Just spent the afternoon sanding! SeTherin has had an area of persistent blisters about four feet long and two feet wide outboard of the keel on the starboard turn of the bilge for twenty some years.

The years we had her in Pensacola (80 thru mid-85); she was in the water all year. In those five years, I had her out of the water two times for bottom paint and one another for polishing the paint for a smoother bottom after we started racing. Not knowing s**t from shineola about boats (and certainly nothing about osmotic blistering & barrier coats), I had the bottom work done by a couple local fellows at Brown's Shipyard. Other than the long periods in the water, I believe the ordeal may have begun with gelcoat damage during one or the other bottom jobs.

The sheets were frozen hard, and they cut the naked hand;
The decks were like a slide, where a seamen scarce could stand;
The wind was a nor’wester, blowing squally off the sea;
And cliffs and spouting breakers were the only things a-lee.

They heard the surf a-roaring before the break of day;
But ’twas only with the peep of light we saw how ill we lay.
We tumbled every hand on deck instanter, with a shout,
And we gave her the maintops’l, and stood by to go about.