Walking the Plank!

At last the day arrived to take Fiddlesticks to the dry dock to have her bottom blacked. Frank has had a bad chest infection and I was worried he might not be fit but he didn't want to cancel. What a trooper!
She's up on the hydraulic boat hoist now with her bottom on show to all and sundry - how undignified!
Frank pressure washed all the previous blacking off and then scraped any loose bits.
We were then advised to apply white spirit with a brush to kill off any algae as this would make the blacking adhere better.
Frank had to do all the bits at the back on a criss cross of wooden planks which he had to walk along, kneel on and sit on rather awkwardly. I watched with baited breath.
It would be horrible to fall in the filthy dry dock water. 
The lads that run this place are so helpful, nothing is too much trouble and they are keeping us right and giving us advice on the best way to get the job done. They have all gone home and left us here where we will sleep on our boat 5 foot above the water.
It will be wierd not being rocked to sleep.
Tomorrow the blacking begins!