Well, it has been an interesting week.
We had some friends visit for a few days. Jean (France) and Ivonne 
(Germany). Jean is a sailor in Europe and I finally got to sit down and talk to someone about the reality of sailing the Med.
I’d love to visit Europe but I always hear the same two stories. “It’s expensive, cold, and you need to spend money on marinas & moorings”.
First of all, I hate being in a marina even if I could afford it and I don’t trust moorings. Secondly, people I usually talk to don’t understand that what’s “expensive” for others (themselves) isn’t expensive for us. We don’t buy packaged foods at the market, we buy staple items. We don’t eat out, go to bars, rent cars, or do expensive tourist things. Expensive to me is “how much does it cost me to enter the country, how long can I stay, and are there protected free anchorages?” If we can manage that, I can pull it off given I’m not hassled by police all the time like Florida.
As long as I can find a free place to anchor and leave the dinghy safely ashore we’re in business. Having the right to fish is a big bonus.
If we do decide to cross the Atlantic for the Med, I’m thinking it might be doable? I would need to buy liability insurance which would probably cost $500 for the year.
I believe checking into the EU is free and I think we would get 6 months to visit. If we crossed in May I’m sure we would spend a fair amount of time in the Azores (Portugal), before visiting Spain. Jean pointed out a bunch of free anchorages where we could stay and get ashore. After possibly dabbling around France I’m guessing it would be time to check out of the EU and find some warmer cruising grounds for the winter. Well Tunisia may be the key to the puzzle.
Tunisia is in Northern Africa (South-central Med) and sounds pretty sailor friendly? I hear it’s a bit too hot in the summer months but hopefully we would sail to the Eastern-Med in the spring and spend the following winter in Turkey after exploring the North-Eastern Med (Italy/Greece).
This plan however is contingent on a few key variables:
1, I don’t believe or like making plans.
2, It’s just as likely that we transit he canal for the Pacific.
3, I/we may never want to leave San Blas again, it’s just so perfect here.
4, I want to finish my projects on Splendid.
Hummmm, best not to make plans!
So, back to the San Blas and our explorations here.
Although I’m almost finished with the watermaker project, I’m still waiting on a few parts. We ran out of water the other day and had to sail to the mainland looking for water.
We came upon a funny little island (Soledad Miria) that was crowded with 200 huts and 1000 Kuna. It had a dock and a spigot with fresh potable water. This was the first time Splendid has visited a dock in over 3 years. 
You can see Splendid’s “current position” page and check out satellite photos, it’s under the members tab at the top of your screen.
Every square inch of the island was used for something and walking around was more akin to traversing a maze than going for a stroll. However it was surprisingly serene, pleasant, and filled with smiling faces. The men take particular pride in their sailing skills.
After about an hour of filling jugs the chief of the island came to meet us. Carla showed him many pictures of Argentina and the snowy mountains, he was very interested in the snow. I also gave him a
Panama guide, and an old pair of sunglasses. The Panama guide had all the charts of San Blas. Kuna don’t know/use charts so he was quite happy to have it. He invited us to a Kuna party that night to see some traditional Kuna dancing but by the time we showed up at 8 pm, the party was over, BUMMER!
We spent the night in a very rolly anchorage and I was happy to raise anchor with first light.
My plan was to sail back to the eastern lemons but the wind was 20+ on the nose and I just wasn’t up for beating into it doing 1.5 knots so we sailed east looking for a protected anchorage.
We are anchored behind Salardup island. The ground isn’t so good for 
the anchor but I have an anchor-alarm on and plenty of sea room behind me so I feel pretty comfortable sleeping.
Carla and I are looking for a symbol for Splendid. Something that will convey her Chinese history that we like. Carla is pretty good with a marker and paper and came up with this, based on an old stencil she had seen once.
Cheoy Lee built a dragon model after the Midshipman but and I’ve always wanted my own dragon for the forward hull. I think it’s pretty cool but Carla is drawing other dragon designs.
We met some nice people that had para-gliders and para-motors. How damn cool would it be to have one of these on the boat to explore by air? Anyway they gave us some amazing pictures of the San Blas by air and I wanted to share them. This place is just so damn beautiful!!!!
Anyway, $150.00 a night buys you a bunk on Splendid including food & 
wine. If you want a dose of paradise our plan is to charter as much as possible over the next few months. We have 2 more confirmed in the next two months but would like a few more. I’m planning a major haul-out around July and will be changing all the threw-hulls to Marelon and painting the bottom. Does anyone have experience with copper coat?
Peace from Paradise.
– alex
Published in Alex Dorsey
Hi Alex and Carla,
I don’t have copper coat on my boat, but 2 friends of mine do. One has had it for about 4 years and loves it, although it needs a light brushing a couple times a year. It develops what I’d call a light fuzzy beard. Another advantage is that you have to take it down to the gelcoat and then apply expoxy first, so you’re also protecting the boat from the dreaded blisters.
Considering the price and work involved, and since you’re in warm waters, it may be more cost-effective to brush your boat on a regular basis – good exercise too.
