They say, “It takes a village.”

As parents we’ve heard “it takes a village” to raise children. Well, I think that phrase applies to more that just raising little ones—we all can benefit from the help and expertise of our tribe to handle the challenges life throws at us. And as we are a Navy family, I think of this awesome collective as our “fleet,” a fleet that makes this life we have chosen not only doable, but enriches the experience.

We’ve spent the last month in our old home area of Herring Bay and during that time got a great deal of support from the fleet! (I’ll use first initials so you know who you are without making you public, even though we know you aren’t seeking any praise!)  Our old dock and marina mates made sure we stayed safely social (M&K, J&J, the other M&K, D&K, M, J, D&G, J...lots of J’s and M’s!), we were offered loan of critical tools (J&J), and everyone just genuinely asked if anyone in the family needed anything. Our kids were welcomed into their old second home (M&W) so they didn’t have to endure weeks of hot boat work and our whole family was given a room in a friend’s home (B) to stay in while the boat was on the hard—two things that made this whole month totally enjoyable despite the hard work. And so many mail deliveries (M, B)!!!

For our part, we gave back where and how we could, sharing muscle, meals, conversation, and parts. Our fleet, our tribe, our village...it’s all about just doing what’s right and being kind to each other. It’s what I want my children to see and learn from—our Herring Bay fleet consistently delivers!

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

🙏🏻❤️

This round of maintenance...done!

And just like that, our time in the boat yard is over! We splashed Thursday, exactly one week after we were hauled. We now have a good idea of how long painting and waxing takes us and we know how much bottom paint we need (3 gallons for 2 coats!).

I made a few runs to the grocery store, the kids enjoyed their last day of land life with new (used) skateboards, we said our goodbyes, and we are anchored in Herring Bay for the night. Katreina took over my anchoring roles while I drove the car between the marines and did great!

We will get fuel and pump out in the morning and be on our way. It was a busy, but wonderful stop!

Food!

Two boards for $40!!!

Nice anchoring, 2nd Mate!

Paint Day!

After much research, we decided to go with West Marine’s PCA Gold bottom paint. It ablates at 4 knots which is perfect for our cruising sailboat (and much more appropriate than the paint that we had which ablated at 7 knots), and it the same as Pettit Ultima SR40 paint. And it was on sale! Today Frank wrapped up sanding and I wiped it all down with Thinner 120 and taped it off before he got to work applying two coats of paint. While he painted, I waxed! It was a painful day for everyone, but well worth it!

Frank working hard on the first coat.

With my mate, the Shurhold!

Hiding from the sun.

So shiny!

Looks fast!

Tomorrow I will finish up the second coat of wax while he does some work on the water maker and knocks out a few gel coat repairs. We will also work with the marina to get the jack stands moved so we can paint where they were. Then it’s time to splash! This was a painful yet rewarding time on the hard. This is the first time we have done all of this ourselves, and we are pretty pleased with how it’s all turning out!

Happy Father’s Day! Now get to work.

No rest for the wicked! I’ve been compounding the hull and trying desperately to bring life back to the vinyl boat stripe, but that’s nothing compared to what Frank endured today! He rented a vacuum sander and went to work prepping the hull for new paint. This was some hot, dirty, hard work. And thanks to COVID-19, respirators are sold out so forgive his attempt at safety gear.

Getting it done, one 6” circle at a time.

Looking good under here!

Trying hard to get a few more years out of this stripe.

It wasn’t all work! We ordered out for dinner and treated him to some bourbon-themed chocolates from Bixby & Co. in Rockland, Maine and bought him a bottle of Lagavulin 11 “Offerman Edition” (Parks & Rec fans will get that). We love our Captain/Dad!

FINALLY! We are on the hard!

After leaving the boat Monday we FINALLY got the call Thursday afternoon that the boat had been hauled! I was in full-on panic mode as we are on the schedule to launch next week and we have lots to do!

We got to the boat today to start to assess the workload. After looking at the bottom paint condition and researching what was put on last year, we’ve made the tough decision to sand and repaint the whole bottom. I will also be compounding and waxing the hull. Today was assess, shop, and wash day! I also painstakingly removed the silver pinstripe that was above our boot strip. It had taken quite a bit of abuse from mooring balls and we thought the boat would just look better with it removed. 

We will spend the next few days battling heat, thunderstorms, and work that we’ve never done on our own before!

Assessment time!

Pinstripe removed, ICW mustache removed with lemon juice and on-and-off, and she got a bath!

Galley Wrap-up and Moving On

After letting the countertop cure for a day, it was time to start putting it all back together! This wasn’t so simple as we decided to flip the sink around (which required some wood to be cut) and then had to redo the drain pipes when I dropped a piece overboard while trying to clean it. Getting all the screws back in to secure the sink took a LOT of boat yoga and patience. We also installed an in-line water filter under the sink (love it!) and a new faucet with a pull-out sprayer (love that, too!). I really can’t thank the Captain enough for all of his hard work on this project! I still have to put everything in its final place, but I’m calling this project complete!

Installing all the new goodies!

It’s done! Love it!

And not a moment too soon! Today we left Herrington Harbour South after a wonderful, productive visit and headed to Herrington Harbour North to get hauled out sometime this week. It was fun checking out our sister marina, not so fun starting an engine coolant line project only to find that some of the parts need to be special ordered. More to be done on that later!

Kids handled lines while I drove the car, then enjoyed the perks of HHN!

Grrr...that stupid piece of after-market metal needs to go!

Countertop Refinishing

Ok, this process is going fast! Yesterday I got two coats of base coat and two coats of stone on. Today, I sanded down the stone and put the topcoat on. I am loving it so far! 

The progression.

Mid-sanding to expose the stone colors.

Topcoat is on (top) vs stone-coated stir stick.

The Galley Remodel (really) Begins

Y’all, I’m so excited! This project just entered the “real” phase. While we had already removed the microwave, put up some baskets, and started to rework the pantry storage, yesterday $*!t got real as we removed the sink (it will get reused) and faucet (bye-bye!), took the fridge door off, and prepped the galley for the countertop refinishing.

At the recommendation of my interior designer sister-in-law, we chose Daich Coatings countertop refinishing kit in Onyx Fog. The product is water-based, low-VOC, and doesn’t require any artistic talent to apply (at least that’s what it claims!). Prep is pretty easy—fill any holes, sand, and wipe down.  Let’s get started!

Before—boring cream laminate with knife chips and tons of holes under the old microwave.

Before—taped off, sanded, and ready for base coat!

“Maintenance Availability” Week 1

We are so happy to be home! But, this isn’t an entirely social visit. As this is our first long marina stay in about six months, we have a lot to get done. In Navy speak, it’s a “maintenance availability.” The kids are super excited to get off the boat and hang out with some friends, too. And we are excited to do some boat work with unlimited power and water!

So, what have we been up to? Frank completed maintenance on our dinghy outboard, did some fiberglass repairs in the cockpit, completed anchor windlass maintenance, replaced the transom shower fixtures (because I broke one), and purged and reorganized the cockpit locker and lazarettes. I stripped the old varnish off our cockpit table, sealed the cockpit teak with a few coats of Semco, ordered parts and school supplies, and cleaned like a mad woman. Oh, and I gave the boy a much-needed dockside haircut.

Excited to pull into the marina!

First Semco coat (top).

Beautiful disaster?

It’s hot here!

We also managed to visit with some of our old neighbors most days. We took the weekend “off” to visit family in the area, but we will be back at it this week with a galley remodel!