Thanks, Alan H for posting the evocative photos of the Gareloch Goddess and Loch Long One Designs!
Sometimes I just have to shake my head in wonder. I had dutifully prepped and painted WILDFLOWER's two bottoms with blue ablative bottom paint. The previous Petit Vivid white turned to brown slime so fast the only way to keep looking good was swimming under once/week. No bueno.
I can report the new blue ablative, which theoretically sheds marine growth when sailing, is no better. And after 3 weeks in Santa Cruz Harbor, WF's bottom was again brown slime. I took my little ship out for a short speed run under power, 7 knots, wishing to see if the new ablative paint shed it's slime as per promo ...... nada. Apparently I'm not going fast enough. 30 knots might be better, Chuck? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfTgd6NZkRU
On the way back in Santa Cruz Harbor I passed a mother otter with a baby on her belly. They were mid-Channel abeam "Q" dock. I slowed and watched. The mother was rolling 180 every 10 seconds or so, exposing her baby first to the outside world, and then submerging her little kit. Not quite swimming lessons, but you could tell learning and fun were going on simultaneously.
The Harbor Main Channel was empty on this weekday. Except here comes a mid-sized Island Packet up Channel motoring a good 5 knots+. The wife was at the mast as lookout, and the gentleman was steering inside and under a full dodger. I motored ahead, and gave them a head's up as to the presence of the otters up ahead....The wife acknowledged, but her partner under the dodger couldn't hear a thing until she made her way aft to shout at her skipper.
"Otters ahead!" says she.
"Otters? Where?" says he, blindly charging forward at no slack in pace.
"Right there," says she, pointing at the bow.
"Where?" repeats the skipper.
And with that they motor right over the otters at full speed.
Fortunately the mother otter and kit submerged at the last minute and popped up safely astern of the clueless Island Packet. Like I said, sometimes I can only shake my head in wonder. A quarter million dollar yacht, and you can't see or hear what's ahead? Might as well be this: