Trautz' travel saga: YOLO on the hard in VA

YOLO has been hauled out for some beautification work before we put her up for sale. This is the Stingray Point Lighthouse that sits alongside the marina of the same name. Cool old building but it is just a replica of the original.

The sign about the lighthouse.

It's hot in Deltaville in the summer and we'd been warned to get an air-conditioner for the boat. We heeded the advice and installed the standalone appliance so the heat exits through the rope chase in the floor and the water can do the same. We adjusted the water outlet hose to drain into those big blue 5-gallon jugs so we have clean wash water in the boatyard. The water in the yard is undrinkable and still a bit brackish so it't not the best for washing the boat. Our 'distilled' water still tastes plasticky so we don't drink it, but it's good for other things.

Jason working on the engine in the bilge. He does such a good job of maintaining the engines and the bilges are clean enough to eat off of.

This little boat, Gypsy, is the yard's work boat. It ended up overturned and submerged in the mud at the dock one night.

You can see it is sitting on its side in the mud, mostly submerged, still tied to the dock, sawing through a dock line. That can't be good for the outboard.

The gas can is still attached and floating, tethered to the motor that is now underwater.

They hauled it out and powerwashed it and left it hanging here in the sling to dry A bit damaged, but they say it wasn't the first time.

This big trawler from Alaska is back from its few weeks of vacationing with a family aboard. It's a tight fit to get them back next to us, where they were before. They have a special electrical outlet installed there for them, so they wanted to go back to the same space. They gave us their leftover food when they left. The owner leaves it here 11 mos. of the year and comes down for a few weeks each year to use it.

The travel lift operator had to be very careful here to maneuver the boat into place. He did good. He even got it mostly lined up with the old blocks of wood that had supported it earlier.

Jason in one of the cockpit lockers. They got scrubbed clean and look like new. Does he remind you of a rabbit in a hole?

Detailing the propeller.

Our van parked outside our home in Deltaville.

We're still using the bikes to get around and to take rides each evening when we finish work and dinner.

Karen with the razor, scraping off the old boot stripe.

Some of the bootstripe is gone, but lots to go. You can see the grey tape residue left behind that we had to remove, too. In the end, the shiny, original finish shone through.

Jason on his knees working on the rudder. He's cleaning the last tiny little barnacles away.

YOLO in the travel lift swing after getting hauled out. We're being moved into the work yard.

They squeezed us in next to the trawler from Alaska. We're both tall boats! Pardon me, have you any Grey Poupon?

Setting up the lumber on which we'll sit.

Collecting "distilled" water from the air conditioner.

We had to make sure the hose ran downhill, as the boat was tilting just a bit forward, so we put the water jug at the bottom of the stairs and the water hose ran along the floor and filled the jug daily. We swapped out the jug when filled and used the water for dishes and rinsing anything that we didn't want to rinse with the horrible boatyard water. I swear, when I sweated in t-shirts washed in the local water, I smelled like a goat. I'm convinced it was the water, not me.

The Voyager boat next to us. I thought the colosr running made a cool design.

Sort of abstract, but pretty.

Our sea anchor line, all 400' of it getting rinsed. This is a heavy load.

Even the nuts and bolts got cleaned and waxed so they shine.

Our work table below the boat in the shade. It held all our supplies during the working hours so we didn't have to go up and down the ladder to get stuff.