Life in the Boatyard!

We are through our first month in the boatyard and projects are well underway.  For the last week Independence has been in a huge plastic tent waiting for the weather to be dry enough to spray paint the topsides.  

Finally, today is the day! I am waiting for Hodgie, our wizard of awlgrip, to call me and tell me he's done and Independence is gorgeous.  It is a little like having your car painted, if your car was 22 tons and 44 feet long and about 15 feet tall so it is a REALLY big tent!  So far,  it hasn't rained and we should be good, fingers crossed.

Once the tent is down we can get back on the boat and resume work on everything else.  The carpentry shop is going to redo the formica in the guest head (bathroom) and in the main salon and they will be replacing some of the wood on the aft cap rail. The electric shop will be replacing our old electric panels and doing some rewiring, the fiberglass expert has a few little things to finish up and then the machine shop guys will be doing some engine work. Once that is all done Ray and I will get to work painting the decks and redoing the non skid.  The list is long but we have another month until we plan to launch so, hopefully, it will all be done on schedule.

It sounds like someone else will be doing the work; that was the case with the paint job on the hull ... But everything else is our hands-on, with the experts doing the things that we can't. The idea of gluing and fitting Formica terrifies me, but for everything else I can be in there helping. I am a great wrench passer and gofer,  and when it comes to demo just turn me loose!

We caught a lucky break with the name board and the trailboards.  Mace McDowell who is known as Mace of Arts did the signs when Pieter had the boat yard and she was back for a few days, visiting  from Virgin Gorda, and managed to fit us in.  Once the plastic tent comes down I will get some pictures so you can see her wonderful work ... And Hodgie's, too!


It is very satisfying to get all these projects done but we can't wait to get back in the water and go sailing again!  Tentative launch date is October 27th so if you are thinking of coming sailing when you are in St.Thomas we'll be ready, willing and able shortly after that.