Gitana Gets Wet, Finally

 



Its early Friday morning, February 22nd, and only one of us is still asleep. Greg and I are rushing around getting ready for the trip to the marina.

The keel has been repaired by Marina Seca and amazingly, it came in $200 under estimate! The fiberglass guys don't use respirators when they grind; they wear what looks like a burlap sack over their heads.

 

 

Greg decided to repair the rudder himself since he thinks we will have to replace it next year anyway. The ultimate nemesis of boats, crevice corrosion, did in our rudder. The corrosion has undermined the strength of the rudder shaft and water entered at the top of the rudder and caused fracturing of the upper third of the fiberglass. 

 



Gitana is on her way to the San Carlos Marina. The hydraulic trailer makes it so easy.

 

 

Poor Pinto. He watched us leave and I'm sure he was thinking "there go my treats and belly rubs".

 

 



Gitana slips into the marina without a hitch. We decided to let the marina staff tow us to the slip since we were unfamiliar with the marina and the boat. I drove to the other side of the marina to C Dock while Greg waited for the towing panga. While he was waiting he noticed water flowing out from behind the engine cover. He had been making derisive comments about Gitana sinking and now it looks like it was. The staff told him he had twenty minutes to solve the problem. He discovered that the incorrect hose had been used on the cockpit scuppers and it had cracked just above the lower fitting. Actually there wasn't enough water to sink the boat; the auto bilge pump didn't even come on. Gitana made it to her assigned slip and the guys gracefully turned her into the slip.

 



 

 

 

The minute the tractor moved under the boat, Cinnamon was freaked. He ran in and out of the cabin several times and finally settled in the cockpit.

 

 

 

 Gitana resting comfortably in the marina despite afternoon winds in the 30+ range. I don't get to enjoy listening to the coyotes, owls and doves now but I get to watch the pelicans now and occasionally get splashed when they drop next to the boat. 

 



Can't beat the view. Now we are just waiting for the winds to drop a little. Once that happens we are heading north to Isla Angel de la Guarda and Puerto Refugio, the world's largest brown pelican breeding site.