Boating comes with a whole new set of terms. For instance, a window is a porthole; a bed is a berth; a kitchen is a galley; the floor is the sole. This last week we have been "on the hard" which means the boat has been out of the water. Lifting a 65,000 pound vessel is quite an undertaking. A big machine, which is controlled remotely, has big straps which fit under the boat. Once those are in place the boat is lifted out of the water. Hanging in place and resting on the straps, the machine then positions the boat in the yard where it is propped up with braces placed in strategic spots around the boat. It is a remarkable undertaking and frankly, makes me very nervous.
And now the work begins. The bottom of the boat is pressure washed which removes barnacles and growth that accumulate while the boat is in the water. Zincs are replaced. Zincs are sacrifical chuncks of metal attached to other metal parts below the waterline in various locations around the boat. Seawater, especially moving seawater, destroys metal and there is no stopping it. So the zincs get destroyed, not the curcial metal, like the propeller, under the waterline.
Our boat has stabilizers which need to be serviced every six years and it was time for ours to be done. The stabilizers are something we want working well because they make the ride much more comfortable when there is significant swell. The windlass, which is a device used for raising and lowering the anchor, was serviced. The wing engine was serviced. The bottom of the boat was painted. Bottom paint usually needs to be done every two years or so. The autopilot has been acting up, it didn't like to operate properly going south. Jerry figured out the problem and fixed it while we were in the yard. By the end of the week we were feeling pretty good about all that had been accomplished.
Yes, even boat life has projects that must be done. We may not have to mow the lawn, weed the flowerbeds, or clean the gutters but there are still maintenance items that must be done. Now we are back in the water and it feels much better, feels normal. Once the boat is washed and waxed we will be ready to head out to the islands again.