Off to Bristol Tomorrow
15 June 2010 | London
Matt
Lesley and I fly out to Bristol on Wednesday. We will arrive Wednesday night and stay in a hotel the first night. The boat is still "On the hard" meaning up on her keel and held upright on stands. The bottom paint was shaling off and so we needed to get it soda-blasted off.
The previous paint job was done at a reputable yard but their painter "missed the window" of time to get the first coat of real paint on while the primer was still chemically ready to bond. So all the paint has to come off. Now we've known that since April but stalling and non-responsive staff at the original yard has meant she is getting blasted while I type and the boat isn't going in the water on schedule. Just as well. I'll get to see the bottom paintjob before she goes in and other stuff like if the soda blast has scuffed off any of the propeller protectant. The prop stuff is expensive but keeps the barnacles off.
I don't know why I expect anything else. We've had her out of the water 3 times and we have yet to not get expressions of surprise when we show up. " Oh, you meant THIS Wednesday?" "Yeah the same date since I we booked the tickets in FEBRUARY!"
Today I got an email about getting the mast steps installed. (fold up aluminum, about 6 inches wide...for climbing the mast) Seems the rivets that I ordered and had delivered were the wrong type, so can they install it with screws instead. They've had the mast out of the boat for ELEVEN months! They start working on installing the steps...(that have been there the whole time)...today!
Because of the paint job and the uncertainty, Lesley booked us a night at the Travelodge in Middletown. It's OK. I stayed there last time in April.
Well I am going to finish packing and I'll post more when we get to Bristol.
-M