Since March I have been pretty busy on Messing About. Here is what I have done so far:
– Bottom sanded and painted
– Hull compounded and polished
– Deck and cockpit scrubbed
– Rail, stanchions, pulpit and pushpit polished
– Topside teak cleaned and sealed
– Saloon/cabin cleaned and oiled wood with lemon oil
– Stained and sealed the cabin sole
– Prepped the portapotty
– Installed cam-cleat for the Cunningham
– Installed new vang eye on mast
– Unblocked sink and fridge drain (VICTORY!)
– Winches cleaned and greased
– Installed hooks and brackets for docking lines and boat hook in lazarette
– Re-bedded halyard clutch
– Had the outboard bracket replaced
– Bought a whisker pole for the genoa
– Charged and installed batteries
– Touched up a couple of spots with epoxy
– Emptied and sorted out the lazarette
– Bought new better sail ties for the main and rolled-up headsail
Hopefully the outboard will be fixed this week. It needed one of the carbs replacing. My last job is to get the boat to the lift at the club, step the mast and replace the win indicator. I went up the mast but could not fix it that way.
So I am almost ready to launch. Once I am in, I have a few minor jobs to do (install a self-steering line thingy and putz around down below with a pot of glue, sticking laminates back on)
The thing that has been bugging me the last few weeks is how late we launch in the Northeast. The weather has been pretty nice in the last month or so (OK with the exception of a big storm). In the UK people go out their way to get the boats in by Easter and sail over the Easter hols. In the Northeast where the weather is better we go in a month later. Makes no sense to me.
You are way ahead of me.
I should be good by next week though.
I was thinking exactly the same thing about Easter the other day. It seems that (excluding mad winter sailors like me) Easter was always the official start of the sailing season in the UK. Here in the home of the brave and the land of the free, not so much.
You have a saloon on the boat? Fantastic!
Soundbounder: Good luck with that
TMan: I suspect that it’s that the UK weather is so unpredictable all year round that people are used to sailing in bad conditions. A month either way matters little
Michael: I do with swinging cowboy doors. yeeha!
Well Howdee Pardner!
Are we ever grabbing that beer?
You must have put in many weekends this spring. Happy to hear about the outboard.