Why sail to Hawaii...

Many times friends, and people we meet make comments to us. They are almost complaining that we are living large like millionaires! Sometimes they speak with envy, and sometimes it is with some contempt for us to dare to live out of the box. In reality we live like pioneers. We ferry water jugs, food, laundry, fuel jugs to the boat via way of the dinghy. That’s why the dinghy is so important to us. It is almost life itself.

Sea Aquarium, Bahamas

Tounge of the ocean - Bahamas

Our crew in Bimini

When we sail we stand watch in rain, and at times freezing weather at the helm. We work hard to gain our pleasures. For us all the hard work, and grief are well worth the rewards. Living with nature, and all of it’s beauty. Yes, there’s beauty even in a storm that worries us. We still find beauty, and rewards in what we do.

Sailing on a cold front from Green Cove Springs to Miami Florida in 48 hours. This is Daytona

Waterspouts captured while sailing off Miami to Bimini

Bahamas

Dolphins play at our bows. Whales swim alongside us. (view this link below to see dolphins swimming on the bow of the boat )

http://youtu.be/aqDqnCuJolg

Sunsets, and sunrises are there for the taking. Especially when we are on watch to witness the sun rise, or set with nothing but the horizon limiting our view. We visit beaches with no one around. To have placed the only footprints on a beach on an island with no one else around can make you feel small.

Key West, Florida Keys

Exuma Cays, Bahamas

Pearl Island, Panama

Allans Cay, Bahamas

To witness the horizon with nothing interfering with the view can make you feel smaller. Especially when the hand of Mother Nature starts to paint her artwork across the sky.

Visit this link : http://youtu.be/-GzwQzsQcLU

Star Island, Miami

We have wild birds land on the boat when they are weary. We swim with the creatures of the sea, and are amazed at the beauty of coral. Once we had some snotty weather, and Mel was ill. A dolphin came alongside our stern. The dolphin leaped in the air within a few feet of where Mel was standing. He did a flip, and winked at Mel. She forgot about being ill, and says the dolphin was sent to her so she would heal, and heal she did, because she forgot about being ill in her excitement.

My regular guest

Bird inside the navigation station

John captured this two lovely dolphins

Sometimes people ask what do we do all day. At times it seems all we do is fix things, and run errands in the heat. The work is so hard at times. It breaks up couples who have been married for decades. Sometimes they sell the boat for pennies on the dollar in a foreign port. Sometimes they simply turn around, and go home.

Living large like millionaires? I think not, I call it living the adventure of life, or just plain living. I have made the decision to live outside of the box all of my life. Because of my lucky stars. Mel has made the choice to live with me. She was worried in the beginning that she would be a prisoner, and there would be no social life. Her social life has been enhanced by meeting all sorts of people from all sorts of places. She has become even more free with her travels, and adventures than she could’ve imagined.

Caribbean Jacks with Lynn, Daytona Florida

Staniel Cay, Bahamas with Brother in-law Tanner and son Ty

Josephine and Don Randall

Islamorada, Florida Keys with Ian, Don and Mary

Lynn and Bob and Frank Holland-Green Cove Springs Florida

Reynolds Park Yacht Center Marina Friends-Green Cove Springs

It’s not an easy life, and for a short time I forgot the rewards it gives to me. I felt like giving up the other day, but as any storm that feeling has passed. The thought was just a squall passing through. Mel, Imagine, and I are sailing to Hawaii!

Our life with Imagine has been an exciting, and precious time together. The other night we sat in the cockpit, and ate our dinner. It was a first since we have been on the boat. The sky was beginning to darken as the sun set. The lights of downtown Panama City were starting to twinkle as they came on. The weather was perfect, and we started talking of our past. Of the things we have seen, and all of it’s beauty. It was fun to look back on our lives together. Then we talked about our future, and the sail to Hawaii.
(To view the video of Panama Anchorage click the link : http://youtu.be/agbTxs7K9Kc)

Las Brisas de Amador Anchorage - Panama

Anchorage in Panama

For me the sail to Hawaii is deeply spiritual. I feel it pulling me there, and have felt this for over 15 years. My great grand father was a Healer, Kahuna, on the Kona coast in 1900. Once when I was 11 my grandmother told me in the summer she would take me home. I would meet family, and see where we came from. Only later in life did I understand what she was saying.

