After several months of inactivity, it was great to finally uncover ORION today up at my folks’ house in Niantic and start getting her ready for the water. I had repaired some scratches and gouges in the hull last year and had recovered those marks with fresh paint, but it ended up looking awfully splotchy and mottled, especially from far away. So, today, after removing the plastic wrap, I also carefully removed the vinyl registration numbers, name, and hailing port with a heat gun. Using a little alcohol and acetone, I took off the leftover adhesive and sanded the whole hull with 120-grit paper to prepare for a fresh coat of green paint which I’ll apply in the next few days.
The goal is to get ORION in the water by next week, and in order to meet that goal, I hitched her up to my car and brought her back to my home in Northford so I can work on her here. I also plan to put on some fresh coats of varnish on the brightwork and a couple new coats of bootstripe paint.
After spending the past four years at school working to get a degree and being forced to miss the spring sailing seasons, it will be nice to have an April launch date again, the first time since 2014.
