Le Labo has spent two years in the water without getting out since its renovation. During all this time, life has gradually clung to the hull. Before our expedition, to allow the Lab to reach acceptable speeds, the hull had to be scraped and then, depending on the result, a layer of anti-fooling or a layer of primer then anti-fooling. This is what is called the "fairing".  The hull of the Labo is made of plywood, of which  the seal is ensured by a succession of layers of resin and fiberglass. Then two envelopes are added: one of primer or paint, on which the antifooling can be hung, preventing marine fauna and flora from colonizing the hull. 

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The closest refit yard that could offer us a berth for a week was the Maritima dry port in Martigues. The Lab was therefore ferried by the crew from Port Saint Louis du Rhône to Martigues. This first navigation, under motor, by Mistral, went well until the arrival when the harbor master announced the inability of his crane to get the boat out. Indeed, as the Lab has two masts, he feared that one of the two would come into contact with the crane's bearings. After an hour of negotiations, Perrine manages to convince the dry dock team that by removing the backstays, the boat passes without any problem between the straps of the crane and it is out! Of its eleven tons, it is even more impressive out of the water and we start to scratch.

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After a day of Karcher and battle against the many shells, we realize that the lamination is unglued at the level of the keel... By removing it, the team sees the list of stains lengthen because the whole of the keel is stripped, then the entire hull. The sentence tombe: two months of work are necessary for the boat to be watertight again. Le Labo will therefore not be leaving this year and we urgently need to find another boat... the departure is in just a week!