Getting to work

For the last few weeks I have been "preparing". Basically, thinking about, talking about getting the boat ready, spending money in "preparation", making excuses, doing just about anything but working on the boat. Today I started actual work. 1. Sanding the bottom: This is the first time I have ever painted the bottom and I thought, misguidedly that all I needed to do was sand it up a bit and slap it on. As one of my clubmates, explained to me, I was sorely wrong. Welshman, Mike, a clearly very experienced sailor and fixer of boats, gave me the look a patient physics teacher would give faced with a child who after 3 years still just can't wrap his head around Newton's principles. He tried all his best not to be patronizing but my ignorance was too much for him. He recommended that I take the bottom down to the gelcoat. He is of course, correct as my bottom looks like the surface of the moon (OK, OK, you know I mean Messing About's bottom). The fact is I don't have enough time till haul-in day. Or the mental fortitude. That said, I bought a rotary sander and spent 2 hours sanding the crap out of the bottom and then used acetone as advised by Mike to remove the dust. Tomorrow, I will start painting. 2. Restoring and Waxing the Hull: I bought this frickin' amazing 3M product called Restorer and Wax. I applied it, rubbed it in with a buffer and then polished it and hey presto, the hull is shiny. I was staggered by how effective this was. It looks, if not as good as new, pretty damn good. Very satisfying. 3. Prepping to Service the Outboard: The infernal mechanical thing on the stern, aka TFO (That ******* Outboard) needs servicing. I am so mechanically incompetent that when Mike talked me through what I needed to do to it, he seemed pretty horrified at my ignorance. Bless him, he tried not to show it. Anyway, I bought a bunch of stuff and next week, he is going to help me pressure-test it. I am loving life at the club. The two guys working on the boats either side of me were also incredibly helpful, offering helpful advice and lending me stuff. Progress not Perfection.