2003

Ocean Planet/USA 05 update from Bruce Schwab:
Friday, October 24 2003

Ocean Planet (US 05) finally came out of the water yesterday for some well-earned maintenance and preparation for next year’s Vendee Globe. For most of the Around Alone I had been promising here that if she just got me to the finish she would get a pampering…only to be somewhat neglected until now!

However, I will make good on my promise, and it looks like we have some good karma working for us in Portland. There was a bit of shock today as within a couple of minutes of leaving the water, it began to SNOW. However, the folks at Portland yacht service are as hardy as the weather here and did a great job. Check out Kevin McDunn pressure washing the bottom as the snow and sleet pour down:

Note the keel bulb position…usually it is over 14 feet deep so the boat towers in the air when on land. But since we can raise our keel up like a big centerboard, we can lower the hull down low to make it easier to work on. We actually were raised out of the water on a big trailer on a ramp (don’t try this at home!). Note how much the top of the keel blade is sticking up above the deck:

Today we detached the bulb and raised the keel blade out of the trunk. Now we can work on the keel or bulb, separate from the hull and also set the boat low enough to fit into our shop. The boat is a bit longer than the building we are in so this weekend we will build a double layer enclosure over the bow. Stay tuned for more info on our projects as we finish setting up the shop.

Big thanks are in order for a number of Ocean Planet supporters: Hospitality: Bill Shea & Fran for hosting me while I’m in Portland, and Denise Preisser for hosting team volunteers Katie Ambach & Drew Wood.

Other Volunteers: Scott Schmitz, Norm Bosse, Jason Fitschen.

And a REALLY big thanks to recent contributors to The Made in America Foundation to support our program:
Hank Grandin
Dick Watts
Jeanie Sousa
John Tannehill
Johnny Morrison
Charles Breed
Bruce Nesbit
Peter Hogg
Ev Lester
Russ Irwin
Joe Davis
Don McCrea
Michael Franklin
Mary Jean Bushnell
James Callahan
Andrew Pitcairn
Vince Casalaina
Bob Warfield

Thanks for your continued support!

Bruce Schwab, skipper,
USA 05/Ocean Planet