We are back on board after a long hiatus in Arkansas to see the spring,

and to enjoy family meals together.

Guess which one is the birthday child…

Okay, the really big reason to leave the boat was to enjoy young Jari and his older cousins, Will and Drew.

Jari, at 4 months, on his first Arkansas tour.

Drew, Jari, and Will

Additional delays to the cruising life were boat related. We refinished the rails, a long overdue maintenance item. It was a long and difficult job getting under and around the rails to scrape away the old finish and to then sand in preparation for the new polyurethane coating.

We have been very pleased with the results of our trial with Coelan on the brow trim in 2013 and will use it on all exterior teak as well as the cabin soles.  Cetol is the more popular finish but I think that it gives an orange color that takes away from the beauty of the teak.  Coelan is closer to a true varnish finish in color and it protects the wood from the sun.  Being a polyurethane, it doesn’t necessitate refinishing every 6 to 12 months.  Reportedly, a properly applied finish lasts beyond 5 years.

This work is labor intensive and I thoroughly understand why folks prefer all-fiberglass boats.  We have talked about hiring outside help to get the rest done, but in the end, Bob is meticulous and does such a great job, that I am not sure we would be pleased with someone else’s work.

The handrail during the process,

and the final outcome.

Through the finishing process, we moved from our roost in Sanibel to Legacy Harbor Marina in Ft. Myers.  This is a delightful marina on the Caloosahatchee River with lots of cruisers and trawlers.  We saw our friends on Journey there, and met new friends (Canadians) on a 1984 Monk 36 docked next to us.