Wet sanding, compounding, polishing, glazing, waxing = sore elbows

The hull needed was in need of a good cleanup. I read the directions "Tips for a Great Buff Wax" from Maine Sails on Sailboatowners.com and bought all the supplies listed, including the Makita rotary buffer.

It took a lot of elbow grease and a full day of work, but the results are definitely worth it!

Looking dirty and tired

Wet sanding

I did a test patch to see if it would make a big difference. Yup!

Shiny!

Before and after new decals

Can you tell which side has been wet sanded, compounded, polished and waxed? (Hint - port side)

Out for the season

Saturday at 8am - scheduled boat haul. I'm storing my boat at Bert's Boat Yard in Weymouth. It's right down the river from me. I left my slip at 7:40 and putted over, then hung out for a bit as the hauler got his trailer ready. It was a beautiful, warm morning with a nice wind. Not the weather I was hoping for as it would have been mentally easier to pull her for the year if it was 40 and raining.

Hauling and blocking went uneventfully. I have to winterize the engine (water system has already been done) and plan on detailing the hull and giving the deck a thorough washing before I wrap O'Sea D for the winter.

My folding bike gets used twice a year

Thayer's Landing - only 3 boats left

Just starting to get lifted out of the water

Trailer had to be repositioned, so I tied off for a few mins

Other boats already stored for the winter

Port side has been powerwashed

Sunsets from this season

Sunsets on the water are really beautiful. I'm sure I annoyed all my Facebook friends with the incessant sunset pics that I posted.

A great Halloween sail to end the season

The winds were forecasted to be pretty much non-existant, but it turned out to be a beautiful day on the water. They were light at first, then picked up a bit in the afternoon. I had a nice 6 hour sail through Hull, past the Sea Dog Pub and Spinnaker Island. I have never brought my boat over to the pub, but I'd like to do that next year.

I was going to bring the kids sailing on Sunday, but a friend couldn't make it and the winds were blowing at 25 knots and we lost an hour of sunlight because of the time change. The kids had football until 2pm, so I decided to just call it a season and remove the sails (again). 

This winter is going to seem extra long!

False alarm, another weekend of sailing coming up!

So.....O'Sea D is going to spend the winter at Bert's Boat Yard, which is right down the river from me. When I filled out the application, there was a space for the haulout time and date. I picked Halloween as that's the last day I can be at Thayer's Landing without having to pay extra.

On the application it also mentioned that I needed to supply plywood for the boat stands. This is the first year I'll have a boat big enough to store at a boatyard, I decided to call Bert's to clarify the size and quantity needed. They asked me if I had talked to the boat hauler. What? I thought that was all set!! I called and left a message on Saturday. Something in the back of my mind told me to wait to take down the sails in case they couldn't do it on Halloween, but I went ahead and packed them away.

I talked to the hauler today and he can't do it until Saturday, November 7th. Looks like I'm going to have to pay for an extra week in the water, so might as well make the most out of it! It's dark and I'm putting the sails back on now to get ready for the upcoming weekend.

Last weekend of sailing

I really had a great summer of sailing and am sad to see it quickly coming to an end. I had been trying to get another friend and his kids to come out with us and we were finally able to get that done. His oldest son told us it was "the best day he's ever had" and now he's interested in taking sailing classes next week.

It was a chilly, overcast day out on Saturday, but the kids don't seem to notice the cold!

I took the sails down and put them away for the season on Sunday.

My friend Bill at the helm

Umm, it's 48 degrees out!

Nice sunset and bare poles :(