DNR (did not race).

But wait[!], I have a pretty good excuse; I was getting a sexy new paint scheme applied to the outrigger and, well, art takes time (read: even after five nights of rubbing on it, spraying all kinds of crazy beautiful paint on it, the boat still wasn’t done). Was it worth all the work, was it worth the late hours with good friends who pitched in and made the project happen, was it worth missing one cold and rainy race?  Yes, absolutely, no question. I am humbled by the professionals that I call friends, whose job it is to build boats and make them beautifully distinctive. Their insight, knowledge, and generosity was at the heart of this project…and, the proof is in the results, as they say…

Reflection in final coat of clear. Mirror.

“Silver” turned out to be more of a champagne. Beautiful against the blue on black.

Cockpit turned out like Darth Vader.

Ama is the minnie-me of the Huki. Stunning.

What struck me after a long weekend of prep, and even longer nights (4) of shooting paint, was just how much planning and timing (read: waiting) goes into even a small job, like painting an outrigger.  I seriously can’t imagine doing a 200′ yacht.  The number of problems that can beset a job of that magnitude is staggering, and one truly needs to have the patience of a monk and the vision of mystic to pull it off.  Here are a few photos of the work.  The final results I’ll save for another post.