Monday, December 28, 2015

Christmas Aboard


Christmas is by far, hands down, hands in the air, my favorite holiday. And it’s not just Christmas day, it’s the whole Christmas season. For my entire life, the majority of my Christmas’ have always been exactly the same. Cold, snowy (if we are lucky) and small with just 7 people doing lots of snuggling, movie watching, playing games, eating and drinking. I have fond memories of large family christmases and always enjoy whenever the family gets together however Christmas for me, is associated with quiet, with everything blanketed by the snow.

And despite having hot Christmases in my early childhood, it’s now a cold christmasy that does it for me. Especially as we have aimed to distance ourself from the commercialism and materialism that seems to come out in full throttle around Christmas time, we don’t experience the carols and trees and lights that are playing in a shopping centre for example. In fact, we actively avoid shopping centers. To be honest, we don’t really miss it (the commercialism or the stuff). And since I associate Christmas with cold and snow, just being outside doesn’t trigger any Christmas love. However, it is these sensory cues that provide some of the Christmas feels! 

So without any effort on our part, Christmas in the tropics could easily just pass us by with a blink of the eye. So we must make the effort! When we first bought Batty, my mum put together a small collection of decorations and ornaments from our personal stashes at home and sent them along for our Christmases aboard. Just the “essentials”: a small tree, a tiny nativity, stockings and a couple of other random ornaments and I supplemented the stash with some tinsel I picked up last year after Christmas. Oh and I forgot to mention the best part, we have special handmade Christmas Pillowcases. Call it unnecessary but it’s a small way to spread the cheer throughout the boat! I don’t think any of us thought it would take as long as it did for us to use them but use them we have and what a difference it made! 
This past Christmas, we planned to have not only our first Christmas on the boat, but our first friend Christmas! We had planned to meet a couple of other boats at Magnetic Island to celebrate. The weather ended up interfering and unfortunately, one of the boats wasn’t able to make it. The downpours that were predicted to hit seemed to magically (Christmas Magic!!) bypass Maggie and we had the most glorious day. 

Christmas Eve was spent on land with some friends. This picture pretty much sums it up! :)
Photo Credit: Jeff Coates
On Christmas Day, we woke up had a special breakfast, spent the morning opening a few presents and calling our family and friends. We then headed over to our friend’s boat where we spend the afternoon eating and hanging out. It was a wonderful low-key day! 
Photo Credit: Bec Richards


From Bryce, Batty and I, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hope you had a lovely day wherever you were! 

Friday, November 27, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are constantly grateful for everything that we have but as Thanksgiving is a solid reminder to give thanks, there are a few things in particular that we are thankful for.

We are thankful to be here in Port Moresby as that means that Bryce has a job. We are also (so extremely) thankful that today is Bryce's last full day of said job and that means we go home to Batty on Monday!!! We are thankful for you, our friends and family who are reading this and supporting us on our journey. Last but not least we are thankful to have been invited to share a delicious Thanksgiving meal with a great group of people! 

We were invited to have Thanksgiving at the Ambassador's residence. Most of the people there were embassy staff and it was very clear that they are like family to each other, yet they welcomed us and the other non-staffers as if we were family as well. There was an amazing spread, to which everyone contributed. It was seriously the best meal I've had since we've been here! 


We are just now waking up after sleeping through our food coma. Bryce will be heading off to his last day of work soon!! To those of you still celebrating, continue to enjoy the friends, family and food.

Much love,

Alissa & Bryce


Monday, October 5, 2015

A Story About Rocks

I have a story to tell you. About a rock. 

The main highway into downtown Port Moresby is scattered with neatly organized piles of rocks and stones. It takes a discerning person to distinguish the “official” piles of rocks from the random piles of rubble that are the result of roadwork. 
Lokal stori says that one day a man put a rock by the side of the road. The next day he went back and the rock had moved, seemingly by itself. Wanting to test the limits of the rock moving, he created a pile of rocks. The next day, he returned and the pile had moved. Word spread about the rocks that moved and soon enough, many others were creating piles of rocks. 
And that is the story, that some people believe, about why there are random piles of rocks by the side of the road.
Of course, the more feasible story is that the random rock piles are there to be sold, waiting to be bought for the use in seawalls, gardens, etc. Around town, there are various other roadside shopping hotspots where you can buy items such as tires, billums, which are local woven bags and art work. These items generally, though not always, have people nearby from who you can purchase them. In my experience though, the rocks are always alone, which could lead you to wonder how they got there in the first place. 

