Apart from a couple of short day sails Bonita has been peacefully on her mooring for the last few weeks while D and I have been busy ashore. She hasnt been completely neglected though. I put her on the scrubbing posts for a new coat of antifouling. The previous stuff, applied in May hadnt worked well and weed and small barnacles were already growing on it. I presume this is due to an unusually hot early summer. Perhaps unwise economy in buying cheap antifouling paint may also be a factor -it looked like an attractive deal when buying online but perhaps less so in the real world once it was out of the tin. Bonita now has a coating of a rather more expensive variety which I hope will see her through the summer.
In sorting through a box of old bits and pieces I came across some of Bonitas original keel bolts, which Dad had stored away. This is original Victorian wrought iron. These bolts were removed in 1968 when they had by then been in place for 80 years. None of the old bolts could be extracted intact: every one broke around the middle where it had corroded at the point where the lead keel joins with the wood. Their strength had been reduced probably to less than a quarter of the original at this point, so it does seem like it was time the job was done.
I replaced the bolts that were inserted in 1968 with yet more wrought iron a few years ago as it didnt seem wise to wait quite so long this time. Though they showed some corrosion, none of the 1968 bolts broke while they were being extracted. I was interested to see that the original Victorian bolts were 3/4 in diameter (19mm). The new ones I put in were 7/8 in (22mm) so they should be good for a few years.
So whats next for the old lady? We plan to be going on a few days Thames estuary cruise next week so we are hoping for gentle breezes and calm seas.