We had Breakfast at the El Embarcadero, bought some groceries and then headed to Hilbre.

It is clear and 88 degrees with Hilbre sporting a freshly painted bottom. We are currently cleaning, polishing and organizing the boat after five months on the hard. Everything is as it was when we left her and she is even cleaner this year.

The first thing was to setup the Dodger/Bimini, reconnect the batteries and plug into power so we could bring the batteries up to a full state. They had weathered the summer heat very well and still had a strong charge.

We had worked on the Bimini over the summer. It needed some reinforcements, a new zipper and a new clear glass window. After this work which was done by our local canvas shop, we washed it thoroughly in Woolite and allowed it to completely dry. We then applied two coats of High Tech 303 Fabric Guard over two days, allowing everything to dry between the spray coats. Wow, it brought back much of the color and the Bimini looks like new and is once again water repellent.

More to come in the next few days as we continue to prepare for launching and a departure to Mazatlan in early November, once Hurricane Raymond has left the region.