The Voyages of Bob has a whole new look
Don’t click away! You’re on the right website!
Welcome to the new and improved Voyages of Bob. After looking at some other sailing blogs out there I became inspired to make a few changes to bring our website into the modern era. It has all the same information and photos as before but with a sleek and snazzy new look. We hope you like it as much as we do!
The website is not the only thing with a polished new look. Bob herself was hauled out of the water a few weeks ago and has been given a long and overdue makeover. The last time Bob was in a boat yard was over two years ago in Hiva Oa, where she had her bottom cleaned and repainted. Since then she’s sailed over 14,000 sea miles and in that time, most of her antifouling paint has disappeared completely. Growth was appearing on her hull faster than nappy rash on a soggy bum. Any form of fouling can slow the boat as she travels through the water, which can make a huge difference to passage time when travelling over long distances. We’ve been trying to catch up with our schedule ever since leaving New Zealand last July and Bob has needed frequent and thorough cleaning in order to claw back as much time as possible. Now let me tell you, cleaning the hull is one of the worst jobs in the world! After 30 minutes of scraping away barnacles and plant growth you emerge from the water with entire ecosystems living in creases of your body you didn’t even know existed. The less time a person spends doing this job the higher the overall quality of life that person will have!
Needless to say, sanding and repainting the hull was the first job on our list. The cost of haulage, storage and labour in South Africa is relatively cheap compared to many other places, so we also decided to repaint Bob’s topsides. It’s been about 6 years since this was done and she had started to look very dull and sorry for herself with millions of scratches and huge rust streaks running down her sides. I’d be feeling sorry for myself too if my body bore the physical scars and mascara streaks of events that happened many years ago.
Unfortunately, the beautiful artwork done back in 2017 by two master craftswomen (namely Cali and Gaya, our friends’ young children) had faded into an ambiguous green haze over years of sun exposure, so this time we decided to display her name using teak letters that we got in Bali. It’s not nearly as colourful or interesting as what was there previously, but at least people can see who she is.
Other than that, we’ve been having a busy and fun-filled time over the past month. We had a wonderful visit from Alex’s mother in early February and saw the sights of Cape Town. The last few days have been spent with old friends on a sheep farm near Bloemfontain and tomorrow I’ll be doing a pelagic dive with some large man-eating sharks! But those are stories for the next blog.
You May Also Like
10 Comments
Alex's Mum
BOB looks AMAZING and I love the lettering. So thrilled you got to the farm. Can’t wait to get a first hand account. And the WEB site is so clear. I hope BOB is loving the Atlantic Ocean. Every moment I had with you in Cape Town was a treasure. Love from Mother xoxoxo
Jimmie Amos
Good day to you Alex and Sara, What a beautiful sight BOB is after your refit. It’s like looking at “Spindrift”. Truly a great job, congratulations. We are so happy you are now turned the corner. Hopefully to find the wind a bit more aft and lots of reaching. Love your new blog, dead easy to use. The very best of sailing as you continue your adventure together. We all look forward to the next chapter. Best regards, Jimmie and Sandra
Chris Sutton
Wow – what a difference a ‘docking and essential defects’ evolution makes!! Bob looks superb. Happy sailing. Best wishes
Chris & co.
Brooksie Snr
What a great new website! What a great paint job! What a great delight to read more of your exploits – I also owe you an email!
Lots of love,
Dad
Stephen Brooks
Hey Bob’s looking great, it’s very different to when I saw it..! I like the new blog as well. x
Alan and Debbie J
The paint looks awesome and will surely add 5 kts to the cruising speed.
Look forward to following the journey.
Cheers
Alan and Debbie
Rebecca
Hello! Can you see my comment or have I been filtered?! Bob looks great, but I’m with you on the French flag thing! Safe travels and hope you’re having fun xx
Sarah
Hey Bex. Yes I can see your comment 🙂 At least most of the red bottom paint is under the water xx
Christine Brooks
Love the new website! Bob is looking great too!
James
Love the new look of Bob and the blog. Cant wait to see you two this summer!