Baltimore: All Work And No Play…
We have been on the go since leaving Annapolis last December. Having made it down to the Bahamas and back up to the Chesapeake Bay, we knew that we had to address the boat projects that were piling up. Justin and I also needed to take a break ourselves to rest up and recharge for our next cruising season. We decided that Baltimore was the best location due to its proximity to marine stores/companies, pleasant weather and affordable marinas. We chose Anchorage Marina to do most of our work due to its proximity to marine and hardware stores, affordable monthly rate and long floating finger piers on both sides of the slip.
First on our project list was to get Nymeria hauled out of the water to inspect her condition below the water. We made arrangements with the Clinton Street Boatel for a haul-out and possible bottom paint job. After cleaning all the grime off, we decided that we could wait another year to put a new coat of paint on her bottom. With her out of the water, we were able to clean out all the thru-hulls (where water goes in or out of the boat) and replace the sacrificial zincs (anodes placed in multiple places on the boat to attract the electrolysis-caused corrosion). It’s always nerve wracking to have Nymeria put into straps and hauled out of the water but it went off without a hitch and we were back in the water after only a couple of hours.
If you’ve been following along with our blog, you know that we had a fender mishap in Oriental, NC and needed to do some cosmetic repairs to our teak. This was one of the biggest and most time consuming tasks that we needed to complete. In addition to the newly replaced teak, we were in need of sanding and repairing multiple sections of varnish requiring us to sand and varnish the entirety of the exterior teak. Because of rain and also working on other projects, it took us about 2 weeks to complete the process of sanding and applying roughly 4 coats of Cetol Marine Natural Teak.
While we get compliments for maintaining our exterior teak, it also helps to keep the deck and hull shiny and white. When you look at the previous pictures of Nymeria out of the water, the hull is discolored to a caramel color at the waterline and along the bow (front of the boat) forming the “ICW Mustache.” When moving through waters that are less than pristine, this discoloration will occur on a light colored hull. One of the first things we do when staying at a location for a bit is to hire a crew to come and make Nymeria shiny and clean again. They have the proper power tools and floating rafts to take away the grime and scuff marks from bouncing off docks. Many thanks to Land & Sea Detailing for responding to our request and for sending a great crew to make Nymeria pretty again.
While at the dock, we needed to inspect our anchor, chain and rode (rope). We didn’t have any difficulties with our setup while in the Bahamas but it’s always good to lay eyes on your gear. After putting the anchor on the dock, we pulled out all 150′ of chain and 150′ of rode. We realized that the rode wasn’t properly attached to the boat in the chain locker anymore and needed to be reattached. To know how much chain or rode is being used when we anchor, we mark the chain with paint and the rode with tape and both needed to be redone. We also found that the drain that allowed water to drain out of the chain locker was plugged and needed to be cleaned out. Like all tasks on the boat, it became a process as the drain hose went under the V-Berth and directly into the bilge. With some high pressure from our water hose, and cleaning out the gunk in the bilge to get the water flowing again.
While the V-Berth was all torn out with the anchor project, we jumped into our fresh water tank inspection. It had been since before we left Texas in Jan of 2023 that we had drained and cleaned our fresh water tank. Our drinking water goes through a series of filters before it ends up in our water battles so we weren’t too concerned for our health but it was necessary to at least do an visual inspection and probably a cleaning of the tank and lines. With the tank located under the V-Berth, where Justin and I sleep, it’s a process to access and makes the rest of the boat a huge mess but, that’s all just part of boat projects…
The main goal of boat ownership is to keep the water on the outside, so when we find leaks, they need to be delt with quickly. Luckily we only had a few leaks in big waves or heavy rain with our forward starboard portlight (front, right window) and our salon hatch (living room hatch). We determined that the weather stripping has stopped being effective and needed to be replaced. It was a bit of trial and error to find the correct size but I think we’ve succeeded. Fingers Crossed.
We have been living full time on the boat since November of 2017 and without a home port since January of 2023. We carry everything that we need, or might need, on board with us. We took this time to inventory what we need and to get rid of what we don’t. We emptied every nook and cranny to clean and organize everything. We got rid of some stuff and also realized that we needed some other stuff, like spare parts and tools. This also included our clothes which is a huge process since we have to have all 4 seasons on board. Thank goodness for space saver or vacuum sealed bags that make clothes and soft items more compact and easier to stuff into small and irregularly shaped spaces.
After putting everything all back in its place, we took advantage of some sunshine and took off all of our canvas off. It has to be washed and dried then sprayed with 303 to make it all water-resistant again. It’s always tricky to get everything off and back on again but it’s a great time to inspect all the hardware and attachment points. During this process, we found a line, that holds the bag for our main sail (stackpack), that was beginning to fray causing Justin to go up the mast a bit. It wouldn’t have caused a huge problem underway but its always good to keep an eye out for any anomaly. It is also true that boat jobs take a bit longer than they should and will, more times than not, uncover more issues.
Of course, when you own a boat there is a never-ending to-do list. There are countless tasks and projects that get taken care of that don’t get mentioned or have their picture taken. However, we feel that we are only left with the “should-do” or “would-like-to-do” items and no more “have-to-do” items. Though we’re sad to leave the comfort and routine of being in one place for a bit, we’re excited to head out and do more boat work in fun and exotic locations.
Someone asked me, if I were stranded on a desert island what book would I bring… ‘How to Build a Boat.’
– Steven Wright
