The Lady has a new dress

Before painting - tape indicates all the places to repair

 Talaria is 33 years old, so she is not a spring chicken.  But she is a classic boat with the features we wanted for safety.  For one, she is heavy with a full keel that is encapsulated.  That is important because she will never lose her keel.  Believe it or not boats have lost their keel. Of course, that has occurred with boats that have their keel attached to the hull with bolts.  Without a keel a sailboat is no longer to right itself if pushed over by the wind.  For two, she is a "double ender".  Meaning the stern of the boat is closed like the bow.  For safety being a double ender is great although it is inconvenient in the Med as it is virtually impossible to get off the stern of the boat. Boats in the Med typically back in to their slips and then they have ramps that allow folks to get off the boat.  In the US, marinas have "finger piers" so there is no need for a ramp or passarelle.  Many modern boats are open at the stern increasing your risk of falling overboard so we feel more secure with a "double ender".  Third, she has a relatively small cockpit which is important because only so much water can accumulate there.  A small cockpit allows the drains to drain whatever water does accumulate without being overwhelmed.  And last but not least she is a heavy boat.  She outweighs modern boats as over time safety was sacrificed for speed.  Talaria is definitely not a race boat but she is a safe boat. Even though she was not built for speed we still averaged 5.8 nm per hour going across the Atlantic.  Not too shabby.  For these reasons and more we chose an old classic boat over a new modern boat.  

Dinged up bow

 We are Talaria's fourth owners.  Over the years we have completed considerable upgrades.  Including a new engine and all new electronics.  Her paint was however original.  Over the years the wear and tear has taken its toll.  There were many dings and dents.  The gelcoat was so thin we could not even polish her anymore so she looked dull and drab. 

Collision with concrete wall in Marmaris

 

Her bow was especially beat up after too many encounters with the dock!  So... while here in Turkey we decided to see about having her painted.  We had considered it before but in the US the cost was way beyond what we could afford.  As it turns out a fellow we met suggested Uluç with ROTA to do the painting.  Uluç reminds me so much of our son that I liked him immediately.  And he did a perfect job.  The cost was very reasonable and the work was done in a timely manner.  She now looks like a new boat.  

Talaria with her new paint and Uluç

 We are just in awe of how good she looks.  They do not have big buildings to paint in here - the best they can do is cover the boat.  But even without the "paint building" she just looks wonderful.

Stern

 To protect the new paint we had fender covers made and are just waiting for them to be completed.  

Bow

 Although she looks really good these are not the actual "final product" photos. Uluç went back in straightened the edges on the bottom stripe and polished all the chrome.  We are also waiting for the graphics guy to come and put her name back on.  So... final photos will be coming soon!