Week ending 3 August 2008

Sunday

I was up at 6 and compounded and waxed the hull.  It is not the best polish job in history, especially where I had to get round the palm tree they have put the bow right up against.  It will give the boat some protection; especially when I start to sand the bottom for the antifoul.

By 9 I was showered and in the pool, the rest of the morning disappeared in moving the washing around as it dried and generally tidying.

I went across to dominoes and then came back and cooked a meal, my first since 3 weeks ago when I had fish and chips before catching the coach to the airport.  I have been surviving on a few rolls and cereal.  Tonight I had roast chicken, roast potatoes, yorkshire pudding and bisto gravy; with a cold Lemon and lime light with angostura bitters to wash it down.  I have to say it was all amazing, if food was always this good I would do it more often.

 

Monday, July 28, 2008

Today was going to see the solar panel fitted, as I could not get the fittings I needed I would have two tubes welded on.  I took the sprayhood off completely and carried the frame round to the welders.  The guy I had used previously could not do it before Thursday and seemed to be making it complicated, so I tried the second place, who could not do it until Wednesday and both of them said I would need to buy the fittings, this just seemed to be doubling the cost, so I had to make other plans. 

I took the frame back and then set off; I checked on the outboard on the way and he would let me know this week; it had been promised for last week, the day was not going well.

I went to Budget and bought two fittings, very discounted, that would give a different dimension to the installation.  They had two jaw fittings in stock, but could only find one.  I set off for Peakes.  I was greeted by lots of workers that I knew from last year, I had to admit that I was at Coral Cove and would not be hauling out here.  Peakes had nothing remotely useful and so I went and bought the 1 fitting from Budget. 

I phoned Echo for two pieces of aluminium bar, which they would deliver.  I could not progress without the bars and tried to come up with a temporary alternative to the missing fitting.

Then I remembered the loaf I had started hours before and left to rise, but where was it, I usually put it under the sprayhood.  The sprayhood that had been off and on and up and down all morning.  I found the loaf stuck to the clean tea towel it was under, but it was ok enough to put into a dish and into the oven.

I finished the chicken I had cooked yesterday with some of the bread; which was surprisingly reasonable considering all it had gone through, but with a very thick crust and generally I don’t do crusts.

Hours later Jim took me down to Echo as he had never been there and wanted to finish up the old fuel in his outboard tank.  Just as we were approaching the dinghy dock Echo phoned me and said the driver was just leaving to deliver the bars- no. 

I went back to Budget and got there a few minutes before they closed and bought two more fittings, but the 1”, whereas really I needed 7/8”, but I have two spare shims to take up the space.

I felt rather depressed with so little achieved and so continued with the task. 

By 6.30 I was the proud owner of 2 bars with holes drilled for each end fitting and the solar panel, I have to cut the sprayhood to fit the bars and the fittings so I shall finish this tomorrow.  It felt good to end the day on a positive note.

I had a shower and a swim and then had two of my little cakes with custard, they were very nice although I think they would be too dry without the custard.

My shorepower keeps tripping out.

 

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

We have a maintenance Net at 7.30 and I listened to that.  Wifi aerials is a current topic and I Mike is following this up, I shall be interested to see what he chooses.  I did ask about the spark plug for my outboard and was able to confirm that I am running the correct one.

It took a while, but I fitted the bars to the sprayhood and the solar panel to the bars and it looks wonderful.  I have to resew the sprayhood, but I can do that anytime. 

The electrician came back, but the two things that had been playing up would not when he was there, so I think I have sorted it all. 

I unpacked the fenders and all the other stuff that was on the top and washed the boat down for the first time.  It was nearly 1 and I was whacked.  I had a lie down for an hour and then spent an hour tidying the inside of the boat.  It is beginning to look like it should, except for the things I was storing in the bathroom and the back cabin.

I got the orbital sander out and sanded the strip of boat where I am raising the waterline, then I went on and sanded the entire bottom.  I was filthy with red and black old antifoul and had a scrub in the shower and then a wonderful swim.  What am I going to do when I launch and have no pool, the water in the bay is not somewhere you want to swim.

7pm bed, I have a busy day tomorrow.

 

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

I struggled to start at 6.45.  I washed the hull down and painted the primer on the new strip.

