Today is the day Makai has been waiting for.  The last time she was out of the water to service hull below the waterline and apply anti fouling paint was in November of 2012 in Grenada.  This job should be done every two years as the anti fouling paint only lasts that long if you are lucky. In May before leaving the Bahamas we scrubbed the bottom clean and smooth to reduce drag for maximum speed on our travels up to New York. After leaving the Bahamas we could never see very far into the water for a glimpse of what might be growing on the hull. Eight weeks later we pulled into the marina here and the reef began to grow on Makai’s hull.

The starboard side was facing the sun and grew this six to twelve inch grass.

After lunch the yard guys were ready for us. There is only a few inches clearance between Makai’s 24 foot beam and the docks, so Eric and Roy nailed carpets on the dock to protect from scratches.

Eric maneuvered Makai into this narrow space in reverse.  Then the travel lift rolls onto the dock and we adjust the sling under the hulls.

As you can see Makai fills the space.

When everything is secure the lift raises the straps and Makai is suspended exposing the mess that has grown on her bottom since leaving the Bahamas.

I was shocked on the number of barnacles that have attached to the hulls.

Last summer Makai was in the Marina in Solomons, MD for 3.5 months and at the dock in New Smyrna Beach, FL for another month and only grew a hand full of barnacles.  This is just crazy.

Makai went for a ride to the cleaning station.

There the yard had big scrapers to pop the barnacles off the hulls.  The yard guy said our hitchhikers were very young, we’re convinced that most of them attached in the three weeks we’ve been here in this marina.

The whole cleaning process took several hours.

Four people scraped, then they got out a power washer that blew away scum from the bottom and the water line.  The power washer even got scum on the water line that I had been unable to scrub off.  Unfortunately, much of the blue boot stripe was removed as well.  I guess repainting that can be added to the work list.

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The anti fouling paint is designed to slough off over time. Keeping the boat moving will swoosh the scum off the hull and the paint slowly sloughs leaving fresh paint to combat marine growth.  In 2012 Eric and Brian rolled red paint over the blue paint.  As you can see most of the red paint has disappeared.

Next an acid solution was used to dissolve the tannin stains.  The brackish river water contains tannin from the leaves and trees that fall and soak in the water.  This brown stain is really an eye sore and can only be removed with an acid wash.  In the past I’ve used Starbrite Hull Cleaner from West Marine and recently used an acidic toilet bowl cleaner which is much less expensive.  Unfortunately, the stains start appearing again after just a few days back in the water.  I may wait to wax the boat until just before we leave the Chesapeake Bay in November as the acid wash not only removes the stains but also removes the wax.

It is pretty cool seeing Makai parked in the bushes.

From the deck looking out into the parking lot I felt like it was a long way down to the ground.

Eric removed the propellers, they will be shipped off to Washington State to be refurbished.

The travel lift moved Makai to the upper storage area to be blocked on land.

According to a diagram published by the Leopard Catamaran manufacturer, Makai was set on blocks under structural bulk heads that can support the weight.

Here she is with the van parked next to her.  Now she’s a stranded RV in the forest with the cicadas buzzing and the lightning bugs twinkling. We spent the day stowing everything on the outside of the boat.  While we’re gone everything needs to be protected from the weather and reduce the temptation for sticky fingers.

Yes, we’re back to camping.  There is a water snake in the middle of this photo.

A giant mushroom grows in the moist undergrowth.

Our next adventure begins in the morning.  We’ll drive up to Gettysburg and take the audio car tour we didn’t have time for last year.  Then continue on to Ginger and Bruce’s house in New Jersey.  Wednesday Bruce will take Eric to the airport in Philadelphia on his way to work while the rest of us tag along with Ginger and her crew on their adventures.  Over the weekend the kids and I will head for Buffalo to spend the month cuddling on Topaz and JJ and visiting with friends and family in Buffalo.

After Labor Day Eric and I will return to Makai to replace thru hull fittings, remove a few and glass them over, seal up the gap between the keels and the hull, sand and paint the bottom, do a little waxing between the hulls where it’s impossible to reach when the boat is in the water, and dump the anchor chain out and turn it over so we can use the end that doesn’t normally get used.