The General Chaos Continues — With Progress!

On the Hard, Mazatlan Marine Services
Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Demolition is always way easier (and much more fun) than actually fixing things, as the following photos will show.

First, we covered every conceivable (and some unconceivable) surface with drop cloths, cardboard, and duct tape.

Then, they ground off all the bottom paint, right down to the bare fiberglass, took off the blue stripes, cut out the patches of damaged fiberglass on the fly bridge, and ripped the non-skid off the entire main deck. Dust everywhere.

Next they tore out the galley – bare wood and gaping holes everywhere.

And they took apart the bed to get at the leaking water tank and install a special liner.

While they were having all that fun, I stripped the vinyl wallcovering off in the master head, recovered it with TexturGlas, a fiberglass wallpaper, and painted it. The masking tape and paint drips are yet to be removed.

We’ve been out of the water since March 21, and forward progress, though methodical and of great quality, is slow. And meh, it’s only money (cough).

We’re staying in a sweet little motel called Bungalows Mar-Sol, run by a charming woman named Miguelina, only a 50-cent, 5-minute bus ride away. We’ve got dishes, pots and pans, a gas range and microwave…and we’re within walking distance of some great restaurants and evening entertainment. Best of all, there’s no grinding, sanding, pounding, or chemical smells around…

We expect to have everything put back together by the second week in May, providing there are no surprises. Ole goes back to work soon, and I’ll be left with the fun of putting it all back together into some kind of liveable condition. Thank goodness there’s plenty of good help around!