Glen Justice
Petula and the kids are in California for a few days, so I did what I always do: I moved onto the boat. As I write this, Anonymous Source is back in the water and neatly secured on a ball in Annapolis Harbor, where I plan to stay until my water, food or power runs out. Or my family returns.
This was the break I needed, the perfect opportunity to give the boat the attention it requires. My plan is to live here, managing my water and power and getting things done. I have 8 hot dogs, 2 Cup-O-Soups, 2 bottles of Gatorade, 2 boxes of nicotine gum, a loaf of bread, a bag of chips and a few other sundries. I can hold out (follow my fate on Twitter).
Of course, getting here was not easy.
I started in the yard yesterday, where I took a look at all the work that got done. The new bottom paint was on, the running gear was coated with barnacle inhibitor, the zincs were replaced and the dings in the hull were repaired and painted. She looked good.
But when we dropped her in the water, the engine did not start. Dead batteries. I ran the generator for a bit, but it became clear that I was going to need shore power to get them charged. The lift guys sugested we float it over to the fuel dock.
BATTERIES AND BILLS
The guys who ran the lift did very good work. But they were a funny pair. One was startlingly skinny and hated boats. The other was heavy, and seened to smoke a pack with every vessel that went up or down. They also had a running commentary that was long on words and short on substance. I began to think of them as Shaggy and Scooby.
Like a scene from a cartoon, Shaggy, Scooby and I silently poled the trawler across the marina and into the fuel dock. There, I was met by a teen in a bikini, who doles out diesel in between bouts of tanning in a lawn chair. I topped off the tanks, flushed the antifreeze out of the water system, refilled with filtered fresh water, opened all the through hulls (air conditioning, washdown, etc.) and got the batteries back up.
I also paid my bills: $3,345.80 for the haul and the work (compared to an estimate of $2,312.55); $544.40 for 117 gallons of diesel; $60 in tips to Shaggy, Scooby and the teen; and $21.59 for a jerry can of gas. I'll weigh in on this more later.
At 4 p.m., I asked the teen to give the stern a kick, thrustered around and got on my way. It was a beautiful day, and getting back behind the helm of Anonymous Source, if just for 90 minutes, was nothing short of a gift. I rode the flybridge most of the way, then moved downstairs when approaching the mooring field. I grabbed a ball on my second pass, paid the harbormaster, inquired about water taxi service and a pumpout, and then collapsed.
The boat is back in the water.
Glen JusticeBefore, Barnacles were everywhere. Not the worst I've seen, but more than I'd like.
Glen JusticeNow, the running gear is protected with Barnacle Barrier zinc coating. It cost $44. Notice that the zinces are new too, on the shaft, the transom and on the bow thruster (not pictured).
Glen JusticeBefore, some paint was chipping on the keel. Anonymous Source uses a "soft" ablative paint.
Glen JusticeNow, the boat has two fresh coats of Interlux Micron Extra Black. The cost of the paint job, including labor and parts, was about $1,195. At $200 a gallon, the paint itself cost $600. The price seemed about right. I have seen it for $250 a gallon and more online.