Saturday, September 26, 2015

The Weekend Hotel

“What is your good name?” Do I have a bad one? “My name? Alissa.”

“I will start massaging you now.”

While Bryce was in Papua New Guinea by himself for three months, he had taken to getting weekly massages. The social scene in Port Moresby can be quite satisfying, but aside from the occasional handshake, the lack of physical touch can leave one feeling a bit isolated and lonely.  This makes the extravagance of a weekly massage well worth while. 

As a treat, Bryce had arranged for me to have one as well my first weekend here. He had worked his way through the massage therapists and found the one that he thought was the best. This little Indonesian woman massaged me in places and ways that I didn’t even know needed to be massaged! She climbed onto the table at various points and if I didn’t know she was up there, on top of me, I wouldn’t have had a clue. It was like she was floating above me, suspended by imaginary strings. 

This was my first experience at the “weekend hotel.” Very early on, Bryce figured out that if he was going to survive mentally, he needed a way to escape and unwind. During the week, he would stay at a hotel in the city near his office. This meant he was able to go home for lunch and wasn’t spending extra time out and about in the car, good from a quality of life perspective as well as a safety and security one. But then on the weekend, he would escape. 

The “weekend hotel” is pretty wonderful. If you are looking to come to Port Moresby for a little R&R, this is the place to come. Though… if that is your plan, talk to me first as Moresby wouldn’t be the first place I would recommend for that purpose! 

Last night, before I headed down to my massage, Bryce and I were sitting in one of the many lounges. I was enjoying a glass of champagne, and he, a Heineken. I ran back to the room quickly to go to the bathroom before I had someone pressing into my bladder. I got the fright of my life when I opened the door, that had a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on it and a Papua New Guinean woman was smiling up at me. “Housekeeping!” I putzed for a little bit, thinking she might leave but she continued on with her work, reorganizing the tea station, with no indication that she planned to leave. I normally wouldn’t have cared but the layout of the hotel room meant that I kinda did!

and this…

This is not a hotel room you would want to share with someone you don't know pretty well! I have no qualms about peeing in front of certain friends and family members but a complete stranger... probably not going to happen! I finally had to ask… 
“Do you mind if I go to the toilet?” 
“Of course, go ahead.” As she gestured towards the bathroom.
“Ok?? Thanks?”

I headed into the bathroom, shut the real door and hesitantly headed into the toilet stall, shutting the glass door behind me. As I was pulling up my dress, we made eye contact through the window and with a smile, she disappeared around the corner to turn down the bed. I guess she figured it out! When I reemerged, we had a lovely conversation about Morobe province, where she was from, and her family there. We were chatting like old pals, which we basically were at this point! After that little exchange, I headed down for my massage.

So far this morning, we’ve had breakfast on an open air pavilion overlooking the airport runway, gone for a walk around the complex, played a game of pool (Bryce won!), and now we are sitting down to watch a movie…. and it’s only 9am! The “weekend hotel” is definitely winning!

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Guest Post: A view from the outside

Last month, Bryce's mum, Anne visited him in Port Moresby. We asked Anne if she would like to write a guest post for the blog sharing her experience over there! 

I would like to preface Anne's post with that what you read may cause some of you to worry about our safety.  While the outward view of security is ever present (as described), I have never once felt unsafe in Port Moresby. Of course it is considered to be one of the more dangerous places in the world which we do not take lightly and I owe much of my sense of security to Bryce's vigilance. So rest assured!

And with that, I'll hand it over!
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Getting greeted by a bevy of hotel sign wavers and treated like a dignitary is an interesting way to start a holiday.

The hotel limo arrived and it was a short trip to the hotel where Bryce was staying. I was surprised by how many people were walking along the streets. A number of women were carrying bags hanging off their heads or just on their heads (big bag of rice). Men and boys with machetes held across their shoulders like we carry around our mobile phones. No wonder there are so many fights with people suffering machete chops. 

The hotel entry gate, garden and outside foyer had guards everywhere. Two of the guys on the road side of the closed gate, had bullet proof vests and two of the multiple inside guards had shot guns. There were guards in the bushes in the garden area too. So - there were at least two outside the gate, four inside the gate and 6 or more in the foyer and car park.

