With the new boat purchased it was time to find a place to keep it.. The first home for my new treasure was in Bayboro, NC. in the Hurricane Power boatyard. Until I was ready to move onto the boat it was kept "on the hard" in this yard! This literally mean s that the boat was stored out of the water, on "stands" that support it. This allows one to work on the boat's undersides and make necessary repairs. So, from 29 Dec 2012 until 12 June 2013, the Bette B was quite truly "out of her element!"
After getting some things in order in Cincinnati (my former hometown), I started travelling to Bayboro for a few weeks every month and doing the things necessary to prepare her for re-launch. One of my biggest tasks was the sanding and refinishing of the entire hull below the water line. Part of that task is to capture the residue and runoff from the wet sanding process so that it doesn't get into the water systems, and send it to solid waste. Just part of being a responsible citizen! Yes? The really painful part of this whole process is the purchase of the special high-copper content paint for this job that costs over $300/gallon. Luckily, I was able to do it with only 2 gallons!!!
The next big task was to remove the old name (Second Wind) and prepare the sides and transom for her new name, but I already showed you the results of that work in my initial post.
I also had to familiarize myself with the systems on what was to become my new home, and learn what all those holes (thruhulls) in the bottom and sides of my boat were used for. My insurance underwriter had written a stipulation in my coverage that before my coverage would be in full force, I would be required to spend 24 hours of training with a "licensed captain", who would check me out on this particular vessel. It turns out that my previous experiences on 19 and 26 foot sailboats were not considered adequate for what I was about to tackle. (Pssst! Don't tell anybody, but they were sooooo right!) One of the things that my trainer, "Capt. Reg" instructed me to do was to locate and identify all the thruhulls on my boat below the waterline. This prepares a captain for an emergency when a hose on the inside of the boat might spring a leak! You then know exactly where to go to shut off, or plug, the valve that is attached to the inside of each thruhull. Smart, huh?
So, back to Cincinnati to start moving my furniture out of the house and preparing the house for sale. But, the Bette B is calling at all times, so in early June I am back to Bayboro and after finishing up all the prep items I am ready to "splash" and christen the s/v Bette B. First though, you must live thru the anxiety of watching your baby be lifted up and moved by the Yard Foreman Jose and his crew. Of course they are not worried, they do this hundreds of times every year. Including to boats much larger than mine! AND....it goes smoothly. On the 12th of June, 2013, my 1983 Bayfield 40 Ketch, hull number"06" of the series, is placed gently in the water as I christen her the Bette B and pledge her to a life of adventure for us both!
Finally, she is back in her element! Joy abounds!
Stay tuned.
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