As hard as it is to believe, the day dawned cold, but incredibly sunny and we did manage to paint on the last coat of white epoxy treatment and to add the first coat of anti-fouling paint to the hull.



Yes, I know, I know.... why black? It really ought to be red and if I had my choice that is the colour it would have been. However, this paint is breath-takingly expensive (around $175 a tin) and we were able to get this batch for half price from a person who had sold his boat and no longer needed it. With that sort of discount, plus the fact that it lies below the waterline anyway, so only the fish get to see it, we decided that this once we could put up with black. Strangely enough, it is a very common colour here. I really prefer red for our boat, but I'll wait until next time it has to be painted.

The anti-fouling paint had to be applied quickly to the wet epoxy surface, but luckily it is a dream to apply and we finished it in no time.



See how Lars-Göran kneels before her reverently, applying the finishing touches to the keel area, supervised by Lambi from her perch in the car. And check out the blue sky. You can tell, this isn't a day to apply grey paint. It can't be a co-incidence, surely?

After we finished, we decided to sit and have coffee and buns with some friends who were working nearby on their own boat. We sat in a sunny spot by the old clubhouse and chatted for a while. Ulf, who is thinning on top, decided that he needed sun protection and as we had no cap, he chose to use the lunch box instead!



Somehow, I don't think it's a look that will catch on. His wife, Maggan, looks quite bemused by it as well. I told them about an elderly Greek man who lived in my neighbourhood in Adelaide. In July 1991, it became compulsory for cyclists to wear helmets, with hefty on-the-spot fines for those riding without protective headwear. Yes, I guess you can see where this is heading. The old man used an empty 2 litre plastic icecream container as his helmet, with holes poked in the side, through which he threaded string to be able to tie it on. It cracked me up every time I saw him!

And by the way, have I mentioned that we have finished the epoxy treatment?



We were so happy, that we decided to do more work. After all, it is a public holiday in Sweden today (for Ascension Thursday) and so the wharf was really busy with people home from work for the day. And it was a beautiful, warm spring day. As there were people around, we decided to get some of them to help collect our mast from the mast shed and bring it over to the boat. Four strong men were enlisted to lift the monster piece onto the wagon.



Despite them being fit and healthy, it took two tries and it was a real strain to lift it out of the shelf and place it centred and secure on the wagon.



It still took the four of them to safely steer it along the wharf to where our boat was standing. Is is a huge mast and from this angle it seems to stretch out for miles. Still, you can see it is a glorious day and on a day like this, nothing can dampen your spirits. The boat you can see to the right of the picture is Adrenaline, the lovely Wasa Atlantic belonging to our friends Ulf and Maggan. Yes, that Ulf, with the unusual hat!

Once we reached the area beside our boat, it was time to lift the mast off the wagon and on to the trestles we had set up nearby.



Then it was time to stop for a break and chat, while Lambi wondered if she ought to change owners as Nils seemed to like to treat her like the princess she firmly believes she is.



I spent the remainder of the afternoon uncovering the plastic from the mast and adding more parrafin oil to it. I was amazed that the oil I had smeared on the mast in autumn had been absorbed and she needed treatment again. Still, compared to the pain of epoxy treatment, it was a breeze to stand there and rub in the oil.



Most owners were down here today, uncovering their boats, polishing them, repairing bits and pieces and catching up on all of the news. You could hear drills, sanders, grinders, polishing machines, vacuum cleaners etc all around the wharf. Some people simply sat and enjoyed the feeling that summer was nearly here.



These are our friends Douglas and Stina with their elegant wooden boat Blanka, built at the beginning of last century and still going strong. They both love the old wooden archipelago cruisers and actually own TEN of them, that they are restoring. They love nothing better than taking over some poor, neglected wooden boat and painstakingly restoring it to it's former glory. It is a real labour of love. I still remember the mellow summer evening we spent inside Blanka early last summer, sipping rosé and eating homegrown strawberries and chatting all night. Yes, it is almost time for that sea life again.



See, through the emerging new growth, the open waters and stark outcrops and islands beckon us. We have set May 19th as the day to launch Fiona, so we have a lot to do before then to ensure she is ready.

But.... at leat we have finished with the epoxy!