I did not realize the importance for her, and myself. My family is very
mixed. I have cousins that are as fair skinned as one can be with blue eyes that seem to have to end to them. Then there’s me, and I seem to fit many different ethnic backgrounds. Mostly I look Polynesian, and Latin. Before summer came Grandma was killed by a hit & run driver. Now this is my father’s mother, and I had never met my father’s father. He was a mystery to me. He was never spoke of, and I never asked.

John as a kid

John and Dad

When I was 27 my father told me about my grandfather. I decided on my own I would find him, and find him I did. I wrote him a letter, and 9 months later I got a phone call. It was his wife, and then she put him on the phone. We made arrangements for me to drive 150 miles to meet him. He was 70 yrs old then. We talked for awhile, and he started to cry. He told me he could see my grandmother in my son, and the Hawaiian was obvious. I was shocked to be told I am ¼ Hawaiian. Then he told me about my great grandfather being a healer. Now for the first time I understood what grandma was trying to do. She wanted me to see, and feel what it was like to be Hawaiian.

Eventually I made it to Hawaii on my own. Unfortunately it was a time in my life where drinking was a major factor. A friend & I flew to Hawaii, and the first thing I noticed was that I looked like most everyone there. It was late for us, because of the time change. We got our jeep, had a meal, a lot of drinks, and went to bed.

I woke up about 4am, went out on the balcony. The hotel was located on the small bay of Kona, and across the water I could see fire. I needed to see what this was, so off I went for a walk. I came across an older man who was preparing the stones for a pig roast. I watched him for a long time as he went about his joib, and he watched me for just as long. probably wondering what I was up to. This was on the lawn of the Kameah Kameah hotel. I saw a small path, and followed it. I felt I was making the man uncomfortable. Down this path was a small podium at the water’s edge. It told of Kahunas teaching the prince how to become a King in this very spot. As I stood there the sky turned a blood red with the mountain in the background being black as black can. The water before me turned blood red also, and for the first time in my life. I felt at home. I could feel my grand mother, and I could feel I belonged. I stood there for the longest time, and eventually the sky was loosing the red, and turning blue. Deep inside me that morning something changed.. My brain was to be clouded for years to come with booze, but I had changed in some way.

Anniversary

ANNIVERSARY

The Bridge of the Americas

The transit to canal

Goodbye Atlantic, Hello Pacific!

Yesterday was our anniversary of 1 year being in the Pacific in Panama. Well, the boat has been in the Pacific that time. It was our arrival date. It almost seems that we never left. That everything is the same, except for 2 things. The heat use to not bother me much, except for when working in it. Even in the muffler shop in Florida during August. Working under cars with heat radiating from the exhaust systems. Now it wears me down quickly.


To view videos on Panama Canal Transit click the link or copy paste :
http://youtu.be/uFACq6PiKS0  (Goodbye Atlantic)
http://youtu.be/g1OQ5HA2oBs (Line Handlers)
http://youtu.be/rrL_wZyP6fM




Yesterday it was overcast, and rather cool for Panama. I had no problem walking all day, grocery shopping, and working on a ladder. Trying to repair what Mother Nature has damaged on the wind generator mount. She ate away 12 rivets that held 2 plated together. That held the mount in place. A couple of weeks ago It took several days to drill 6 holes on the work bench. Yesterday I drilled 3 holes 4 ft up a shaking ladder on top of the mast in about a half an hour. Another sign of my strength, and stamina returning.




