How We Made Our Boat’s Bottom Ready To Sail Around The World [Ep. 97]

Bottom painting of our bluewater sailboat from start to finish!

After striking an unidentified floating object (UFO) off the coast of Africa, we still had some repair work to do. That included stripping the barrier coat and applying new bottom paint. We did this in Uruguay to prepare the boat for its sail south, around the world, via Cape Horn.

AD/Advertisement - AkzoNobel provided us with the bottom paint and other coatings applied in this video (International Galverette, International Intergard Yacht, International Intertuf, and International Micron Premium).

Learn More Here: https://www.yachtcoatings.com/en/gb/that-feeling/sailing-sweet-ruca

Previously on our boat, we were using AkzoNobel’s SeaHawk products we paid for ourselves, which were performing very well. After striking the UFO and damaging our rudder and hull, we needed to do a more comprehensive inspection of the entire hull, which included removing all of the bottom paint. This is an expensive and time-consuming process, which was not in our original budget to sail around the world, and insurance provides no coverage so far offshore. We were completely on our own. We took a chance and reached out to AkzoNobel asking if they would sponsor our channel, as at the time we were in Itajai, Brazil, and we are huge fans of The Ocean Race and knew of their involvement in a previous race. Did we think maybe we can tie something in? We were thankful to receive a reply and they agreed to provide us with the products and offset some of the costs.

Before we could complete the project in Brazil, our visas ran out, so we had to call an audible and move the painting to Piriapolis, Uruguay. This is where having a company with worldwide product coverage really came in handy. In South America, it can be extremely difficult to source specific brands and parts for your cruising sailboat. Luckily we were able to find a great assortment of quality International Paints to use on our boat in Uruguay.

We were also happy to find International Micron Premium. Which is a polishing bottom paint. We knew we wanted ablative paint rather than hard paint as we feel it performs better overall. It also allows for hauling the boat if needed and spending time on the hard without a repaint. Lastly, it requires less diving, just sailing at speed washes away any growth, which increases safety, especially sailing in the cold and dark waters of the southern ocean and fjords of Patagonia, Chile.

We feel Micron is one of the best polishing bottom paints on the market and already had experience sailing on boats with Micron on board in the USA and knew it performed well. We had also already used Interlux InterProtect 2000E to fair our keel and completed a bottom on our Melges 24 with VC Performance Epoxy. We were familiar with working with the products and knew they worked well, as we would never put a product on our boat or accept sponsorship of something we wouldn't feel safe using ourselves, be happy with the performance, or recommend to a friend.

The process included:
Hauling and Blocking the Boat
Remove all old bottom paint back to the existing barrier coat.
Inspect and make any needed repairs.
Apply New Barrier Coat
Sanding and Fairing
Application of New Bottom Paint
Launching the Boat

Visit Our Blog About The Process: https://sweetruca.com/why-we-chose-micron-premium-bottom-paint-how-we-applied-it/

About Us:

We are two young racing sailors that decided to leave life on land and accomplish our goals of sailing around the world and learning about and experiencing different cultures. Originally from the Great Lakes, we left Newport Rhode Island in July of 2019 after refitting our boat DIY style. We then sailed to Maine, and from there down the East Coast of the USA, around Cape Hatteras, to the Bahamas, Back to Miami, and then to the Virgin Islands.

From there we headed south to Grenada to escape hurricane season, then back up to St. Maarten where we launched our first Atlantic Crossing to Horta, Azores. We made a quick trip back to the USA in July of '21 to defend our Chicago - Mackinac Race overall title, then it was back to cruising the Canaries, where we launched for our second Transatlantic voyage, sailing to Brazil in South America and on to Uruguay.

Our goal is to sail around the world via Cape Horn, and that is where we are headed now. Capturing footage to share this epic adventure with you as we round the horn and venture into the canals and fjords of Patagonia, Chile.

Want To Learn More About Us and See Where We Are in Real Time?

Visit Our Website at www.sweetruca.com or join us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/ruca