In the process of getting ready to head to Europe we have hauled Wind Horse at the Ventura Harbor Boat Yard in Ventura, California. There’s a list of preventative maintenance chores, and we wanted to get a jump on our bottom paint needs rather than wait until next year in Europe. From what we hear, maintenance in the Old Country is about twice the cost of the New World.

We hauled out late on a Monday afternoon, and by 0900 the following morning hydro-washing of the bottom and blocking was completed.

Here is a list of the chores that were accomplished over the next three days:

• Remove 4-inch exhaust pipes from transom using plasma cutter and cut off wheels and weld in 5-inch pipe. Weld on four tangs to foredeck.
• Remove stabilizer fins. Pull shaft seals, inspect (everything is fine), clean shafts, replace seals, put back fins.
• Overhaul Spurs line cutters.
• Overhaul CV axles.
• Touch up bare areas and weld damage to bottom paint, repaint.
• Rewire 24VDC feeds to three Victron inverters.

By late Thursday afternoon all of the above was completed using technicians from four different disciplines of the yard crew. The work was organized, neat, and efficiently done. And the billing rate, US$65 per hour, was very reasonable.

This is how a boat yard should be operated. No surprise as we’ve been working with the guys at VHBY for the past 25 years.

To Dale and Steve, co-owners of VHBY, Tom, yard foreman, and the rest of the crew, thanks for a job well done.