(Above) Capt. Eric Forsyth and the Fiona

Capt. Forsyth is featured in the "Adventure Issue" (August 2010) of Yachting Magazine.

Capt. Forsyth Reports--A voyage such as Fiona's last trip through the NW Passage and home via the Panama Canal exacts a toll on the boat and its equipment. Of course, routine maintenance has to be carried out all the time, but below is a list of items I deferred until Fiona was home. This should keep me busy most of the year.

Capt. Forsyth Reports--Today I was able to examine the hull carefully; the damage is not as bad as I first thought. What appeared to be breaks the gel coat near the bow were, in fact, spots where layers of accumulated bottom paint had been stripped off. The gel coat is intact, so the ice apparently inflicted no damage. The forward end of the keel where we had contact with coral does need a little TLC. I still have a long list of repairs to accomplish, I will post them in a few days.

Fiona was hauled onto dry land today and the mast removed. The delay since our arrival on 8 May was caused by problems with the travel lift at Weeks Yachtyard. The bottom was in surprising good condition except for a thick growth of barnacles on the propeller. Our violent contact with ice in the Arctic apparently cleaned a couple of square feet of the gel coat off the hull near the bow on each side .The dings on the bottom of the keel were probably due to our contact with coral at Norman Cay in the Bahamas. Repairs look to be straight forward.when the hull has dried thoroughly. See the pics below:

The mast is lowered onto waiting sawhorses.

Forward end of the keel. Note the excellent condition of the bottom paint; this pic was taken before power washing.

Starboard side of hull near bow.

Port side of hull near bow.

Fiona off the coast of Maine. Photo by L Schatzer