Tonight Gloria and I had a beautiful evening sail. The sky was partly cloudy, temps were in the low 70's and winds 5-8 mph. Just a wonderful sail, and a fitting end to our sailing season. On our return, as a gorgeous sunset painted the west, we loaded Serene Dream onto her trailer, power washed the hull (which looked like a 5-day beard) and backed the trailer into the dry slip for the winter.
Such is the life of sailing in a water reservoir and in a drought. The water in the lake has fallen steadily for several weeks, to the point that all the fin keel boats were pulled out last week or the week before. With her swing keel, our Catalina 22 could sail in and out of the harbor for probably another week or two, but we barely had enough water to load her on the trailer.
I am a bit disappointed with the VC-17 antifouling paint. Yes, it kept the long strands of algae from growing, but the short stuff that looks almost like lichens were all over the bottom and keel. Then too, the power wash took off a hefty chunk of what paint was left, so it looks like another total bottom job again this year.
In a couple days I'll drop the mast and start finalizing the winter job list. I already know I will be installing a VHF radio antenna at the top of the mast, running coax cable down the mast and figuring out how to attach it at the deck. I'll also be replacing the plug that connects the mast lights to the wiring in the deck.
Apparently I will be sanding and prepping the bottom for more antifouling paint. I wish I could find one that doesn't slough off like chalk and will last more than one year. It also has to be able to be completely dry as I trailer Serene Dream at least once or twice a year. Of course, she also spends half the year on the dry sitting on her trailer. There's got to be a bottom paint that will deal with all that and still look good.
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