Sarka and I are nothing if not gradual about our departure. On Monday morning (around 11:40) we slipped our docklines in Sausalito and sailed slowly across the Bay to Richmond to the boatyard. We enjoyed sunny skies, light winds and Monday-morning traffic on the Bay, which is to say, there was nobody to get in the way of the heavily-loaded Mariposa with her two tired and excited passengers. Along the way we got to try out our brand-new sails, which are astonishingly, luminescently white, and, of course, lovely.

On Tuesday morning the good folks at KKMI took the mast off, which went uneventfully although Sarka's heart gave a leap as the mast was jerked from the deck...I was too tense about the whole thing to be all that startled. A few minutes later, the boat was hoisted out of the water by a Travelift called William Randolph Hoist (according to the sign on its side). Remarkably, no damage was done and we could begin working on the boat.

Here's what we're here to do, according to my notebook of boat details, which has only a few pages left (we've announced that if we run out of pages we just have to leave):

MAST
Check overall health
Masthead sheaves - remove, lathe, anodize because they don't turn anymore
Replace all wiring
Install radar signal cable
Replace undersized cap shrouds with 1/4" wire
Install a backstay insulator
Replace the masthead tricolor/anchor light with LED model (courtesy Bebi electronics of Fiji)
Replace spreader light bulbs & lenses
Replace steaming light bulb & lens
Add toggle to inner forestay and shorten forestay accordingly
Shorten outhaul cable
Relocate sail track stop
Add storm trysail track parallel to main sail track
Add reef hooks
Remove state-of-the-art-in-1978-but-now-completely-dead wind instrument from top of mast
Replace topping lift

DECK & HULL
Sand and paint bottom
Assess whether to replace cutless bearing
Put dripless packing in stuffing box
Replace lower lifeline

That's all we set out to do. And actually, it's Thursday night and although we have added to the list repeatedly, we are getting pretty close to done. They'll put the boat back in the water tomorrow and then reinstall the mast on Monday.

KKMI is a really good boatyard--the best I've ever seen. We have done most of the work ourselves and they've been around to help, give advice, do tasks we're too weak or stupid to perform ourselves, etc. etc. etc. The staff (and signage) have a sense of humor and the whole place is incredibly efficient about getting things done and getting us taken care of. As I told our job manager, Bob, I really wasn't expecting to enjoy this week in the boatyard, and instead we've been drinking it in. We haven't paid the bill yet, but I'm confident we have gotten a tremendous value for our money, and a lot of the economy is due to the help provided by KKMI.

As you might have guessed, we're living on the boat while it's in the yard. This is a really strange experience, mainly because the boat doesn't move, but also we have to go down a 12' ladder to get to the bathroom, and the view is lacking in water. It seems stuffy inside, and cramped. I can't wait for William Randolph to splash us again, and Herb Crane (with its "tip jar") to restep the mast so we feel like a boat.

Going to the boatyard and having all this work performed while doing much of it ourselves is incredibly gratifying. I feel that we'll be ready to go and that the boat is in great shape.

We're planning to sail to San Francisco on Tuesday morning to vote, and we'll spend the night at a marina in the City. Then we'll sail out the Gate on Wednesday morning.