Alongside the road from the airport, there was a high galvanized iron sheet fence protecting the airport property. In one spot there was a small window sized square cut out of the galvanized sheet fence with a grill (concrete reinforcing) and behind that was a shop and people bought drinks, sweets?, whatever it was, through this small hole in the wall. It was quite busy too.

On an orientation drive into Port Moresby proper, I was gob-smacked by the extent of the litter. Not only was it generalized litter but great piles of it too. The trip into Moresby revealed a city drowning in litter. It’s everywhere. Burnt patches of fire circles are everywhere too. There was a playing oval with burnt circles all around the perimeters of the field.
Many of the roadside stalls had betel nuts but Bryce said that they weren’t allowed to chew and spit it in public in PM any more. It’s a habit that is hard to disguise with the staining of the mouth and teeth so evident

There were so many people wandering around and it made it understandable why drivers have to keep their cars locked and some have two way radios to connect with base whenever they leave their house. The driver is expected to provide a destination and expected time of arrival there. When the destination is actually reached it must be reported in to base. There were literally thousands of people mooching around. There are no bikes or motor bikes used in Port Moresby. The buses are either mini buses or trucks with benches running the length of the tray and a canvas cover overhead. The taxis were pretty dubious. One beauty didn’t have a straight piece of metal in the body work. It gave the appearance of having been hammered over the entire body of the vehicle. I was advised to organize any trips through the hotel reception where an accompanying guard will be provided.

The supermarkets in the downtown area were more like concrete bunkers. Not like the glass fronted multiple doored varieties we have in Oz. Like a concrete block with an IN door and an OUT door and the guards ensuring no one went in the wrong door. A general drive around Moresby showed private properties with high fences with multiple strands of razor wire on top and some had a further meter of electrified wire fencing above that. Most had guards at the gates as well. 
Because the Pacific Games were in progress whilst I was there, I was actually seeing the sanitized version of Moresby! Several places had removed some of their layers of external security to present a better image for Games visitors. 

There are lots of people everywhere all day and night - hordes of people. There are ramshackle little street stalls with what looks like the whole family there for the day – dozens of people around one little store with seemingly very little to sell. 

We proceeded to the Yacht Club to join the WAGS which is a group who sign up to go sailing together, supported and encouraged by the yacht club with pizzas provided after the sailing event. There were 8 of us all up and a very entertaining sail with lots of good yarns from the group of diverse leaders in the PNG industries. They pointed out a newly finished high rise building which was very nice. Only snag…it was built by the Chinese with Chinese workers and all material provided and delivered by ships from China – only trouble was, it was an asbestos building and no one would go into the building. Apparently China still manufactures and uses asbestos sheets unreservedly. After sailing for several hours we moored in the Marina and went to the yacht club for pizza provided by the yacht club. The pizzas were massive and pretty good too.

As a day trip, I accompanied Bryce to a location outside of Moresby. Initially the surrounds departing town were quite scary, overcrowded squalor but as we got further out, even though most residences were of the recycled galvanized iron variety -surrounded by a rubbish tip and lots of clothes on a clothesline – there was a least some green jungle surrounds. Many were set very high off the ground. No windows to speak of (there was the place where they could go - just minus the glass). People were still walking along the road in the middle of no-where. 

The location we were at, had seen better days. There was the standard motel size room with 9 chairs, a desk, 1x queen bed and 1x double bed (one looked like it may have been slept in). The headboards were plastic wrapped. As we approached, it seemed as though something had died near the stairwell and the smell of dog was very strong as I ascended the stairs. The culprit was sitting on the mat outside our unit’s door. All the dogs I saw were either male dogs or bitches that had recently had litters. The dogs are a small/medium thin breed of mongrel and not unattractive.

There was a café and a water front deck. The beach was of the grey sand and litter variety and the ocean lapped gently below the deck. There was an area of green grass but it mostly comprised fruit trees, bindis, dog poo and betel nut spit balls. We had an escort/guard car accompany us all the way there and it was supposed to return to escort us on our homeward trip back to town but seemed to forget to come back. Fortunately the trip was uneventful.

The newspaper makes interesting reading with people getting killed at every event. The government wants to ban State of Origin being screened because of the violence it provokes. About 11 dead and lots of injuries as a result of this year’s game.  

