Nearly ready to launch

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.