HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
What goes in the feeding end of a horse comes out the other end, and the result is a dirty job.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
Nine-year-old Jaden Cutright cautiously stalks a fresh pile in Sailor’s stall. Cutright loves being around horses, no matter how dirty the job.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
Jessie Damboise doesn’t share her little sister’s love of manure shoveling, but she loyally supports Jaden’s efforts and drives her to the ranch.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
Riding Star Ranch volunteers Joe Morowit, left, and Evan Saunders wait for pooper scooper Jaden Cutright to fill up the wheelbarrow.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
Senior crew chief Neil Peters and José Garcia are first on the scene of a recent water line break in Punta Gorda Isles and begin preparing the site for the repair.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
One of the most difficult parts of the repair process is identifying the source of the leak among all the mud and bubbling water. With crew chief Neil Peters watching, José Garcia, left and Rob Hemingway probe for a void, a good indicator of the leak’s location.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
Andrew Grace’s arrival with the giant pump truck eases the plight of the workers in the mud hole. He operates the controls to enlarge and suck the mud and water from the hole so the leak can be fixed.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
Neil Peters, Rob Hemingway and José Garcia get down and dirty while clearing the area around the leak.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
After the offending pipe is exposed, the leak is fixed, and the crew heads home to clean up and wait for the next call.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
Poseidon Marine’s Nathan Dornacher and partner Michelle Jenkins arrive at a Punta Gorda Isles home for a hull cleaning. Dornacher’s carefully packed gear contains a commercial diving suit, a legal requirement for hull cleaning.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
Diver Nathan Dornacher needs Michelle Jenkins’ help to get into his complicated diving gear.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
Once in the water, Nathan Dornacher is surrounded by the gear he needs to do the job properly

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
After the cleaning, Michelle Jenkins gives Nathan Dornacher a complete spray job to rid his suit of any contaminants picked up in the water.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
Sailboat owners Preston and Chennie Wright are believers in Nathan Dornacher’s work and wouldn’t use anybody else. They particularly like the videos and photos of the hull he sends them.