There was a report in the newspaper that a bus hit a man and the man’s family (wantok) was gathering to take revenge on any bus and driver from that company that drove past them and the police were trying to head them off. 

Friday was the trip for Bryce’s work as described above although I didn’t mention the drive through one of the huge slum areas. This area was one of the main reasons for the escort car. It didn’t feel very comfortable driving at 5km per hour around massive potholes and among the milling throng of local slum dwellers. Very unsettling and an excellent reason to always drive with the doors locked. I didn’t feel comfortable enough to take photos with people peering into the window that seemed to radiate that we were not welcome there. Fortunately we navigated through that area and the rest was mostly reasonable one lane each way road. Where there was a settlement of sorts, with several roadside vendors, the locals had dug away about a 30cm strip across the road as their own answer to speed bumps. These ditches were marked by a large rock placed on either side of the road to mark where the road was missing. Pretty bad news to hit them at high speed but luckily Bryce knew about that little catch for the unwary. He did, however, have to put his car in for repair at the end of the week as his tyres seemed low and probably one was flat. When his work car maintenance dude returned the car a few days later and reported that it was all fixed Bryce went down with him to check (he’d learned that trick too - of always checking stated facts) only to discover that the wrong tyre had been replaced and the flat one was still flat! 

On Saturday we traveled in convoy with a friend of Bryce’s and drove to Bomana war cemetery where something like 3,000 World War II Aussie soldiers were laid to rest. It looked as though the average age was in the 20s and there were a lot of unknown soldiers as well. As I looked out on the acres of headstones it made me realize what a big part the PNG connection played in World War II, especially as my dad served there. The War Cemetery is owned and maintained by Australia and was in excellent condition and in a well maintained setting. This was gated and guarded of course, and was surrounded by the expected slums proving to be a little oasis amidst the squalor.

Further along to a wonderful nature park that had a large collection of orchids and also some of the birds of PNG (caged). There were some very beautiful and exotic birds including cockatoos with blue eyes. There were very unusual tree kangaroos that looked like regular kangaroos but were high up in the branches of massive trees and sitting there like koalas. The grounds were pristine and beautiful. It cost the equivalent of $2.50 to get in which precluded the local poor but allowed the middle class to afford entry.
We had lunch at a funny ‘resort’ that the boys had used before (guards at the gates of course). The lady who drew the short straw to serve us didn’t share any facial expression whatsoever. The grounds here were really clean and green but through the trees to the stream we could see the local family doing their washing and having their bath in the stream that had just previously run through a high density slum area.

While we were in the area, we went to the Seventh Day Adventist University. The gated and guarded entries automatically opened for us and we received whacking great salutes everywhere we went. The SDA complex was maintained in very good condition with mowed green expansive lawns and a lake in the middle with huge fish in it. The complex is self sufficient and there were acres of paw paws, egg plants and bananas along with other crops. It held a market once a week for locals to buy their stuff and also supplied hotels etc. It being Saturday (the SDA Sabbath), there were family groups sitting on the grass around the lake and ladies bearing casserole dishes to their church complex where there was obviously an after church dinner happening. We sat on a bench and ate oranges to the smiles of the residents. The Staff housing was equally well maintained and of good standard as were the student residences. It was a great experience to see some of the nicest areas on offer on Saturday.

On Sunday, we went out with Bryce’s friend again, this time he drove his car and took us on a drive to places that he had become familiar with. I was glad that Bryce hadn’t seen some of these locations so the day provided something new and different for him too. 


Despite some of my views on the cultural diversity, I actually had the best and most wonderful time from the safety of Bryce's experience and have 'entertained' my friends with some of the stories. It was such a great holiday and especially getting time to spend with Bryce. 

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Working Man

While I have been off having a wonderful, amazing summer with friends and family in the US, Bryce has been busy working in Papua New Guinea. It's not easy for him to be in such an isolated location alone, working a stressful job so I am incredibly grateful that he was willing to sacrifice my company and support so that I could have this opportunity. Obviously, we do our best but email and Skype (combined with an insane time difference) can only allow for a certain level of support. 

While I have been over here, one of the most frequent questions I get asked is "What is Bryce doing in PNG?".  I do my best to explain but am pretty sure Bryce could do better. So... I thought I would give him the opportunity! 

The Working Man!
We "sat down" for a little Q & A... join us! 

