A good day on the hard?

Delaminated Rudder

It is never a good day to be in the yard. Reboot is getting new bottom paint and I decided to replace the cosmetic stripes that have become brittle and discolored over time. After the haul out I discovered that the rudder is delaminating. So I am now rudderless while it is repaired.

But last night was a good night to be in the yard. I am headed for Norfolk in the lower Chesapeake Bay. We had winds to 35 knots last night, the lower Chesapeake had winds to 70 mph. Two ships collided and a third ran aground. We are not talking pleasure boats here. Click here for a report from Fox News http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/04/16/2-ships-collide-cargo-ship-grounded-in-virginia/ I am glad I did not experience that little storm at anchor!

Back to the rudder. I was dragged onto a reef during a freak thunderstorm in Garrison Bight (Key West) and the original rudder was destroyed about two years ago. I contacted Foss Foam and they sold me a new rudder. It was installed and took me to Europe and back.

When I contacted "Al the Rudder Guy" to explain what had happened when I hauled the boat this time he was most helpful. They warranty new rudders for 1 year. However Al asked me to send the rudder back to him so that he could determine what had happened. He told me he would repair it for free and send it back. That is a great deal and I want people to know that Foss Foam stands behind their products.

Fair winds and following seas.

A day in the sun

Today the high temperature hit 81 degrees. I was planning on moving Reboot but decided to just sit in the cockpit and enjoy a quiet day working on small projects. I feel refreshed. Interesting that actually putting in 7 hours of work left me very tired. All these days in port have reduced my endurance for actual work.

Fair winds and following seas.