The Lauderdale Marine Center boat yard is filled with the largest yachts you can imagine. Well over 100 feet in length. Most of these yachts are larger than a 3000 sq foot home – 4 and 5 stories tall. The yard is a buzz with hundreds of contractors and servants – to the owners of these mega yachts. And then there’s us. Itsy bitsy Cat Maudy – compared to these monster ships. Cat Maudy is hauled onto land to fix her leak. We sat next to a yacht called “Barbie”. My barbie doll fishing pole felt right at home.

Keith, the expert from Yanmar (the engine folks) – started right away working on the leak. He had the engine and our sail drive out of the boat within the first hour. And, he found the leak. The “seal” that is supposto SEAL out the water….had a huge gash. Looked like a knife wound. Before the end of the day, Keith had the problem fixed…and all of the parts were put back together. Nobody knows WHY the seal was gashed. It just is.

Paddy is convinced that each and every time Cat Maudy is hauled out of the water – we have to paint the bottom of the boat. “Bottom paint” – is some really nasty black or blue paint that is designed to prevent growth of sea organisms on the bottom of your boat. Bottom paint smells bad, gets all over you …and is toxic. I’m really looking forward to this.

We rent a car and spend the afternoon picking up all paint supplies (tape, paint, stir sticks, paint suits, shower caps, goggles, gloves….) and prep the boat for two coats of paint. I’ve got this down to a science. This will be the 4th time in 3.5 years that we’ve painted the bottom of Cat Maudy.

The remaining 2 days on land at the Lauderdale Marine Center are a blur. Two coats of bottom paint. A road trip back to Miami to pick up mail left behind. Provisioning as if we will not get to a grocery store for the next 3 months. Including, stockpiling Starbucks coffee. Paddy needs his coffee.