----

Alissa: First things first, there are a lot of people out there that think you are a secret agent. Would you like to put the rumors to rest?
Bryce: Flattering but no! Definitely not!

A: OK, so you are NOT a secret agent. What is it that you do then?
B: I'm a management consultant, specializing in reform of government departments in developing countries.

A: Right.... but what do you actually do??

B: Generally, what I actually do when I work with an organization is to firstly observe and analyze the current situation to identify issues and their causes. I then work with a group of key people to figure out what can be done to address the issues, and then design and implement some interventions. A review typically follows to assess whether it worked or not. There are endless variations, depending on the level of sophistication of the organisation and the extent of the help they need for each step.

A: What is your background? How did you get started in this field?

B: I started as an analyst and software engineer consulting to Defence.  From there I moved into management consultancy with a major firm and climbed the corporate ladder, starting to do work around the world.  Several years ago, I speculatively applied for a short-term freelance consultancy in PNG and got offered the job.  It was great fun, rewarding and very challenging, so I've kept at it.

A: You mentioned the challenges. Can you name a few?

B: There are heaps of challenges.  Language and cultural barriers are two of the big ones, although a healthy dose of patience and treating people with respect typically addresses that.  Another key trap that I see lots of newbies trying is to copy something that worked "back home".  They fail to consider the major environmental differences and get surprised that their copy-job fails miserably in the completely different environment.  Mostly the biggest challenges, however, come from the people with the chequebook pushing for rapid results in environments that aren't ready to accept it. It's a bit like running through the mud being chased by a crocodile.

A: What about the rewards?

B: I often describe why I like what I do as follows:
- if I help a sophisticated organisation in a developed country, it might move their performance up a couple of notches if they're lucky.
- if I can help a struggling organisation in a developing country, the results can be truly transformational for them.  That is a very rewarding experience, and it's happened for me a couple of times.  It's not easy though.  

A: Are there any highlights of your current job so far or is it to early to say?

B: The highlights of this job really are the people that I'm working with in the agency.  There is a strong sense of wanting to do things better, but not currently having the tools to achieve it.  That's the perfect environment for work like mine. 

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And that concludes our interview! I'm very proud of this guy! 

If you have any more questions for Bryce, feel free to leave them in the comments!  

Friday, July 3, 2015

Summer Sailing

After a ‘brief’ hiatus, we’re back! There is a backlog of topics to cover but for now I will try stay current. 

Three years ago when we last had a Madison summer, Bryce & I joined Hoofers Sailing Club. Prior to that summer, my sailing experience had only really been a one-week charter in New Zealand to make sure I didn’t get debilitatingly seasick or hate sailing or boats. Thankfully neither of those were the case. 

So I went into that summer in Madison, with the goal to learn how to sail. I mean, we had (and still have!) this grand plan and sailing was, and still is, kinda an integral part of it. I learned the theory, earned the qualifications and gained some degree of confidence on a boat. 

But I lacked experience. I didn’t know what I could or couldn’t touch, afraid I would break anything or everything, afraid of capsizing or sinking, didn’t like the boat heeling… a whole range of things!

Yesterday, back in Madison for the summer, I had my first sailing lesson back at Hoofers and I knew things!  Two and a half years experience of living and sailing on a boat…. I’ve learned a thing or two! There were four of us and an instructor on a Badger Sloop. Small and simple but perfect for getting the basics down! 
Our boat in the foreground!
Even though Batty has a wheel, my muscle memory from learning to sail on boats with tillers came right back. I was able to maneuver around the boat holding onto stays, tack and jibe, put on the sails, and critically assess the boat while we were underway. To know when something is not right is what we constantly have to be on the look out for on Batty, as with on any boat!

But smaller boats are different beasts. Firstly, the lines are smaller and there are no winches. I NEED to get a pair of sailing gloves! Smaller boats strip everything back in a way that makes it simpler and easier to understand however thereby eliminating the ‘frills’ that make life easier on a larger keelboat (like winches).  Secondly, they tried to teach me this thing whereby you slip your ankles under some straps on the floor and then hang myself over the edge of the boat! I mean, I know this is just a lake, but it’s completely counterintuitive. I have spent my entire sailing life focussing on staying ON a boat… not hanging over the edge. Not comfortable with that at All! 
Gorgeous day on Lake Mendota!
Despite how far I have come, I still have a lot to learn. Instead of reacting calmly (or not reacting at all) when I feel the wind and boat picking up speed, I immediately felt my gut clench up. I still get anxious when maneuvering around other boats, docks, people. I balked at trying to dock yesterday. I’m not yet comfortable with how boat responds to what I want. While I am completely comfortable on Batty while we are underway, the second we are navigating in shallow waters, docking, maneuvering in a crowded anchorage or doing anything that could possibly result in the boat hitting something, tiny little pangs of panic creep in. I have complete faith in Bryce and his ability to not hit things, but that unfortunately does not make me any less uncomfortable. The more I do it, the more comfortable I will be with it all. 