    Las  Brisas de Amador - Causeway, Panama Anchorage








WORK ACCOMPLISHED
It is obvious my strength is returning almost daily. As well as my stamina too. A problem I started on when we first returned was the wind generator. It was blown off it’s mast, and the props sheered off. I first pulled it down with Mel’s help. Just disconnecting the wires, so we could drop the generator. Then actually getting the generator down, and on the deck just wiped me out. The next day I began to drill out the rotted, and broken rivets. I made one pass at 3 of 9 holes to be drilled. It wore me down. The next day I made another pass, and it wore me down. The drill bit also caught, and it twisted the plate of rivets, and hurt my wrist. Not to mention it broke the bit.

Several weeks passed, and we went into the yard. Then after getting out of the yard. We hunted down some new bits, and last week I started on the generator again. In one day I managed to completely drill out all 9 holes. With a total of 8 passes each. I ground down broken rivets, so the 2 of three plates will lay flush together. The third plate has a rubber gasket I fabricated to absorb vibrations.

Finding the proper size bolts, and fitting the pieces too several days looking all over town. It just so happened that a boat in the anchorage had the correct tap to thread the third plate for the new bolts. Once I had all the pieces I had to climb a broken ladder to high enough to look down on the mast. I tapped out the holes to fit the bolts. Spliced the wires that had worn through with months of the generator hanging from the mast. Ran the wires down the mast with Mel’s help. Then it was a matter of lifting the generator up to the top, and slipping it onto it’s rotating mount. I coiled up the remaining length of wire, and connected the wires to it’s terminal. Mel flipped on the switch, and we once again have free electricity when there’s wind.

The amount of electricity depends on the wind. Soince we are in a protected anchorage from wind. We basically get a trickle charge to heko maintain the batteries. At sea it will be able to run the navigation lights, auto pilot, and refrigerator through the night. With a good breeze, and the solar panels getting good sunlight. We won’t have to run the engines to top off the batteries for electrical power.

It took nearly a whole day to retrieve our little Honda gas generator. We have made a total of 3 trips for this generator. Once to deliver it, Once we went to pick it up, but there was miscommunication that it was ready. They were just confirming the price for repair, and once to actually bring it back to the boat. The repair for a bad valve, oil change, and air filter was $68.+, and the taxi rides were $70.00. The problem is our lack of speaking Spanish fluently. Some people are very gracious, and kind. While others get indignant that we don’t speak the language. In a country we meant to stay in for only 3-5 days!

While passing by Jamaica we ran into a 50 knot squall. While reefing the main I could see some of the reefing lines were slapping our antenna for our single side band radio. Yesterday I got back up on that shaking ladder to take a look, and rotate the wire to a better position. After peeling back the tape I could see one wire was actually pulled away from it’s mount. I am hoping this is the reason for our weather fax being so blurred as it was printed.

To view the video of the squall click the link or copy paste in your browser :
http://youtu.be/DjshrX9kx6E


Now the wire is attatched to one of our back stays. Back stays are large stainless steel wires that hold up the mast from the rear of the boat. The boat is moving around on small waves, and the wire is jiggling. All the time shaking an already shaking ladder. It took me nearly an hour to remove tape, loosen clamps, clean the broken wire, retighten clamps, and put on some more tape. Before I put on the tape I realized I could move the wire to a better position, so I had to loosen, and retighten all over again. It felt like I was doing A TIGHT ROPE WALK!

One of the problems with working on the boat is avoiding the heat of the day. The heat still wears me down. The morning, and evening are quite a bit cooler. Last night after getting off the ladder. I told Mel it was almost time for a shirt it was so cool. In all the years we have traveled in the tropics. Only a few nights have I wanted a/c. After the sun goes down, and there’s a wee bit of a breeze it is comfortable enough to sleep. By 3 am I am usually reaching for the sheet to cover up in, because I am cold.

