At last we have made it to Rudolphs. Sylph’s bottom has been blasted and primed with epoxy and I am currently working on fairing over the welds with epoxy filler to ensure Sylph will slip through the water in light winds as effortlessly as possible, and also for aesthetics. While most of the welding has been below the waterline where they cannot be seen, I know they are there and would be a bit embarrassed, after all this work, to have Sylph’s nice clean lines tarnished with lots of ugly welds.

Unfortunately, the blasting revealed two small holes down aft at the forward end of the lazarette, which was a bit disappointing. On chipping away on the inside of the lazarrette with a needle gun, it became obvious that they had been repaired in the past, a long time ago, with two small plates welded from the inside. The plate on the starboard side was still sound so I left that alone; however, the repair on the port side had corroded through once again. That hole has now been repaired.

Once I have finished fairing Rudolphs will put another coat of epoxy on and a coat of antifouling. Then we will move Sylph back to Docklands to continue refitting the interior and to give the topsides a coat of paint.

Photos

Sylph on her way to Rudolphs at last (just next door):

Grit blasting in progress (almost done):

This is James, the blaster:

Then a fresh coat of epoxy primer:

And now lots of welds to be faired:

All is well.