Since March 22nd we have been living on Simba "on the hard", high and dry at a boatyard in West Palm Beach, FL named Cracker Boys. We access the boat via ladders, eat aboard and use the boatyard bathroom. The starboard marine gear was replaced, port rudder post bearing and strut repaired, and we painted the bottom and topsides up to the railings. The painting started when I discovered that the expensive sand blasting and painting of the bottom performed by Damrach in Mobile less than two years before, was poorly executed. Water blisters over raw steel were everywhere evident. It was clear I had to re-prime and then cover it with anti-fouling paint again. Marnie energetically pitched in. We had time to burn while the mechanical repairs were underway, so we kept on painting right up to the rails. Simba now looks pretty spiffy.
My work was slowed by a minor hitch. I found out that raw steel can be slippery when wet. A few days before we left FL I was riding my bike in light rain when I crossed a railroad spur that ran across the concrete street on a sharp angle. In a flash I went down. My helmet was split (as it was in Maine) and my shoulder was numb. I completed my errand and went back to work. At first I ignored the sore shoulder, of course, and went on scraping & painting, etc., but in the course of loading some gear I put a bit of strain on the shoulder and it began to get my attention. I went to a clinic here in Nassau and x-rays showed I had a messy break of my right collarbone. The doc wanted to strap the darn arm to my chest for weeks. (Imagine me hauling the anchor or raising the heavy dinghy with one arm!) A light disagreement ensued and I settled for wearing a sling (which I soon slung away).
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