Hauled Out in Whanga-rain

Wow, did we pick the time to haul out. Whangarei’s nickname, Whanga-rain, is spot on. As a massive tropical depression barreled towards the North Island, we became very unsure of our haul out plans. The forecast had the storm hitting midday with rain all day and winds in the 30s and 40s. When we woke up that morning we looked around at conditions and with wind only gusting to 12 knots in our marina (Town Basin), we decided to untie the lines and make our way down river (at high tide) and under the bridge. During our 1 nautical mile river cruise to the yard, the wind gusts picked up to 19 knots. Thankfully the crew at the yard was ready and waiting at the dock to take lines and help us safely tie up. With the hard part behind us, we waited patiently in line for our turn in the lift. The lift went seamlessly, even as wind speeds increased. Once up in the air, the bottom was power washed to remove aquatic growth. We were relatively clean, especially compared to other boats, after only 7 weeks sitting in the marina in Whangarei. Next we were moved into the neighboring yard for sandblasting. We decided to sandblast the hull to remove old paint (bottom paint and barrier coat) and to open up blisters that needed repair. The last time we hauled out in Puerto Escondido, Mexico we only applied new ablative bottom paint which is the outermost layer on the hull. We considered repairing the blisters in Mexico but did not have enough time (over a month needed) to sit in the yard since we had our eye on the Pacific Ocean crossing weather window. Instead we decided to schedule in enough time here in NZ to let the hull dry and repair the blisters. After the blister troubleshooting and repair, adding a fresh new barrier coat should prevent the issue in the future. We are changing from ablative bottom paint to Coppercoat, a long lasting eco-friendly antifouling system. Sandblasting proceeded slowly over our first few days on the hard due to the storm. Winds did reach high 30s in our area. It is a little nerve racking to sit in the boat, 20 feet up in the air, while it’s swaying on hard stands in the yard. Winds were much higher closer to the coastlines, and the heavy rains caused devastating and deadly landslides on the North Island.

The sandblasting worked very well, and was perfect for identifying where blisters were present and where there were coating failures below the surface. Many blisters were opened and rinsed with fresh water from the water/sand blasting process, which was great for the blister repair. With sandblasting complete, we were moved in the lift over to the main yard to continue working away. We’ve been enjoying our land house on a farm in nearby Glenbervie during these past weeks even though we’re back in the daily grind of commuting to work. Both of our #1 favorite thing about the land house is “unlimited” hot water for showers. It is so luxurious. We have accomplished so much in our first 3 weeks hauled out, though it has been rough at times. There are days where it feels like we take 1 step forward and 3 steps back. We have started transitioning into more days that feel like 2 steps forward and 1 step back, which is nice. As time progresses we start putting things back together instead of only tearing them apart. Boat projects can be tricky with new challenges emerging constantly. We’ve been hauled out for 23 days and have taken 2 days off. We have a long list of projects that need to be done while on the hard and we’re making our way through as quickly as we can. It’s more expensive to be in the yard than in the water, and way less fun! We spent a holiday weekend up in the slings of the lift so we could finish blister repairs, fair the keel, do painting prep work and apply barrier coat to the bulb of the keel and the spots where the hard stands contact the hull. It was important to knock these spots out of the way so we don’t have to pay for additional lifts later on when we are ready to apply barrier coat to the entire hull.

We’ll provide more details on projects in a later post, but we wanted to share a short list of what we’ve been working on. Projects complete: sandblasting; opening blisters; drying blisters; washing and cleaning the hull; filling blisters with epoxy; fairing the hull; sanding and applying barrier coat to the keel and stand spots; review and testing of emergency equipment; dropping the rudder; hanging the rudder in a massive boat shed; sanding the rudder down to fiberglass; check-ups with a doctor; obtaining travel medications to prevent malaria and cholera; annual mammogram for Kris; sanding of wooden freezer top to prepare for fresh paint; hydrostatic testing for scuba tanks and servicing for regulators and BCDs; applying new caulk to aft port light and one stanchion screw (fixing the latest water leaks); and securing the new fridge/freezer in the garage and wiring it in to the 12-volt system. Projects in progress: sanding the remainder of the hull; and internal sanding of teak prior to refinish. Upcoming projects: fairing the rudder, applying barrier coat to the remainder of the hull and rudder; applying Coppercoat to the entire hull and rudder; refinishing interior teak; installing new rudder bearings; adding new foam in various cushions; installing a new dinghy davit and a few other stainless steel improvements; having a new bimini and stack pack for the main sail made; and what feels like a few hundred other things.

Next Stop: South Island with Seattle salty crew for a week of vacation!