We love welcoming back familiar boats

There’s something especially satisfying about welcoming a familiar boat back to the yard.

Freelance, a classic 1935 Henry Gielow-designed cutter, has returned to Berkeley Marine Center for some fresh topsides paint — including the new boot stripe being applied here.

The work is being done using the traditional roll-and-tip method: one painter rolls on the paint while another follows with a brush, “tipping” it out to produce a smooth, even finish. It’s a time-tested technique that seems particularly fitting for a wooden yacht with more than 90 years of history behind her.

Freelance has long been part of the San Francisco Bay wooden-boat community and the Master Mariners fleet. We’re pleased to have her back in the yard — and proud that so many boat owners return to BMC when it’s time for the next project.

Keeping the Bay’s boats looking good, one coat at a time.