We’re hauling out this week. We last hauled out in Mexico only 11 months ago. We hadn’t planned to haul out in New Zealand. Unfortunately, it’s necessary.
The main reason for hauling out is that our bottom paint isn’t holding up. Stuff grows like mad here. I don’t know if the bottom paint we used in Mexico was inferior or if it is just the wrong paint for the conditions we are in, but it is not working well. I have been snorkelling and scrubbing the bottom every few weeks but it’s hard to keep up with the growth. Further north in the tropics we had growth but it seems worse here. Perhaps it is because we are not moving as much. I don’t know. We also have barnacle growth here which we didn’t have as much before.
Another reason for having it done is so that we can stay in marinas. Most marinas in New Zealand have a policy that boats need to have been power washed within the last month or anti-fouled within the last six months in order to use them. The marinas have different ways to enforce this policy. Some want to see receipts showing the last time the boat had been anti-fouled, others have a diver check boats regularly. Recently, we were able to stay in a marina while we had the rigging work done but earlier, we were unable to book two marinas because we hadn’t been anti-fouled within six months. We don’t stay in marinas often but they are necessary sometimes. Now, we won’t have to worry about being refused the use of a marina for the rest of the time we are in New Zealand.
I’m looking forward to some fresh bottom paint and hope that what we get will do a better job of keeping the growth at bay. A friend in Mexico likened scrubbing the bottom of his boat to a homeowner mowing the lawn. It’s not a bad analogy. They both need to be done regularly and if you don’t take care of them, they get shabby and harder to do. The thing is, I snorkel to mow this lawn so it’s like pushing a lawn mower around while holding my breath.
Cormacks On Cambria 