth that was wet. In it was stored and container of screws and bolts, wrenches, electrical fittings and weird screwdrivers. As I removed these items ... the rusty water inside the screw container dripped across our bedding which had been washed yesterday. Needless to say it need to be washed again today.

So while I re-bedded the stay in question, Kathy headed for the laundry. She returned a while later with our missing laundry bag who someone had been dumb enough to haul their things in. There was no one around , and the contents of our bag were in the washer....so she just brought the bag home.

Later as she was washing and drying she spoke with the French offender and explained that our bag had not been on the "Free Shelf" and she had collected it on the spot. The thief was fine with everything....but requested that her change purse, left in the bag, be returned so that she could continue feeding the machines.

Meanwhile... I washed the port side and hit the hull topsides one more time. From there it was mostly cleaning. We did check out the car to refill propane and run a couple of other errands but that was mostly it.

Our tanks are full, clothes are clean, and our cupboards are as good as they get during this time of year. So I think that we are as ready as we can be for a launch tomorrow.

Comments [1]

Mike
09/08/2008, Deltaville, VA

September 4th... Deltaville, VA

The Marina was hopping today. With folks who think that they may be better off in a storm on land rather than in one of the small creeks around here, the boatyard workers hauled boats from 7am to 6pm... probably making a ton of money for the owner... who spent most of the day running the travel lift.

Hanna is more like a subtropical storm as opposed to a tropical, which simplified means that it covers a very large area with moderate, but not devastating winds. According to the best predictions here Hanna should be over here in VA sometime late in the day on Saturday. We should have a few good hours tomorrow am to batten down the hatches.

Unless the forecast changes between now and tomorrow morning I think that we will take down our bimini and dodger but leave our sails on. We will wrap the main halyard around the furled head sail and lash the main sail cover to the boom and mast and that's about all except for making sure everything is put away.

Our once empty meadow is now about ¾ full of boats and will undoubtedly be full by noon tomorrow. The new boats actually serve as a reasonable wind break.

We spent the day refinishing teak and watching people scurry around the grounds. It was really quite interesting.



September 5th... Deltaville, Va

I finished about the last sanding on the port side rub rails this morning under perfectly blue skies. There is a little more sanding to do on the port side toe rail but I'll need to go over it all again anyway after the rain.

I was able to walk to the shower today, so headed that way sometime mid morning. The cleaning ladies were busy there so I sat on a small hill and watched folk in slips attempt to prepare for the storm. More than anything I would fear the forecast tidal surge of 3 to 4 feet. After my shower we worked on misc. jobs... one that I'm sure all of you will be interested in was patching the dinghy. The dinghy was moved to the foredeck before we left for Michigan and at the time I noticed a spot where the fiberglass bottom is attached to the tube that was coming apart. It is the same problem that I repaired in the Bahamas on the other side. Since that glass work is still looking great, I used up the last of our resin and a little bit of glass to keep the two parts together.

The day was spent mostly reading and battening down the hatches. We took down the dodger and the bimini to reduce windage and are confident that we've done everything we can.

I am happy to report that my foot is much improved today. I had a minor ladder mishap a couple of days ago and have been unable to put any weight on my right foot. After icing it down last night it was much improved this morning. If it weren't for my cat-like reflexes it could have been disaster. When I landed I rolled and saved myself for the most part. Unfortunately, by right heel was not up to the task. With Hanna on the way it looks like I can keep off my feet for a day or two and speed up my cure.



September 6th... Deltaville, VA

It rained on and off during the night but there was no wind until about daylight. At about 10am we found ourselves under on of Hanna's outer bands and had wind that occasionally shuddered Sapphire on her jack stands. Any time the rain quit we wandered down to the docks, which are about a block away to watch the boats that were left in their slips bounce around and the waves crash into the docks

During the day our meadow about clocked roughly half of the wind in unprotected areas on the water. We were completely comfortable. At one point at the height of the storm we heard what sounded like the motor of a large helicopter nearby. We donned our raingear once again and went down to the docks to find a boat in the neighboring dock with its jib unfurled about ¼ of the way and flapping in the wind. It was ruined as we watched. Other than a few large limbs and a few blown biminis that were left on boats, there was not damage around the marina.

At some point in the afternoon, while stuck on the boat, I made a batch of oatmeal-raisin cookies and delivered a few to nearby boats when the rain let up enough.

By 5pm the wind had clocked to the northwest at about 30 kts and it was much cooler. By evening it was calm and the stars were out.



September 7th Deltaville, VA

We spent all day today working on port side teak ... and yes we are getting tired of the refinishing business. First we had to move all the jerry cans that were in the way and then it was a combination of scraping, sanding and taping until we finished at around 2pm. Then after a little lunch we started applying finish starting on the starboard side and working our way around the boat. Kathy worked from the boat while I stayed on the ladder. By about 4:30 we were finished.

After dinner we wandered around the marina speaking with some folks who are leaving soon to do what we did last winter. Then we stopped by the "Grill Area" which is a screened in patio with three tables and seating for about 20. We have been invited to join some folks for dinner there but lately it's been too far for me to walk at that time of day. We ended up talking to a couple from Ottawa who are here working on a trawler.

Today marks the last of the sanding. We have one more coat on the starboard side and three more on the port, which weather permitting should mean that we'll be back in the water on Thursday or Friday.

Comments [0]

Mike
09/08/2008, Deltaville, VA

September 3rd Deltaville, Va

Our first job this morning was a final sanding to rough up the epoxy on our keel and then a coat of paint. I also hit leading and trailing edges as well as the waterline one more time for good measure.

Meanwhile Kathy was putting our living space back together. It was getting out of hand...mostly from my getting things out and not putting them back.

We spent the bulk of the day working our teak. With Kathy wielding the heat gun and scraper and me the sander we make a ton of progress. The starboard toe rail got its first coat of finish, the starboard rub rails and all deck teak got a light sanding and their 4th coat of finish and the port side rub rails and toe rail are about ¾ devoid of finish.

We grilled some chicken for dinner and had some broccoli and a salad.

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