Ship's Log
SUMMARY OF HAULING THE KRUSTY KRAB FOR A BOTTOM JOB
Day One: 30 June 2005.  New River marina.  With the help of friend, Sally Campbell, set sail for Swan Point marina to pull the boat , scrape and paint the hull.  Planned for a liesurely four hour trip, drop off Sally, spend the night aboard preparing, and get to work about 7:00am the next morning.

What really happened?
    We sailed for a couple hours, down to marker 46.  It was taking forever into a southerly wind; so we pulled in the sails and started the engine.  We motored south along the New River channel until running hard aground just north of marker 17.  The channel is treacharously narrow in that vicinity.
     As it got dark, all of the pleasure craft left the river, leaving us with no friendly tow.  I was not a member of BoatsUS yet, so wasn't about to call a tow boat.  We had to wait for the next high tide which wasn't until 4:00am the next morning.
     Throughout the night we were passed by commercial fishermen and shrimpers.
     2:00am, snoozing in the cockpit, suddenly heard a blowhole surface VERY close.  There was a school of dolphins 10 feet off the port side.  Cool!  They surrounded the boat for 20 minutes, probably curious why we were there in the middle of their river.
     4:00am, the moon is rising and we're finally free!  FINALLY!
     200 meters further south, ran aground again on the other side of the channel..
     5:30am: flagged down a fisherman who was nice enough to pull us off the shoal.  Made it around marker 15 on the ICW to Swan Point at 6:45am.  Not quite as planned, but in time for the 7:00am start.
Day Two: July 1st: Hauled out, immediately checked for blisters, scrape barnacles, powerwash, sand everything, and epoxy any holes/dings.  Also, check thru hulls, the rudder, and any fittings that need maintenance.  Hint: make sure you mix epoxy correctly!
Day Three: July 2nd: Check epoxy, make sure blisters are sealed.  Check double check thru hulls to insure any work done on them has cured.  Apply two coats of good ablative bottom paint.  Use good paint for the boot stripe.

Day Four: July 3rd: Let paint dry overnight and launch
   It was a challenging, yet fun excursion. 
     All the people at Swan Point marina were wonderful.  The staff allowed me to run a tab for parts and ice to keep my beverages cool.  They provided me with coffee each morning and allowed me to use their shower and laundry facilities free of charge.
     The marina has some excellent mechanics and a few old timers lounging around with an endless supply of advise or sea stories.
     The local live-aboards even invited me for steak and a beer the night before I launched.  Who's going to turn that down?
    
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