Like anyplace there are many grocery stores here, and prices vary on the same product. We have spent 2 afternoon in 2 different stores provisioning the boat. We have a couple more days of this, and the pantry should be full. Then we need to focus on the freezer. I don’t eat as much meat as I use to eat. It is at times hard to swallow, or impossible. The meat has too be super tender, and be very wet with sauce, or gravy to get it to slip down. The radiation treatment has ruined my salivary glands. They seem to be improving, but still my throat is not the same. It seems to be very rough, and catch small pieces of food. It also seems to be much smaller too.


So here we are on the 26^th of June, and getting very close to leaving for Hawaii. The things that have broken while we were gone. The tomorrow attitude of the Latin world, and the inability to get around easily has frustrated the hell out of me. We just keep pushing forward, and putting our shoulders to the wheel to make the cart move.


WAITING , PATIENCE & HOPE

I am being worn thin with waiting. & patience. I want to go, and go now, but I know it is not a good decision for now. To rely on my strength & stamina, so I wait, but impatiently so. Finding crew has proven to be my trial at patience, and I am failing.

Our first attempt at crew was halted through the red of immigration. The immigration of the USA. Ian was not given a visa due to the red tape of new immigration polices. I would thank to thank the dead bullet riddled body of Bin Laden for that. Our government lives in such fear that it is becoming ridiculous. They like to spread the fear to the people so we will willing huddle under their wings.

There was a delay in getting information to the US embassy from South Africa. Upon our arrival here we went to the US embassy to see if we could give any information, or find any information that could expediate the process. What we met instead of helpful was a downright power tripping asshole. I was hoping by showing my old passport, and them reviewing Ian’s in Trinidad. That they would see Ian had crewed for me before from the USA to the Bahamas, and back to the USA. Ian himself had entered, and left the USA on his own nearly ½ dozen times. By going in, and out of Cuba, or the Bahamas.

What we were told was it looks like you are window shopping for a visa. Going from embassy to embassy is obviously a no no. Even if it is to inquire how we could help the process to move along. He pointed his finger into his chest, and said you have to go through me. I make the decisions here. Protecting the USA’s safety is serious business, Really now it is 20-40 year old middle easterners that want to destroy us. Not 60+ year fellas from South Africa. If a one armed bandit robs the bank. Stop pulling over people with 2 arms. Let’s get the description correct. It was obvious by the pointing to his chest, and his tone it was a no go for Ian.

Then the man who is responsible for me being infected with sailing tried to come. He had recently retired. Moved from his lifetime home in Illinois to Florida. His retirement was early because of a health issue. Once he moved the company now wants him to reprove his health condition. This will take more visits to the doctor, and doctors are way too busy to see you now. It takes months to get a visit. People worry about Canada’s health care where they claim you will sit, and rot while waiting. I am sorry, but it happens right here, and it happened to me too. What should’ve taken 6 weeks took nearly 8 months, because they were too busy to see me, forgot me, or forgot to look at my paperwork, so put me off.

My next try was to turn to sailing forums seeking crew. I wrote I pay for everything on the boat including food. It is the crew’s responsibility to get to, and from the boat. I do not pay for liquor, and restaruants.

I have had a half dozen send me applications for a paying job. Do people not read what they are applying for? Apparently they don’t. I was polite to the first couple, but have ignored the rest. Although I want to write back smart ass remarks. If they can’t read a 3 sentence ad correctly. How will they manage to sail the boat?

We have had several possibilities that sounded good. Then communication stops from them. If you have doubts, or a question at least ask, and do be polite enough to write back, and say I am no longer interested.

We sent out some canvas to be reworked, and a couple of rain catching cloths. Promised to be delivered in 2 days. It’s nearly a week now. Promises of I am on my way, tomorrow, give me an hour. In the mean time we are sitting waiting on the boat for a no show. When things could be getting accomplished instead. It’s frustrating as hell.

Poor St. Melanie took the brunt of my frustrations twice this week. I can only be thankful she is a forgiving, and understanding woman. Then again that is how she got the name St. Melanie. I am not a hard man to live with. I don’t tolerate B.S. very well, and speak my mind. Some find me difficult, but they need to remember where my attitude started. It starts with their B.S.!

