26 January 2007
| I did not got to the Boat on Thursday. They were
just finishing up the second power wash so not much to photograph. I went
up on Friday and took the attached Pictures. it started raining around
1300, but I got quite a few pics before then. They were "sandblasting"
the areas that needed to be taken down to bare metal especially right
at the water line and other areas you will see in the pictures. They have
gone "hi tech" in the sandblasting in that they are using water
and sand mixed together and I think they also have some glass beads in
the mixture but I'm not sure. Anyway, it eliminates the "dust"
problem completely. Note that the bow planes are now rigged out. Also note the guys on the stern planes removing old zincs. I have been using two different cameras to take pictures. I think I will send out two emails ...this one using the first camera and one following using the second camera. DUH... I"m having trouble keeping everything straight, because I am not sending every picture I take...only the ones I think are interesting. I'll bet most of us including me have never been down into the free flood area around the stern tubes. A drydock guy.. an old boiler maker... God was he salty.... took off the plate and went in there with a high pressure hose and cleaned it out. It was full of mud. Afterwards Rich Pekelney, a volunteer, when in there to take pictures. Obviously neither one of them have claustrophobia!! DBF Harry Nystrom P.S. The orange stripe around the waterline is fresh rust where the sandblasting took it down to bare metal. That will be removed just before they apply the bottom paint |
| Ok, guys here are some pictures taken with a second
camera. That's Rich emerging from the stern tube area, the next ones are
of him going down into Bow Buoyancy and around the bow tubes free flooding
area. The Last picture is of Bob Taylor, and old subvet that has been volunteering on the boat for over 15 years. I can say 'Old" because he is older than me.. but only by a couple of years! DBF Harry Nystrom |