Voyage 2006-2007: Chapter 1

10 Aug 2006, What no rudder?, 38 46.569 N/ 076 33.956 W

We returned to Jule III on the hard and we discovered that our rudder was missing. Well, not really. Buster of Phipps Boatworks had taken it off to inspect it for deterioration. More on that later. Progress on the new autopilot (Simrad 1609) was impressive as Steve and his crew from Alpha Rigging were continuing the miracle of forcing equipment where it shouldn't fit. It will fit, wouldn't Steve? Jimmy of Osprey Composites supervised the soda blasting of 10 years of bottom paint off the the hull. Jack of Potomac Sailmakers is repairing our sails and making new sail covers. Michelle of Custom Marine Canvas is re-doing our dodger to fix leaks, sags, and an all too mobile mizzen. Of course, Bob is doing most of the electrical work and taking grief from the yard dogs for not doing all the work himself. Since Bob is still making good money as a "Beltway Bandit", let the yard dogs talk.

Jule III's rudder has worried Bob for a long time. Of course Bob worries about every aspect of Jule III. The Swedes/Germans build boats well. The rudder was in bristol condition! The mahogany had not deteriorated at all in 28 years. The stainless steel supports have not demonstrated any corrosion or 'bleeding'. We have asked Buster to 'coat' the rudder with fiberglass to protect it from worms when we head to the Caribe and other places (can't let Ann know the plans)

29 Aug 2006, Working and Waiting, 38 46.590 N/ 076 33.930 W

We have been in the yard for nearly 3 weeks working on Jule III. Unfortunately, a lot depends on outside workers and the weather. Bob re-wired all of the Garmin stuff and integrated the Simrad Autopilot into the electronics. However, we are waiting on the dodger to be refurbished, the autopilot to be mechanically integrated to the rudder, and a variety of smaller things.

Ann decided to clean the teak deck in the rain! Good for her. Bob decided to forego this opportunity and decided to foster relations in the boat yard. Ann was wet. Bob was dry and the deck looked great. SV Moony should arrive soon for their haul-out.

Here they come! They are a little early but it is great to see them. Their repair list has grown quite a bit since last we saw them in Newport RI. We had a car so we could shuttle them around to speed up their tasks. Still our reunion would be short as Denise and Wolfgang would be flying to Germany and we were scheduled to take a Carnival Cruise.