Sleep with one eye open

Boat owners, beware. There’s a monster out there, lurking under every piece of carpet, next to every shower, under every hose, near every skylight. You can lock the doors, seal the seams, and close the windows tight. But the Rotten Wood Monster will still get in. We’ve never actually seen him, but this is what his footprint looks like:


The beautiful teak on the left is what Tom used to repair the damage. To the right of the teak is classic Monster tracks. Note how the wood is dark and, well, rotten-looking.

He left his first mark on the stern, and Tom had to dig into the freshly painted transom. Then, when the winter rains started last week, the Monster snuck in through unzipped canvas, and crept into the lazarette. Just when you think you’ve taken care of the last bit of rotten wood, you throw your clothes in a corner, and the next morning notice that the edge of your t-shirt is wet… as is the carpet… as is the wood underneath the carpet.

In reality, we haven’t discovered that much rotten wood. Just enough to keep us busy for the next few weekends. Even so, we feel it’s our duty to warn other boatowners. Don’t ever assume you’re safe. Unless of course, you own an aluminum or fiberglass boat, in which case you can go to hell.

-Jessi and Tom