The other day we sent out the laundry to be done. We asked 4-5 times how much? Well, it won’t be much, don’t worry about it. They had advertised a price of $5-6, but we wanted to hear it in person. When it was delivered is was $9, and I was floored. It was 2 loads, and it cost us nearly $4 a load to do. While waiting in a mosquito infested area, or leaving your clothes behind unattended.

I told the person it was wrong to do our laundry for a different price. The excuse was well, our normal people were busy so we took it someplace else. This was after she showed up the day before without our laundry.

The good news is another cruiser showed up later that evening at the boat. He had a refund of $6, and an apology from the laundry people. It restored a tiny bit of faith in humans again.

Once in awhile it it’s really hot we will take a taxi. I can’t take the heat. it just wears me down these days. The bus will get us there for $1, and the taxi is $3. Although when they are empty they will honk, flash their lights, and hold up a finger for $1 per person. Of course at this rate they pile in other customers.

This taxi flashes, honks, and holds up his finger. The man standing just ahead of us gets in. We go to get in, and he raises the fare. I was beat from the heat, so we took the ride. He starts explaining to us that we are tourist. We charge tourist more money. Just another frustration, and another asshole that is wearing my patience thin.


I am not labeling Panamanians as bad people. We have also met the sweetest, and most helpful people too. These people refresh my faith in humankind, and let me start fresh again. It’s me, and I am tired of the hot days that beat me down. I am tired of not have good enough language skills to communicate 100% here. I am tired of people trying to squeeze extra money out of me, because they think I am a rich yachtie who happens to be American.

PT is the one who worked on our boat and wouldn't accept any tip after all his hard work
One of the great local people we met here in Panama

Then this morning I was given hope. A friend of a friend of mine asked if a couple of date would work for his arrival? I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s only the size of a pinhead, but it’s something, and I can see it. I know it’s going to be hot, slow, sometimes rough, an d the motor running to get out of Panama. When we hit the trade winds all of that will change. There will be a fresh breeze running over the boat. It will keep us cool, and there will be rain to refresh our supplies. There will be 200 mile days with barely touching the sails. That is when my dream will come true.

We have had nearly 300 mile days, but it was storming, and a freezing cold. These large mile days have not been constant either. They are there for a day, and gone. We have had numerous 200 mile days, but once again they were not constant. I am looking forward to day after day of making X‘s on a chart with at least 200 miles between them to mark our progress. The knot meter reading a constant 8- 10 knots over the ground. Big puffy clouds slowly moving ahead of us, and almost the same course. The stars down to the horizon, and no land in sight for weeks. Then on que ahead of us a mountain appears, and it’s the island we seek, Hawaii! I know it’s going to happen. I have dreamt it too many times for it not to.

So here I sit on a cool, and rainy day. Hope has been restored. Imagine keels have been rebuilt. There is a pretty new blue bottom paint on her. Her bottom is faired, and she will slip through the water easier. Her engines are no longer spitting out oil. The wind generator has been mounted, and putting out free electricity. The electrical problems with the alternators are resolved. On a sunny day we can’t use all the electricity the solar panels put out. II have polished stainless tubing that holds the bimini cover. I will continue to polish stainless steel, and then start sanding teak rub, & hand rails. Then applications of varnish. As much cosmetic work as I can get done in the next 10 days. Mechanically she’s ready, and now it’s a wee bit of touch up to get her ready. She deserves it, because she sat here, and waited. She & Melanie both show patience that I struggle with at times. St. Melanie, St. Imagine, and a grumpy old fart named John.

( June 2011-Vacamonte Shipyard)

The second thing is my throat. It bother me in a couple of ways. When I wake up in the morning I have a lot of flem, and this causes me to cough. Until I drink something warm it drives me nuts. It also causes me a great amount of grief. I am an eater, and enjoy eating a lot. I am sure that is why my body was a wee bit round! Now pieces of small meat, skins of vegetables, and beans get caught in my throat quite often. Rice, and lentils seem to be the worst. The other night the skin of a lintel caught in my throat. Trying to get it out actually forced my dinner up, and into the sink.

