Buy a boat they said...it will be fun!
Greetings. We started our journey from Delaware to Florida on September 27th with a trip to Asheville to see Kayla & Mike. We stayed in a friend of Kayla's tiny house. Bluebird is a great spot for a visit to Asheville. We loved the attention to detail and the cozy space. It has both great indoor and outdoor space and is in a lovely area. If you're considering Asheville, Bluebird is on airbnb.
We had such a nice time hanging out with Kayla & Mike. We had a delicious dinner in their new place on the evening we arrived. The next day the three of us went on a hike (Mike had to work). It was a gorgeous day and the leaves were just beginning to turn. Later that evening we carried in yummy Thai food for Mike's bday. The following morning we had breakfast out before we hit the road. It was a quick visit and I'm so glad we went.
Our next stop was to Morehead City, clear across the state of NC to the coast. This time we were visiting a friend of mine. We had a great visit but sadly I don't think we took a single pic together. So busy enjoying our time together that it never even occurred to me to take pics. Just means we all have to visit again. During that trip Chrissy gave us a tour of the gorgeous murals she has painted in her town, her lovely art gallery / studio / tattoo shop and also of her beautiful home.We had a great airbnb here as well.
And then finally on October 1 we made the 16 hour drive to Port St. Lucie to our month long airbnb. It's in the same complex that we stayed in last year. We had thought it looked nicer than last year's condo and while it is bigger, it is most certainly a stripped down rental unit. There have been issues but the renter has worked with us to resolve them.
So happy to be reunited with Seaquel. We arrived in Indiantown October 2nd to find Seaquel dirty and otherwise happy! For the next 4 weeks we have worked on her daily. It's a lot like a job, get up early, pack lunch and head to the marina by 8:30 the latest. Work until 4 or 5, drag our tired butts home for showers, dinner and bed.
To refresh your memory, back in May we had her hull sandblasted. We thought that she had hundreds of blisters where water had penetrated the gel coat. To our surprise it was only 30 plus or minus blisters. Blisters are caused by water absorbed into any voids in the hull construction causing damage where it replaces the fiberglass where it wasn't made perfectly and can start to separate the layers of the hull which is called delamination Our first job was to repair the blisters. Eddie ground the blisters out of the hull and together we applied layers of fiberglass to repair them. After drying they were sanded smooth, spreading enough filler, think Bondo, to allow it to then be sanded smooth and our next process began.
As the gel coat looked like Swiss cheese, we had to apply a fairing compound to the entire hull to smooth things out and fill in the Swiss cheese. The original estimate of how much compound we needed for the entire hull turned out to do maybe 1/3 of the starboard side of the boat. We were ale to order more and just had to wait for its delivery. We developed a system where I mixed the fairing compound and kept Eddie supplied while he applied it to the hull. There was definitely a learning curve to applying it. Now that the hull is faired, the next step is sanding.
While waiting, there are other projects but prob the most pressing is our head renovations. In the spring Eddie had ripped out the tub and counters in the guest head. He really didn't see the sense or the need for the bath tub on a boat and he really wanted a walk in shower. That project has been about creating walls and "shelves", so far. The boat doesn't have any square walls so Eddie figured out how to make the one wall on the curving hull, and then the shower pan needed to be raised up in order to accommodate that same hull, which required a shelf. He talks to me through the whole process, some of it I get, other parts not so much. I m a good listener though! This is what I know, when all is said and done, I think it will look great. We still have to paint and tile but we are getting there.
In the meantime, we had both head counter tops cut when we were in Delaware. So next we ripped out the shelving unit and the counter top in the master head also.
Also, consuming some of my time has been removing sticky residue from shrink wrap tape which was used to secure parts of the railing covers to the boat. MISTAKE to use that tape. Never again. It must not be UV or something or the Florida heat melts it to the boat. Goo Gone worked well and it's all cleaned back up. In addition, we had intense Velcro installed around the cockpit ceiling. It was there to attach mosquito netting to so that we could be outside in the cockpit and not be eaten by bugs. Well, the velcro has all come down and you guessed it, sticky residue left behind. Only this time Goo Gone, Goof Off, oil... nothing worked. I finally surrendered and bought 3M Adhesive Remover. That is some nasty stuff. With the heat gun on low, the 3M drenching the adhesive and a respirator on I was able to remove about half of it. Bad headache from the chemicals. I am getting up my bravery to do the other half soon.
While we have been working our butts off, we have also had some fun. We visited with Eddie's Dad, my friend Andrea and had dinner with my parents last week. This week we went to the Indiantown Rodeo! Captain Eddie was insistent we go. I thought I was along for the ride. But to my surprise, I loved it. Lots of fun. I'm so grateful Eddie was excited. Great people watching, gorgeous horses, a very moving tribute to the 12 servicemen that were killed in Kabul, cute cowboys and overall a great night.
Launch date is October 29th. We still need a deep cleaning inside and out, to finish the bottom which will require 5 coats of various paints and to finish the heads before we can go back in the water. After that we will need to provision and be sure all systems are go before we can cruise.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Buy a boat they said, it will be fun. I don't think they meant this part!
Gail & Eddie
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