Finally done with Haul Out

Posted on February 27, 2016

It’s been a busy couple of days! We drove the rental van to Miami and spent the night close to where we had to pick the parts up yesterday morning. The Miami skyline is quite impressive and the traffic is insane. (especially when you’re used to the lack of traffic on the ocean)

We walked to the beach and and enjoyed the feeling of sand under our toes. Miami is a beautiful city with so many interesting alley ways.

       

  

  

   

As expected, it took longer to get the parts, partly because the bearings needed to be spruced up. By the time we got back to the boat yard in Key Largo, the guys were busy on another boat and said they’d get back to ours first thing in the morning. We grabbed all the laundry off the boat and headed to a laundromat. 4 loads later we dragged ourselves into our hotel room where I fell asleep almost instantly after a wonderful hot shower.

This morning we left the hotel at 7:30am and arrived at the boat yard ready to work hard. It was wonderful to see Tanda Malaika but she looked so out of place sitting on the hard.

   

We decided that since her hull was fully accessible, we would scrub all rust stains and any other marks off of her – including the big tire mark on her port side from when they hauled her out. In the past, I’ve had a difficult time getting old rust stains off, but have found a liquid that is MAGIC! This stuff get everything off…except the tire marks.

Everyone got busy with watered down bleach, as well as vinegar spray bottles and started scrubbing, and Jude and Aidan discovered that ‘Bar Keepers Friend’ got the tire marks off.

   

 

By the time we were done, Tanda Malaika looked better than ever before. The new parts were installed and Danny also fixed the water pump, and the lift arrived just after high tide to take her back to the water.

  

It is so nerve wracking to watch our home lifted up and moved across a boat yard. We all held our breath until she was safely in the water once more.

  

  

Mycah found a pan of bottom paint and got creative. Little did they know that bottom paint in next to impossible to get off! Mommy and Jonathan still have blue paint on them.

Once we were finally set, the tide had dropped enough to make it impossible for us to set out in the crazy shallow waters, so here we are, tied up to the dock and ready for tomorrows high tide. Danny has been back in the engine room working on the starboard alternator, and the creatures have been getting settled back in their berths.

Key Largo is such an interesting town. It is said that it is a drinking town with a fishing problem. In fact, there is such a huge ‘need’ for bars that the only Denny’s in the nation with a full bar is found here.

We are all going to sleep SO well tonight, finally back on the water – even if it is tied to a dock.