The Long Wait Is Over!

The long wait is over. Last winter, I sailed the west coast of Florida to drop off Distant Horizon in Cortez, Florida. The plan was to have some preventative maintenance performed. The most important being the removal of the teak decks. Traditional teak decks are screwed down to the boat. With age, teak decks are known for leaking. The water makes it's way along the screw holes into the core of the deck. Then, the core gets saturated and may even start to rot; causing soft or spongy decks. This would be bad. On the ocean, you want a boat to be stiff.

After removing my old teak, the decks were found to be in great shape. No additional repairs were required. Since the old teak cannot be reused once it has been removed, new teak decks were in order. I could have left the decks fiberglass like most modern sailboats, but the teak adds character and is great for a firm footing on the ocean.

The new teak decks were manufactured by Teak Decking Systems in Sarasota, FL; a few miles from where I left Distant Horizon. These decks are not screwed in place. Jon... The short version is: they are epoxy bonded to the fiberglass. No screw holes... no future leaks.

Distant Horizon with her new teak decks and refinished brightwork

By the way, brightwork refers to the wood trim and polished metal. In this case, I am referring to the refinished wood trim.

I will let the decks weather. So the nice warm colour will gradually turn to a more patina. This will, however, provide much better traction when walking on the decks.

I brought Distant Horizon to Yachts Solutions in Cortez, FL to have the deck work done because the cost was far less than having it done in the Chesapeake or in Maine. In each of these locations, the decks would have been manufactured by Teak Decking Systems. The added bonus was the factory people: measured; built the templates; and installed the decks. That would not have been the case in the Chesapeake or in Maine. This was the primary reason for this particular shake-down cruise.

New teak decks

I have to thank Joe from Yachts Solutions and Mike from Teak Decking Systems for putting this all together. Several months of planning and a couple months work, and no issues or complications. By the way, it truly is a small world. Mike is from North Syracuse!

This next picture shows the refinished wood trim. In the foreground is a dorade box with a ventilator on top. The main piece in the middle is the butterfly hatch. Each side opens up to allow a lot of fresh air in, or a lot of hot air out.

Cabin top with finished brightwork

The staff from Yachts Solutions, Inc refinished all the bright work. Fernando and his crew were absolutely fabulous to work with. Especially Joe who was the project manager. He pulled everything together between the boatyard and Teak Decking Systems and communications between me and the boatyard while I was away in B'ville, South Carolina, or North Carolina.

Yachts Solutions, Inc completed a long list of other maintenance tasks for me also. So a special Thank you goes out to Fernando for everything... "Obrigado". Another thank you goes out to Manny for doing such a fabulous job removing the old Wind Pilot Pacific and installing my new Hydrovane.

Hydrovane Installed

I will depart Cortez on Monday, July 20^th and begin the next chapter of the shakedown cruise. Next stop, Marathon, FL. Yes, I am returning there. Keys Rigging will be finishing the refit of my rigging.

I'm planning to make a straight run for Marathon. Originally, I planned 36 hours. Now, with a series of small high pressure systems crossing the lower gulf, I'm planning 45 hours. It will be tough. The more I sail, the more I can use the Hydrovane. If the winds die and I have to motor, I have to hand steer. There is no autopilot at this time. I still have to fabricate an attachment for the autopilot to work with the Hydrovane.

I should be in Marathon for a week to 10 days.