A cool Finn cleans my fin keel

'Big ballast in little Ballard'


The boat has a fin keel with an internal ballast of lead. Total displacement, ballast, is 8,500 pounds.

The draft, is 5'4". So, when I get in water that is less than 6 feet deep I start losing my cool. It's not pretty.

The Scandinavian gentleman is scraping shellfish from the leading edge of the fin keel. I didn't know it at the time, but I was paying him75$ an hour to scrape my shellfish. 75$ an hour is standard pay for remedial chores at this Ballard shipyard. I now remove my own mussels.