After an Able 42 broke free of its mooring during a late fall 2019 storm, the owner received the dreaded call that his boat was found on the rocks with significant keel and hull damage. His response? Reach out to area boat yards and find a team – on short notice – to manage the repairs over the winter. After talking with members of the GIBY team, the boat owner decided to bring his boat to Orr’s Cove. He arrived under his own power, with tree branches still tangled in the rig!

On arrival, the rig was carefully inspected before the boat was hauled for the requisite insurance survey and queued up for its eventual trip to the GIBY Refit Bay.

The repair work was scheduled and, in January, Nik got things started, grinding back damaged areas and clearing the way for the fiberglass repair team. Next, bolts were exposed to allow for the removal and reinstallation of the keel. Soon, the keel joint and wing will be repaired and reshaped, respectively. Interior stringers will be repaired, and the rudder shoe and bearing will be inspected. Once all is reassembled, the bottom will be media blasted and refinished, and the topsides will be repainted with Awlgrip.

The rigging team is also playing a key role, repairing a dent in the spar, addressing a crack in the port cap shroud, inspecting chainplates, and replacing the masthead instruments.

Further, while in GIBY’s care, the owner has elected to tackle additional service items, unrelated to the storm damage.

Next fall, the owner will be ready to sail south to the islands, as he had originally hoped to do this year.