Painting the Big Belly

Day 12. June 9, 2019.

I woke up early this morning and could hear the birds chirping loudly outside. I opened the hatch (window) to climb down the ladder to go to the marina toilet, and I am struck by the warmth of the sun so early in the day.

I love how much time I spend outdoors now. Even in the cold and rainy days, it is invigorating.

Before I spent most of my days indoors, from house to car to building and then again in reverse. Now I spend most of my days outdoors. I'm so much more aware of my surroundings, the smells and sounds, the clouds and wind.

Emily and I spent the morning sanding the entire hull with electric hand sanders. The point is to smooth the surface out, ready to paint the antifoul on.

It's not easy to hold an electric sander above your face and head for a few hours knowing that toxic fine powder is raining on you.

Emily is the perfect work mate and she just gets on with it. So I have to too.

At one point we kept finding some places where more scraping was needed. It seemed like previous owners had just slapped some paint on there, layer after layer after layer without trying to scrape the original layer off first.

I was getting frustrated and 'hangry' and that's never a good thing. Not for me, but more for the people close to me. Why was one job taking so long and why must it be so multifaceted and so tedious?

Then you remember, oh yea, because it's a boat! Doh.

We broke for lunch at about 2:30 and had a nice picnic by the docks. A change of scenery is always good.

We met a Swedish couple that had just flown in to prep their boat for this season. They are living on board too and are hoping to launch by the end of this month.

They have been cruising for many seasons and it was so refreshing to hear how they were having issues and concerns and delays too.

Not that I want them to suffer, but they were listing their boat repair jobs as if they were discussing the menu options at the local golf club! And they were completely matter of fact about it all.

What was refreshing was seeing their perspective on cruising and accepting that this was the reality and that was it. Get the job done when you can and move on.

As cruisers you have a lot of freedom. But you also have a lot of responsibility to your home, your boat.

The more you care and maintain your home, the more freedom avails itself to you.

I am beginning to see how true that is.

After lunch, we got to work on rubbing the acetone thinner on the hull in order to remove any and all dust particles. Luckily we brought all of our mismatched socks and random clothing that we were discarding anyway from Ottawa and used them as rags.

After that, it was painting time! Finally!

That first brushstroke of paint felt glorious!! Painting is so much easier than sanding or scraping. And so much more satisfying.

By 7pm we managed to paint our first coat of antifoul on the entire hull.

We have to wait at least 24 hours until the second (and last) coat goes on. Tomorrow we are not painting since we have to go to the airport to pick up some very excited kiddos and my Dad.

Painting will have to wait another day when there is good weather and when we're free.

Matt spent his day attaching the wind vane on the top of the mast and trying to get the sea cocks and thru hulls fittings removed and replaced.

A thru hull is a deliberate hole in a boat for water intake to run various systems on-board, such as engine, generator, water for sink and the heads (toilet).

A sea cock is the tap or faucet on the inside of the thru hull.

Our sea cocks are old and the rubber seals are cracking. Since these are only able to be replaced when hauled out, now is the time to do it.

We have 11 sea cocks to remove and replace, and they don't all come out easily! Angle grinder here we come.

At about 8:30pm we decided that that was enough for today.

After a stroll on the docks, we cleaned ourselves up and put a load of washing on.

For dinner we feasted on cereal and dill pickle chips.

Tonight's job, or possibly tomorrow morning since I am really too knackered, is to tidy and clean this place up.

We got two small humans joining us onboard tomorrow and I know they are VERY excited!

I've booked my Dad, who is flying out with them, a b&b just one minute walk away.

After all the solo parenting he has done over the last week and a half, he deserves his own space!

The house will seem so quiet and tidy when you go back!

And this boat will feel a wee bit smaller and louder as of tomorrow! 

Morning sunshine. Imagine a chorus of birds in those trees.

Peaceful morning at the marina.

Shreddies are ready for ya, kids! 3 boxes for the 3 meals of the day: breakfast,
lunch and dinner. Just kidding .. kind of, not really.

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Morning sanding. Arms aching already.

Look how humongous that belly of a hull is!

Sea cock. One of eleven.

Picnic lunch at the marina.

Cracked and deteriorating rubber cap for the in-mast furling unit.

Great stuff for fixing the old cracked rubber on the top of the in-mast furling unit.

Best chips this side of the country! Locally made in New Brunswick.

Gotta tidy just a wee bit before tomorrow.

Painted blue hull. The moment the first brushstroke went on, I was in love 
with the colour. It instantly lifted my spirits.

Goggle Whiskers!

Emily and I, ecstatic we are done for the day. 

Researching how to replace sea cocks.