And so it goes..

Gosh! It's been nearly 2 months since I last posted.
Stuff has been happening, but there is not a whole lot to show for it. It's mainly preparation towards a grand finale.[watch this space]

Last post we had bought a sheet of 3/8" acrylic and Chris was cutting out window shapes with it. He did a great job cutting and chamfering, and the finished pieces fit the existing screw holes absolutely perfectly. AFTER he did all this we had a rethink and decided we would like the front windows of thicker acrylic. So we went back and bought 1/2". Then Chris cut and fitted again.

Chris chamfering the windows. He's in his own little snow storm.

Windows in position for final fitting

We have also gone for new chainplates and got a local metalworker to cut some thicker ones using the originals as patterns. When we picked them up they were still in their rough, rolled stainless state. We polished them mercilessly by sander and by hand, giving a final touch up with jeweller's rouge. The photos don't do them justice - they came out beautifully.

Chainplate before and after

We also admitted that though the rub rail was beautiful, to be really effective it did need the addition of stainless trim on it's outer edge. It was hard to cover up all the shiny black, but it still looks good. We're trying to decide whether we should put it on the bow or not.

Stainless rubrail and chainplate

The interior window frames were in pretty rough shape, coming unglued at the corners with peeling varnish due to water damage and age. We have taken them apart and sanded them and the wood below is really lovely. Those in the know say it is teak. We are going to reglue and revarnish, then round the corners so that they match the outside acrylic panes.

Sanded window frames

Although the windows and chainplates are ready to be fitted we are waiting with most of it until our latest coat of paint has cured. We needed another coat of white on the back deck where we had run out of paint the first time. We also needed to cover the repairs to the hull and touch up several areas of white in the cockpit where the taping for the non-skid had lifted the new paint. The consensus here is that we didn't change our sandpaper often enough and burnished instead of sanding, leaving a finish too smooth to hold the new paint. We've also redone the grey non-skid as the beautiful finish had not dried the way it should have and left large areas with the appearance of the burst bubbles of an Aero bar. This seems to have been due to the high humidity when it was applied.

Paint repair in progress. Covering up the hole from the
generator exhaust.

Once the paint has cured for two weeks the windows and fittings will be replaced using a combination of butyl rubber and Sikaflex. We have tested this with the bowroller and a couple of chainplates, and it looks good.

September brought a real treat when we were able to visit with George and Doris of sister ship Grace. We enjoyed a fabulous homecooked meal aboard their boat and were very impressed by the clever and innovative ideas implemented inside and out.
It has reinspired us to return to our land based vessel and hurry up so that we can get on the water too.


We also visited Colonial Williamsburg a couple of times before our annual (!) pass ran out. A pass is definitely the way to go if you have the time, as we found there was SO more to see and hear than we supposed with just our first visit. We had conversations with Martha Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette,as well as George Washington. These were done in the form of a monologue on stage by the famous person, then it was opened to questions from the audience.
The format worked extremely well, and the personages were so informed and immersed in their character that we were both enlightened and entertained.
On our last visit Chris felt we had probably visited enough, as he was beginning to recognize some of these people on sight!

I do believe it's the Marquis de Lafayette

Having gone full cycle with the seasons we are once again enjoying the multi-coloured morning glory covering the road sides and leaves acquiring fall hues. Persimmons grow wild; some small trees with cherry sized fruit, and some low bushes with apricot sized ones. All year we have seen wild deer - on average once a week - grazing in fields and gardens nearby. Tonight we even had a two point buck come right into the boat yard There was a fair bit of excitement around the beginning of September when there were sightings of black bears in the neighbourhood. One was lucky enough to get his photo on the front page of the local paper.

Small persimmons - not ripe yet