I had cupper cout but is not realy good. the cupper does noting at all. that is the tric is that the surface is very smooth so some os the hard staff find it hard to attach. if you paint it under no any surcomstenses send it this will distroy it. it hapend to me after that avriting will attach easy to it. after a few years of sloww boat i painted anti foul on top
I do have some blisters and would like to take it down to glass anyway. I hear really mixed reviews on copper coat, some good some bad. Copper coat tells me the bad reviews are based on people reviewing copper coat knock offs, or home made copper coatings (Epoxy/copper powder).
Ra, did you sand it to expose the copper, and was it real coppercoat?
I use copper coat and works great, at haul-out time there was min. growth and very easy to wash off. Very light sanding every two or three years with two new coats $45.00
But its nasty stuff.
Hi Alex:
Just wondering what you use for an Anchour Alarm.
Cheers
Doug
Tim,
Thanks, I certainly don’t mind a little scrub now and then. I have to do a major (2 hour) bottom job now every 3 weeks. No barnicals but I grow a 2 inch long carpet on the hull in less than a month.
I have a 12v sea breath (air compressor/hooka) which is an important part of my equipment, I use it all the time.
Peace.
alex….my boat in Hawaii is seriously for sale and I am leaning towards continuing my voyage once it sells…..sapzurro!
Re Copper coat, I don`t use it but have friends that do and have. When deciding that I might do so, I was advised by them all, to have a well known local,(south coast speciaist) fibreglass repair man/company do the work. Copper coat themselves reccommend him as did all my other friends, which leads me to think that its all dependent on the hull preparation and the way its applied plus the experoence in doing so, sure we can all slap a coat of antifoul on :o)) or prepare and spray a hull but I do feel that with specialist coatings, maybe their use ( for the best effect) should be matched with specialist abilities and experience. Sure I`m aware its all in the mildly leaching epoxy base and the fine ground very dry copper powder being fully suspended in its medium when applying ( and being regularily stirred to ensure so) but I do also know of owners that have made their own version and put the two togeather and been unsuccessfull ( expensively so) so its proceedure should be fully understoon and mached with commitment when using it for best results. You should have no problem doing this. Please remember that my experience (or lack of it? although I have epoxied a few hulls commercially in the past) is based upon being in Mud Island (the UK) and dry warm weather makes it so much better to work with. IMHO Rob
Rob
Thanks for the input. I’ve talked to some friends and a guy here that has copper sheet on the hull of his wooden boat. He says copper is very effective for fighting barnacle growth, but useless aginst slime and grass. My other friend Roger Olson use to own the yard that built Bristol Channel Cutters (my favorite small cruising boat) agrees and sez that ablative is best on slime and seAgrass. I’m leaning towards just painting with a good ablative. My last paint brought me almost 4 years of service. I’m also changing all my t-hulls to maralon and building a keel cooler for the engine.
Peace
I forgot to mention you can watch my friend Roger Olson’s film “Plot your course to adventure” by clicking on his link at the bottom, left side of your screen. It’s from the 80’s and shot on 16mm film. Cool and retro :)
I have used copper coat for years. My boat hull was oxidized gelcoat poor condition, repair patches from moving through hulls but copper coat still worked very well. In fact my wife just slaps it on with a roller. It’s true one should keep the hull smooth as a babies butt, butt who does.
I don’t see how copper coat has anything to do with how smooth and nice the bottom is.
I tend to do all boat work my self and no one has recomended I should do a bottom job.
I say work with what you have or can get.
Tim,
I have a few blisters and will fix them on my next haul out. I also want to strip the hull and barrier-coat the whole thing. As you know I do all of my own work and only want to haul out every 5-7 years. I have friends here who haven’t hauled out in 12 years but they scrub too much.
If copper coat is as effective as they say it is it’s a good investment. however I’ve read a few really bad reviews though ( http://www.ventspleen.com/?p=1476 ) and would hate to have to haul out and repaint, I just don’t have the money to burn and am thinking to stick with what I know. As far as a professional application goes I’m sure I have the ability to pull it off, I’m pretty careful about such things.
By all means read the reviews the more info you have the better, just giving my 2 cents and what has worked for me and others I know. I don’t know that it will last 5-7 years I don’t know that anything will last that long.
I read reviews all the time on everything I buy. Iread reviews on jeeps I have a 1999 TJ. I read reviews on Corvettes I have a 2004 Z06.
in reading these reviews there was so much negitive talk. But now that I own these I find these reviews to be wrong for the most part. I read reviews with a grain of salt always. You just have to read the facts on the product and think about what makes sence. The very best thing is to talk to people in person who have used these products.
Oh ya the more you sail the less will grow, go sailing sail sail sail.
Tim,.
I agree with you for sure, I talk everything with a grain of salt. I’ve always been the guy who has to make his own mistakes. I just need to do some more meditating on this. The haul-out is one of my biggest expenses and you guys know I live on a shoestring. Bottom Paint is a big decision/expense for me. Having, and cruising with little money means I only invest in quality and practical products. The marine industry (like everything else) is littered with a lot of garbage these days. When I was back in the states I was shocked to see all the crappie/disposable products in West Marine.
Jeep Tj eah? I must have come after the Cj series. My last jeep was a CJ8, however I also had a 5, and 7. Love Jeeps : )