Two weeks in a HOUSE ((gasp))

A haul out is when they take your boat out of the water with a big crane-like-thingy and put it on stilts on land. This allows us to do a number of things that we can't do while the boat is in the water.

1) We can paint the bottom with paint that inhibits the growth of slimy, seaweed-y, barnacle-y grossness.
2) We can change the transmission oil. Actually, this can be done in the water by pumping it out from the top but it is a royal pain and it doesn't have to be done very often so we can wait.
3) Change the zincs on the saildrive (our transmission - see the link below to our last haul out) that protect it and protect the prop from stray electrical currents that make a battery and eat up your exterior metal. The zincs are sacrificial and die a slow death protecting the important bits. Very noble of them, huh?

In addition, during this haul out we will do a few things that can be done in the water but are scary to do so like replace hoses that are connected to the ocean (which can be shut off from the ocean, but still) and to replace bits of our engine's sea water cooling system (which also can be shut off from the ocean, but again, freaky).

Our last haul out was 13 months ago which is long enough to make us a little nervous. We had a friend who is a diver check our zincs earlier this year and they looked good (thanks Donna!) as did the prop and saildrive. We know our poor underbelly is slimy but a little pressure wash will make it as good as new. Still, the moment she comes out of the water is a little nerve wracking.

Were we bad boat owners like last time when we found out that our delay combined with the delay during the boat sale had caused our poor sail drive to need some serious attention?

We will be out of the water for a whopping 2 weeks. Our previous haul outs have been only a few days. And at this place we can't live aboard during the process which we usually do, on stilts. We are staying at our good friends...in a house. I'm going to enjoy the house by taking a bath, doing yoga and baking something that requires a big oven.

And then afterwards you, dear reader, will be deluged with step by step photographic narration of more boat projects. Aren't you excited?