Haul-out

Those of you who own larger boats already know how much 'fun' a haul-out can be. You get to play with dangerous substances in a dusty boat yard full of toxic noise and air. At night you retreat up a ladder into your boat, where you can no longer use the wash room or drain water down the sink. Needless to say one wants to limit the days spent in such a position.

I arrived early on Monday after motoring from McLeod Bay the day before and anchoring a kilometer down the river. The boat was hauled out promptly at eight thirty on a large travel-lift. They used only two of their six straps to lift Ladybug and place her gently in a strong steel cradle. I was glad to see how robust the cradle was because we had heard that a friend's boat had collapsed with considerable damage when the supports buckled under her.

In the last two days I have sanded the bottom and applied primer to the bare spots and a coat of paint - 2 coats over the primed spots. The bottom was quite fouled with slime and some coral and barnacles but a good power washing took most of this off. I also cleaned and polished the propeller in the hope that it will be less attractive to growth if it is nice and shiny. Other projects under way include painting the sheer stripe and resealing and painting the ice box/refrigerator.

It is time to climb down the ladder and get to work...