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!