The new teak decks laid during winter 2008 needed some outstanding works to be finished but that work done late in 2009 on the Isle of Wight overran substantially so my planned works for winter 2009/2010 couldn’t start as programmed. Bill Dunlop of Marine Surveyors Marintec made an initial visual inspection whilst the boat was chocked up, confirming the area of concern was the hull bottom stiffening at the forward end of the vessel. Due to the rupturing and looseness, the chine rail portside was now becoming stressed, which was showing on the dark blue paintwork.
We brought Midnight Blue back to the mainland and when she went to Custom Yacht Works in February 2010 it became evident that I had to take the difficult decision to spend a year drying out the hull to facilitate the repairs, and with that years “sabbatical�, logistics and impatience grabbed hold and I decide to press on to the finish.