Friday, January 23, 2015

Kapten Boat Collar

So we have opted not to have an inflatable life raft onboard Aquabat and there are many reasons for this (but that my friends, is a WHOLE other post). We did not make this decision lightly and knew with Dingbat being our back-up boat, essentially our liferaft, we would need to add some reinforcements to her to make her extra safe should her use as a liferaft become necessary. 
The Kapten Boat Collar is essentially a lifering that is attached to Dingbat, giving her lots of extra buoyancy and therefore making her very difficult to sink. The collar is made from multiple layers of different density foam that are attached by aluminium plates and screws. We had a little brainstorm of situations that we thought could possibly compromise Dingbat’s buoyancy and the ones we came up with were pretty extreme, but not impossible. For example, a crocodile tearing off all of the foam and then biting a hole in the boat!  In this case, I guess it's better that the croc gets the foam and not us! 

We have not tested her in a situation like this (thankfully) and I hope we never have to but we have attempted to sink her (pulled out the bung and filled her up) and she stayed afloat with both Bryce and I onboard.


Bung is out... here we go! 

And we are still floating!!!














We have not tested her in a situation like this (thankfully) and I hope we never have to but we have attempted to sink her (pulled out the bung and filled her up) and she stayed afloat with both Bryce and I onboard. In the event that we did need to abandon ship and were caught in rough weather, we would use this same technique (filling her with water) to lower her center of gravity and make it less likely that air could get caught underneath her and flip us.

Dingbat in the background... pre-makeover!
After install
From the beginning of this experience, the team at Kapten were friendly, knowledgable and helpful. As we were trying to get away and running out of time to do everything ourselves, we opted to have them do the install which was done in a few days at their workshop in Nambour, Queensland. My uncle got roped into hauling Dingbat from Mooloolaba to Nambour on top of his car.
Before....
& After!

Aside from it's possible lifesaving capabilities, the boat collar has also improved our day to day life. A number of things have been made easier, or made possible by the addition of the boat collar. For example, standing up, boarding, moving around, climbing into the dinghy from the water without flipping it, carrying the boat, the list goes on. 

It also keeps us dryer as the collar deflects much of the water spray from coming up and hitting us. It acts as an awesome fender between Dingbat & Aquabat, jetties, other boats or whatever else she may come into contact with. We are also that much closer to being able to get up on a plane with two of us on board. Our outboard is only 5 hp so once we upgrade (if we upgrade!) we should be cruising around no problems.

There are a couple of downsides for us in using the collar but they are not faults in the collar but more so in our application of it.

Firstly because of the shape of Aquabat's hull at the stern we found that despite our hope that the collar would act as a fender, Dingbat and Aquabat could still come into contact with each other metal to metal... not good! We remedied this by adding a ring of tiger rope around Dingbat above the collar. This extra rope does make Dingbat a bit heavier but its a tradeoff. 
The other downside is that the collar needs to be protected in everyday use but this may be because its relatively new so we notice every little ding. This is especially true of the exposed soft foam on the top and bottom sides. The outside has a layer of hard foam. We are slowly figuring out all potential chafe points and sharp things that the collar can catch on and trying to fix it that way. 
A few small dings
Kapten now offer painted collars as an option for an additional price. This was not yet available at the time we had our collar installed. The paint has multiple selling points: 1) it changes the color of the collar, 2) gives a thicker skin over the softer layers for added protection against dings and 3) can be easily touched up, if necessary. Kapten recommend a specific type of paint for this application so please contact them for instructions prior to attempting this. We have added it to our to-do list!

Overall we have been really pleased with our Boat Collar and would highly recommend it. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have regarding its use and if you happen to visit the Kapten team, tell them Hi for us!