Month: October 2023

It’s been a very productive two days in the boatyard. We arrived at the yard around 8:30am on Monday and got straight to work pulling off our sun shade. As the cover was coming down, a frog came flying off, landing a few feet away from me. The poor guy seemed a little shocked but eventually jumped away. It was a super foggy morning which made the deck of the boat very wet and slippery.

The next job we tackled (once the cover was off) was washing the deck and the cockpit. The boat was dirty (as usual) but cleaned up nicely. By the time we were done all the exterior washing, the sun was out and the temperature started to rise. We quickly discovered one of the negative aspects of our storage location – it’s right next door to a company that does welding and other work and they run a fairly large generator all day long!! It’s so noisy that we have to yell to be heard.

The top priority pre-launch job is putting in a new thru hull that we are hoping will solve our water intake issues. Our engine is water cooled and we’ve been having problems with it overheating. This new thru hull should help with this issue. Mark began preparing the area for the new thru hull and in short time had drilled the hole.

For the most part, the interior of the boat was in good shape – a bit of mold in the usual places. I started the day in the aft cabin. Lots of washing with vinegar and pinesol. By the end of the day, we had made good progress on the thru hull and the cleaning.

Today (Tuesday, Oct. 31) we arrived around the same time and Mark started working on the thru hull. I finished cleaning the cockpit and put up the enclosure. Unfortunately Mark discovered we had the wrong caulking so a road trip into Jacksonville was in order. We found the caulking plus a few other items at a marine store and headed back to the boat.

It was another hot day but by the end, we had finished the most urgent part of the thru hull job. Mark had also repaired 2 weeping bolts near the bow and had removed the large zinc plate (replacement is waiting to be installed). I finished the aft cabin cleaning and got it all set-up so we can sleep there on Friday. I also cleaned about 90% of the main cabin so we can now sit on nice cushions!!

We ended the day celebrating Halloween with our fellow cruisers. Julia (Alizarin) and Jackie (on Soaring Eagles) organized a little get together in the lounge. There was food, decorations and great conversation. A very nice way to end a long working day.

After a wonderful summer in Kingston and Toronto, we’re back in Florida, ready to get Crimson Kathryn back on the water. Our journey south began early in the morning on Friday, Oct. 27th. We had a great border crossing and a smooth trip down to Defender Marine in Connecticut.

This is definitely not our usual route south. We made the Defender detour to pick up 200ft of anchor chain and other supplies that Mark purchased. We decided to make this trip because the shipping cost on that much chain is crazy! I can also tell you that putting 200ft of 3/8th chain in the back of your car gives a good test to your rear suspension!

We made good time to Connecticut and only really ran into traffic when we closed in on N.Y.C. We crossed over to the west side of the Hudson River and travelled south on the New Jersey turnpike until we reached our first night destination – Trenton, NJ.

The next day (Saturday, Oct. 28th) we were up early and on the road by 7:30pm. It was a lovely day for driving – bright and sunny. We started early so we could get through Baltimore and Washington in the morning (trying to limit our traffic exposure). It was a good plan and we had little trouble getting through these two busy cities. That day ended at a Holiday Inn Express in Florence, SC. This hotel was kind of in the middle of nowhere and we didn’t feel like driving too far to get some dinner so decided to go to this store called Buc-ee’s. To say this place was strange is an understatement!! It’s the weirdest, craziest store we’ve ever been in. I can’t even explain it – kind of a fast food place but there’s also clothing and souvenirs and a gas bar that has probably 50 pumps. As we were heading back to our hotel we laughed and struggled to find words to describe Buc-ee’s. Mark came up with Costco mashed up with a fast food restaurant!! FYI – the food was good!

We had a slightly slower start today because we only had 5 hours left to drive. Another great driving day with very little traffic. We drove straight to Reynolds Park (although we couldn’t get in to the boatyard because the gate is now locked on weekends) and arrived around 1:30pm. We had a great visit with Julia & Brad and Jane & Steve, before heading to our very swanky Airbnb.

Tomorrow begins the process of getting Crimson Kathryn ready for our sailing season. We have an ambitious season planned – hoping to get to Turks and Caicos! So let the fun begin!!