YACHT "WANDERING STAR": The Boat Yard Experience

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

The Boat Yard Experience

Doing time on land

We have been slowly chipping away at the work – literally as well as figuratively speaking. It is slow, hard work and poor Sim is doing the lion’s share. He makes my heart swell with pride and love as he takes on this work without any resentment towards me knowing how much I hate it and to be honest how useless l am when it comes to wielding a grinder. We all have our strengths and handling heavy hand power tools is not one of mine. We are working in sections; the front cabin and bathroom are being used for storage while we work in the saloon. The galley is partially taken apart as we work under the sinks and our bedroom is piled full anything we might need out but don’t want covered in dust. A lot of the areas we are working on are awkward to get at, taking longer than necessary to deal with.

Inside the boat it looks like a war zone, debris and paint dust cover every square inch, our senses are assaulted from every direction; ear deafening machinery, clouds of dust and burning paint, gritty eyes and throat, and the general dirt and grime that come from living and working in a yard. No matter how much I scrub my feet they are still dirty – I long for those idle days at anchor and promise never again to moan about being bored. The work seems relentless, but every day we plough on.

Where are the sofas?

We have good days and we have bad. We are working with Kenny the yard owner, and our expert steel man, he has heaps of knowledge and experience from his days of building steel fishing boats. Our days have been spent mostly removing paint - a truly horrible job. If the work didn't encroach on our living space it would be easier but when you live in a small environment, there is nowhere to hide.

Becoming familiar with a needle gun

The cat has taken things fairly well and has taken position as our chief security officer – she guards the boat relentlessly from the furry strays that live in the yard. I have never seen her so preoccupied. We try to encourage her to stay on the boat as we have rescued her from the water one too many times in the past (normally chasing other kitties) – she would not stand a chance in the fast currents here. But trying to keep her on board at night when the other cat’s prowl has turned our lovely fur ball into a feral beast. One touch from us and not only are her claws tearing flesh but her teeth are sinking in too! The yard takes its toll on us all.

The chief security officer taking one of her many naps!

But among all this yuckiness we are not, not enjoying our boatyard experience. We knew this work would be tough and so were keen to find a yard that would make that time a little easier. Our search for the right boat yard took almost a year and you could almost say that we traveled far to get here. But we are grateful we did. Bock Marine is super cool. So far our yard experience is a good one. The boatyard staff including Kenny and Nancy, the owners, are professional, friendly and good at what they do. I still marvel at our view everyday – in fact we almost have envy from other yard residents for our great waterfront location. A handful of yachties are staying on their boats while working in the yard and it gives a sense of community. Some people have been living and working here for years! That’s how fab the yard is, though as much as we like it here – I hope with all my heart that doesn't happen to us.