It’s hard to believe that Pandora has been out of commission for over two months. Two months when most of the rest of the sailing world was in full gear, heading out on vacations all over the North East.
All the while, I have been working away, sometimes only for an hour or two a day during the heat spell, to get Pandora back in the water and on her way.
In a way I don’t really feel that I have done much and yet, the magnitude of sanding a 43′ boat down to bare gelcoat is a job and a half, for sure.
Here’s what Pandora looked like when she came out of the water over two months ago. Pretty nasty…
And, after weeks of work and many, many sanding disks in the trash. 
After the application of two coats of epoxy primer and two coats of Trinidad bottom paint, a new lease on life for Pandora. 
I still have to move the stands that are all around Pandora and sand, prime and bottom paint, today…
Oh yeah, I also got my MaxProp back the other day and re-installed. It had developed a bit of slop in the gearing. No propeller should have this many parts. 
The prop is really an impressive piece of engineering. Here it is “engaged” and ready for action. 
When I don’t need the engine, the prop can be “feathered” Not a lot of resistance now. Just a little different. 
I have to say that this is as much a work of art as a propeller, and it costs about as much to buy, and repair. However, we won’t get into that.
There’s certainly lots to do today if she is going to splash next week. So, I ask you, is summer nearly over as I write this in mid August, or is it about to begin? I say that it’s just beginning.
With our plan to spend some time in Newport, the Chesapeake and on to the Bahamas for three months this winter, it’s indeed about to begin.
Still lots to do before launch. Time to get cracking…