We finished the last blog with the mast back in and we were getting ready to haul the boat out for a few underwater tasks and other jobs. This would be the first time we had seen below the waterline of Kerensa. She looked great! The coppercoat antifoul was still doing it's job despite being applied 10 years ago and after a jet wash to remove a small amount of slime she was put down on a cradle where she was collected by a tractor and towed to her parking space for 14 days.
We were living onboard during this time and were thankful that we were stationed close to the toilet and shower facilties. Although we had water onboard we couldn't drain it down the sink onto the hard, the daily washing of dishes was a bit of a task, having to climb up/down a ladder with it all daily. Still, this was our opportunity to get on with the aforementioned tasks. First up was to change the anodes, relatively simple and the old ones were quite worn so our timing was good. Second was to sand and grease the feathering prop, also well timed and neccessary after all the miles we motored last year. The prop was feathering much more smoothly afterwards.
Once we got up close to the hull we could see that the coppercoat needed patching in a few places so that was next. Quite a task as one pot is mixed and you apply thin coats 'wet on tacky', of course while you are waiting for the previous coat to become tacky, the mix in the pot is also curing. We improved our technique for the second pot but generally made a success of it.
The biggest job of all that we wanted to do was to polish the hull. Dark coloured, older boats always have chalky gelcoat visible after they have been exposed to the sun for years. Kerensa was no exception. Armed with a battery powered (= heavy) buffing tool Nigel got stuck in. Wow, we were immediately impressed and pleased with the result! That was only on the first pass with heavy cutting compound too. We had to do both side with heavy cut, both sides with a lighter cut and then finish with wax to seal the gelcoat.
We were fortunate with the weather which, although cold in the mornings, was lovely and sunny during the day. This actually slowed us down as we were south facing and the hull was getting too hot to polish during the main part of the day. When the weather turned towards the end of the light cutting process we were unable to catch up partly because of aching muscles and partly because it was now blowing a strong northerly off the snowy hills. Nigel had three layers and two hats on for the final days polishing work, with numb fingers. Still, seeing the siny hull emerge after each pass was motivational and pushed us on.
Cold and tired, getting to the end of polishing.
Waxing was faster and we finished the job in 6 days, around 6 hrs polishing each day. We are so happy with the result. We are aware that the chalkyness may return and plan on waxing the hull often from the dinghy at anchor to delay this but if anyone knows how long we can expect it to stay looking good please comment. Of course we had to buy some smart new fender covers to prevent hull scratches on the new shiny surface.
Before
After
After getting lifted back into the water it was time to refit the sails, storm hood and bimini. All those exciting jobs that mean sailing is about to start. The rigger improved our gooseneck arrangement alongside the vang he did earlier. All in prep for crossing the Atlantic at the end of 2026.
We treated ourselves to a valentines dinner in Marmaris where the fattest cat we have ever seen tried to cuddle up on Nigel lap and wasn't taking no for an answer. It was so fat it could hardly jump up onto the seat.
We are now about to checkout of Turkey and head to Greece as our visa is expiring. We will be checking in at Symi, around 35 miles from where we are currently in Marmaris. Next week we will let you know how we got on, theres a gale forecast for the day after we arrive there......
