CURRENT LOCATION: Tied to a mooring ball near Cayo Pirata, in Ensenada Honda, Culebra, Puerto Rico

18 18.400' N, 065 17.842' W

Two months in the water had taken our Portabote from fair to foul. The previous owners kept the boat out of the water by hauling it up on davits each night. So, when we got her, she had a clean bottom. I even did a little whitening and brightening with a scouring pad and some soft scrub before our own official launch.

Initially, the growth was just a bit of discoloration on an otherwise white surface, a little slimy to the touch. But soon it began to grow and take shape such that it slowed the dinghy down. Imagine dragging all of this through the water, everywhere you go:



We knew that it was time to take action when we noticed that whenever we parked in the clear waters near the ferry dock, the fish gathered around our dink as though it was a snack buffet. We had created a floating coral reef.

I had attempted to do a little bottom cleaning while the dinghy was in the water, just a few weeks ago, while I already had the scraper in hand from my efforts with the big boat. Unfortunately, it seemed that from an underwater vantage point I could only smear the slime around. In the absence of bottom paint, the growth was simply stuck on too well. Therefore, we came up with a better plan for cleaning the bottom of the dinghy. We would beach it.

Sheryl had an idea for the perfect spot, so we took this day of scattered showers to load a bucket with supplies and motor to her suggested destination. It was the perfect spot to beach the dinghy. The bow hit the sand while the engine stayed in water just deep enough so that we didn't even have to tip the motor. Sheryl held the Portabote steady in the gentle surf, while I loosened and removed the Evinrude. Some nearby rocks were suitable to stand the engine in an upright position and I returned to help drag the dinghy out of the water. We flipped it over and exposed the slimy, fishy-smelling bottom.

I began work immediately with a plastic scraper, scrub brush, and a little yellow bucket (useful in the rinse portion of the cleaning). Yes, that is the correct use of the first person in the preceding statement, because this chore was mine. You see, Sheryl knew that this stretch would be perfect for landing the dinghy because she knows this particular beach very well. We had landed on 'Sea Glass Beach.' Consequently, it takes little imagination to determine how my lovely wife spent her time while I was engaged in the battle of the slime. To be fair, though, she did take time away from sea glass hunting to go and buy me a cold beer, which made the nasty work go down a little better. Then she rewarded my completion of the job with a big chicken breast cooked on the stern rail grill for dinner. It is those simple gestures that scream, "I love you," the loudest.

Within a few hours, the original bottom color was returned to our dinghy and the nest of barnacles was removed from the lower unit of the Evinrude. A few new sea glass treasures had been added to our collection, and we were ready to reassemble our tender and head homeward.

The Portabote moved through the water with noticeably less resistance than before. This is a good thing, because we need to restock Prudence with water. Today, Sheryl's chore of zipping back and forth to land (refilling jerry jugs) is made that much smoother with a clean dinghy bottom. Since Sheryl is not inclined toward either beer or chicken, I have to go now so that I can figure out a suitable way to thank her for tackling that boat chore.