Anne Arundel Dive Services

Testimonial from Zephyr - 2016 J30 North American Champions 10/6/16

The owners and crew of Zephyr, J/30 out of New Orleans, LA recently attended the J/30 North Americans at Eastport Yacht Club in Annapolis, MD.  We chose to charter a boat versus trailer Zephyr up from New Orleans.  Michael Ruzzi, owner of Mondial was kind enough to allow us to charter his boat as well as put the Zephyr touch on the bottom, rig, and running rigging.

In our preparation, Mondial was sent to the boat yard to have the bottom sanded prior to the regatta.  Our crew arrived the day before the regatta and began preparations.  We had to immediately find a diver that would inspect the bottom and be willing to give us a wipe down daily.  Marlene Plumley owner of AA Dive Services was recommended by the local fleet.  We met Marlene on thursday and she agreed to inspect, wipe down, and apply a new product called Eelsnot to Mondial's bottom. Marlene is the local representative for Eelsnot in Annapolis.  Marlene explained how Eelsnot could be applied both in the water as well as dry and that Eelsnot created a hydrophobic layer between the gelcoat and the water that repels the water molecules and allows the boat to slip thru the water easier than without the layer.  We agreed to the application as all "go FAST" tricks should be considered.

Racing began on friday and right out of the blocks in both tune up and 1st race, Zephyr's speed appeared to be as fast or faster than the other competitors.  We finished day one in 2nd place.  Marlene met with us on friday evening and discussed our success and what her plans were for wipe down and Eelsnot for the rest of the weekend.  On Saturday, Marlene showed us video of our bottom and we couldn't believe how much sanding had to be done.  Obvioulsy there had been lots of marine growth and blisters.  In addition, it appeared the area where the boat had been hung in the slings had not be sanded properly.  The video did show Marlene using a bubble test where bubbles are blown up against the hull.  We watched the bubbles as they appeared to roll up the hull and you could see the Eelsnot film layer.

Our speed for the rest of the regatta was phenomenal.  We proceeded to win 4 out of the next 6 races and additionally finished 3rd and 5th in the other 2 out of a 19 boat fleet.  Zephyr won the J/30 North Americans with smart sailing, boat preparation, tuning, and boat speed.  The owners and crew feel that Eeslnot was a major factor in our speed.  I would recommend Eelsnot for any boat, both wet or dry sailed, that wants to get the maximum potential out of their boat bottom.   In addition, I would recommend Marlene and AA Dive Services to anyone in the Annapolis area who can appreciate good service and dedication to detail in preparation. 

Thanks Marlene
Huey Kliebert (Bowman)