This frustrates the hell out of me. I was so frustrated I gave up eating. Went to lay down, and continue to read Tristan Jones. The same book for maybe 4-5 times already, but he always makes me smile. A STAR TO STEER BY is the title, and it’s about trying to prove that multi hulls can sail to weather, are safe, and fast. He sails from San Diego to England via Panama in nearly 15,000 miles. He also proves with the boat Outward leg that a multi is very capable, and this is right after having a leg amputated.

My health keeps improving. A year ago I could sling a 5 gallon jug of water out of the dinghy, and up onto the dinghy platform. Now I can get it up there, but it is a struggle, and by the time I pick up the 6^th jug. I am struggling to make it happen. Then again in February I couldn’t hardly hold a pencil.

John confine in the hospital after last two days of radiation session

My Dad’s request was to be placed in the Pacific Ocean only. Last year we arrived on Father’s Day. It was very appropriate to only lay some of his ashes to the sea while the sun was setting. We also put some out at the islands of Isla Perlas a short time later. Tomorrow is Father’s Day once again. Maybe we will for a sweet day sail, and place a little more of him to sea. Along with my good buddy John Eilermann. I am sure they have been talking to each other this past year. About how negligent I have been to them. Conspiring down in the cubby hole where their remains are kept.


In this past year. I have gone from a strong man who looked 10-15 years younger than my age. To a man that looks his age, and struggles with what was once easy. Then again 6 months ago I was fighting to stay alive, and with a loss of nearly 60 lbs. I am still here, and the encouragement I get makes me walk taller, and quickens my pace even on a hot day.

John on 07/2010 at Pearl Island - Panama before cancer diagnosis

John cooking meals but cannot eat solid food @Feb.2011

Under feeding tube early March 2011

End of March - No more feeding tube

With Linda Mashburn on his 60th bday

With Vikki Marver on early May 2011 at Hayward, California

End of May 2011-Republic of Panama with Mel

I think it was The Little River Band who sang HAPPY ANNNIVERSARY? So, Happy Anniversary Baby. Maybe that should be babies, because I have 2 that I love dearly. Mel, and Imagine are my babies, and they have both taken me where I want to go, and that has been forward in life!

THE YARD

THE YARD?

The yard is always a mystery when you go in, and at times a mystery when you have left. When you go in you never know what you will find wrong. Of course you are there for a scheduled maintenance, or you have become aware of a problem? Once the boat is up on the hard you nearly always find new, and unexpected projects. After the boat is launched you sometimes wonder how you survived!

Heres some videos of the boat getting hauled :
http://youtu.be/E9R6g5p64ao
http://youtu.be/zWza2Wxs6Ks

After weeks of trying to arrange getting into the yard. We finally made it, only to find they could not raise us. We would have to come back the next day. This left us anchoring amongst the local shrimp boats. You can see in the pictures they live a hard life, the boats. They are well worn, and play bumper cars amongst each other while anchoring.

The yard is also a work yard that is full of work boats. There are several exceptions besides us. One was Valkyrie, schooner, built in 1928 in New Zealand so we are told. The other is Islamorada built in 1918. She is an old gin palace, and is being returned to her old glory. Then we are alongside a schooner built in 1914. She must’ve been something in her day, because even though she has been sitting for awhile. She’s something to be admired right now, but let me get back to the yard.

So we returned the next morning, and they have placed blocks on the rail in the proper places, we hope! The man in the water is being thrown all sizes of blocks of wood to him. He is shoring up the sterns, and bows. They raise us a wee bit, and then stop. The man in the water takes a look. He is thrown some small pieces of wood, and they raise us a wee bit more. We are raised a wee bit more, and a final look is taken. The decision has been made that we are good to go, and they raise the platform until it is even with the bulkhead.

