Recovery After A Major Setback

The year 2020 was meant to be the year we crossed our wake on America's Great Loop. We started this adventure in 2016 on Lake Superior and spent the first 10 months taking our time exploring our country's inland waterway and the Gulf of Mexico aboard our 1966 Alberg 35, Mystic.

America's Great Loop Map
Photo by: Boatus

We had our share of mishaps and excitement; including surviving the storm of the century in Frankfort, Michigan, almost getting run over by a barge while anchored on the TennTom and a near miss with a tornado in Columbus Mississippi. We enjoyed microbreweries and friends from Mobile, Alabama to St. Augustine, Florida. And, we were blessed, for much of this journey, to cruise with the best buddy boat team, Scott and Rhonda Joiner, aboard their catamaran Mucho Gusto. Last year we made the decision to take a detour to New England to visit family. We cruised past New York, north to Rhode Island and planted our beautiful sailboat at Frank Hall Marina in Avondale. We know and love this area, having spent a lot of time exploring the beaches in Misquamicut and Watch Hill during the years we lived in Connecticut.

Watch Hill Harbor

Watch Hill Yacht Club

Watch Hill Light

Plover at Napatree Point

Hiking Napatree Point

When we returned to Rhode Island for the 2020 cruising season we were shocked to find Mystic with about 600 gallons of water inside. We've winterized our boat for eight years and never had a drop of water, even when we left her in St. Augustine for 2 hurricane seasons. To say we are baffled is an understatement. They call this a "land sinking". Apparantly, it happens all the time but usually it happens to boaters who do something wrong. In our case, it was a combination of a very wet winter and spring, covid delays and really bad luck!

The land sinking was devastating, but we feel lucky! Although our engine was sitting in water, it started and purred like a contented kitten. Our electrical systems and refrigeration work too. We were left with a mess, ruined teak and holly floors, warped mahogany doors, a nasty black line and flaking paint throughout our interior; all cosmetic damage. For this we are thankful!

Some boat owners would have walked away from the mess and let the insurance company worry about the cleanup. We couldn't do that. Mystic is our second home; we had to try to save her. We did more than 150 hours of work each, over the first 4 weeks. We scrubbed every surface at least six times using various products meant to kill mildew. Then we had to rejuvenate the wood with oil. The results were encouraging.

The V-berth mess we had to clean

V-berth cedar with mildew damage after several cleanings

V-berth cedar after cleaning and oiling.
Refinished doors waiting for installation

Once the mildew was gone we began the repairs. We started by attacking the black line that marked the 14" of water along all of our doors and drawers. Everything had to be removed, sanded, cleaned, reoiled then reinstalled. We were amazed at the difference, in fact, the stained teak looked so good that it became evident that we needed to sand out everything that wasn't damaged so that it matched. Once we finished this step, Mystic began to shine and we felt certain that we would be able to bring back her natural beauty. We were not able to salvage the mahogany doors or the teak and holly floor.

Black water line on doors and drawers

Beth sanding water stained teak

Working on removing the blackened teak

Damaged teak

The floors are ruined but the doors and drawers look great

Although they were unsalvageable, we  needed to address the floors because the finish was lifting. Sadly, they were new when we purchased Mystic but destroyed by the event.  We took a couple floor boards out and carefully sanded the finish off. The laminate surface is only about 1/16th" so we had to be very careful not to sand through it. It turned out looking "better" but the water damage is still visible in spots. Eventually, we will have to replace the floor.

Teak and Holly hatch, looking better.
Color variation is due to shadows in photo

Teak and Holly Hatch before with stains

When we arrived in June we had other projects planned for spring. That work was put on hold to save Mystic from the results of the event. Once things were under control, we tackled the exterior teak. Everything was sanded out and finished with eight coats of varnish. As we added each coat, the golden amber in the wood brightened. Mystic got a lot of attention from boatyard visitors including the owner, John. He came by each day and complimented us on our work. He told us we were doing such a great job that he wants to hire us. That made us feel GREAT!

Our big repair work is done for now. We have a list of the things that can be put off until next spring. The last project that needs to be completed before we leave is a custom cover to wrap Mystic up tight for the winter. We've been planning this for some time. There is a lot of work involved and our design has evolved as we plan. We're ready to begin the construction. Our cover will drape over a frame at the bow and over the boom in the cockpit. It will hang over the lifelines then drop below the rub rail on the outside edge of our hull. This will protect our teak underneath. The aft panel will have a zipper opening for easy entry. You can bet that we'll have friends checking on the interior over next winter. Last winter several friends checked on Mystic, but due to the way she was tarped, viewing the interior was not possible.

This has been a horrible experience but it's not the worst thing that has happened to us. We often have to remind ourselves of this. Although keeping perspective has not been easy, we are in a much better place than we were 6 weeks ago. It's good to be here.