All boats look bigger out of the water. You can now see every inch of them. Not to mention there are men usually walking around the boat, and you get a real comparison in size. Imagine being no exception, especially since she is over 23 feet wide. The mule comes up to the front of Imagine, and with a large line attatched to the rail where she sits. She is pulled forward to an area that runs between 2 aisles of track. She is then winched down the middle of the 2 aisles until she is in the proper location. Once there along comes the mule again, and she is towed to her resting place for the work to be done.

This may be the third world, but these men are efficient, and professional at their duties. I especially appreciated the foreman’s decision to make us wait a day. He wasn’t sure, so he made sure that Imagine was safe in her transfer from her natural element to an unnatural element, land! A large catamaran is unusual here, so we created a lot of curiosity by the work crews. We got a lot of smiles, and thumbs up. This always brings pride to a proud pappy of his baby. Then Mel herself got even more looks of admiration, and this too brings pride to a proud pappy of his baby!

This is where the first mystery begins to unfold. The unknown is presented straight out to one’s face. The blemishes scream fix me, fix me, and fix me properly. If you don’t then somewhere down the line will be heartache. It may not be tomorrow, or next week, but any weak spot will eventually bite you on the backside on an ocean going vessel.

Imagine has sacrificial keels, and the reason they are named sacrifical. Is because they are sacrificed to save the true keels. They are soft wood that will hopefully take the impact of a mishap such as a hard grounding. The dreaded, and feared torredo worms had found their way into the false keels. The wood was beginning to deteriorate. These worm eat wood, and the false keels were not epoxied, or fiber glassed in. I imagine the thinking is if, and when needed they can easily be separated from the true keels.

There were other blemishes on Imagine’s bottom. None too serious, but they still need attention, and attention in a yard is money. Even if you do the work yourself it takes time. Everyday is an additional cost to sit there in the yard. If someone else id doing the work then the cost skyrockets. Since I am not in possesion of my strength, and stamina. I have to hire out the work that I would normally do.

There is a small separation from the rear of the right keel to the hull. The fiber glass between the 2 have parted. I believe this happened last year when Imagine was picked up, and thrown sideways about 20 feet before she landed back into the water. It knocked Mel down,, and threw me sideways. Then there has always been a problem with a rubber plate that attatches to the hull, and over the sail drives. This makes the bottom fair, and is suppose to let the water slide past the hole that the sail drives extend from. The sail drives are like the bottom of an outboard motor where the props are attatched.

I have shared this information with other owners of sail drives, and many have the same problem. What I have seen in the yard is that wood, or fiber glass was used instead. This is what I have decided to use this time. A person has to shape the plate of glass, and cut a hole in the center for the sail drive. Then it has to be wrapped around a round hull, and epoxied into place. Pieces of wood need to be shaped to the shape of the hull, so they can hold the glass up against the hull while the epoxy dries. Then it needs to be faired so everything is smooth, and let’s the water pass with the minimum of drag from the water. It takes time, and these men work with hand tools. Electric tools are rare here.

Over the years I have applied nearly a dozen coats of bottom paint. I always give the hulls, and keels 2-3 coats of paint. Then the leading edges of the hull, keels, and rudders get an extra 2-3 coats of paint. You can see in a river where water will smooth a rock. Well, water eventually wears off the paint too, and the leading edges get most of the wear. This is the reason for extra coats of paint in these places.

This time the paint has been sailed off of the boat. The last time I painted her bottom I got a real deal on paint, so I gave her double the usual amount of coats of paint. While in the marina I would have a diver monthly scrape the bottom clean of barnacles, and any growth. This, and the sailing we have done has actually taken the paint down all these layers to the original owners bottom paint. What was left was sanded down far enough where there was nearly no paint left on her. This has not only lightened her, but her bottom is pretty fair once again. The lighter the boat, and the more fair the bottom. The faster she can be in the water, and speed reduces time spent on passages.