Then it was off to collect the outboard.  It was all gloom and doom with how bad a condition it was in and how much he had had to do, and how it had taken him longer to service my 1.5hp than a 15hp.  I could see the cost escalating before my eyes, but it came to 700TT, which is fine if it is going to give me a good season’s working.  The engine started easily for the technician and we took it to the dinghy dock and put it on the dinghy.  I knew I was scared of starting it, the technician soon realised this and even the engine knows, it would not start for me.  Eventually it did, although he says a 2 stroke would be easier for me.  I was ok once it was going and I went round to get 4 litres of petrol, 25p a litre, tourist prices, but cheaper than the UK.  I have promised to only use clean fuel and will filter and treat it before I put it in.

I put on the first coat of antifoul and managed to get round the boat in 1 tin, and some of it even went on the boat, the rest was on me.  I went for a shower.  I had to scrub the paint with a pumice stone, I am a bit raw, but anything is better than what I did last year.  I used the thinners and the burning pain was excruciating and I had to stay under the cold shower until it had died down.  I was back at the boat by 2 and too exhausted to do anything else.

Jim took his dinghy for a run to the other side and I paid my electricians invoice, with a healthy discount the price was reasonable.  This was lucky because the cash machine was not working.

I checked the Raymarine dealer, still no news on the autopilot. 

Back to the boat and just collapsed.  And I thought I could get a second coat on today.

 

Thursday, 31 July 2008

I chiseled the old antifoul off the propeller, had a quick shower and set off for the bus, today I was going to the other big supermarket.  In one and a half hours I had spent 2600TT, which seems a lot of money, I have 72 litres of bottled water in the bilges, all my supplies for the season ahead; now all I need to buy are things like eggs and butter as I go along. 

It took me a long time to unpack everything and stack it away, hopefully sensibly and where I can find it.

I was going to put a second coat of antifoul on this afternoon,  but I was too tired.

 

Friday, August 01, 2008

Today is a holiday, Emancipation Day.  No holiday for me.  By 8 I had put the second coat on the hull.  I then sanded the prop back to the brass.  It looked lovely for about 30 seconds until I started repainting it.  I had to put 4 coats of different products each one hour apart.  Once that was done I could get cleaned up, have a swim and rest for a bit.

Lunchtime it was dark and thunder and lightning and heavy rain.  After the rain I found the strength to cook a meal and cleared the back cabin.

I have fitted the backing plates on the winch and put the ceiling panels back together.  There is one more winch to be backed in the cockpit locker, but that will have to wait.  The curve of the fiberglass made these last two very difficult.

I went for a second swim, it is an excuse to do nothing for a while.

The internet is still more off than on and the electricity has gone out again.

 

Saturday, August 02, 2008

I took off the prop and hull anodes, I was going to replace them both.  The one on the hull did not look too worn, but had been on since 2004.  I was missing my cable reel that I stand on, Damien, dockmaster, said that it went off in a dinghy yesterday, I am quite upset about that.  I use it to stand on and it was to be a rope drum afterwards.

I went to buy new anodes, the small one had gone up since last year from 44TT to 51TT, the large one was nearly 1000TT, I did not have enough money and only bought the one for the prop.  I still had the original one that I took off in 2004 and I would put that back on as there is a lot of wear left in it.

Damien moved my props and I gave the red squares a quick sand and a coat of antifoul and another one on the prop.

Gary held the spanner on the outside of the anode and I tightened up the nuts on the inside.

Everything seemed to take a long time and it was hot.  I decided to finish up the antifoul and do an extra coat round the waterline, keel, rudder and leading edges and the bare space round the new, old, anode.  That is all the paint used up.  I did one final coat on the prop, although that was different red paint and with the blue from the brush it is a stripey purple mix, but I am sure it will be ok once it is in the water.

I had to go and scrub the paint off me and throw the clothes away and then a quick dip in the pool to relax.

It is now looking possible to launch on Monday.

It was 3pm and I thought I could put the engine back together.  The fuel pre-filter has been a nightmare ever since I bought the boat, why did they put it in such a difficult position.  If I could think where to move it I would have done before now, but I ripped its support off the bulkhead and now I have to put it somewhere else.  I can only move it up 1”, but I hope it will make it possible to drain the water from the bowl. 

The bowl kept leaking diesel every time I filled it; I think I have sorted it, but now I can’t get the filter off the fitting as it is slippery and the fitting is not attached to the wall.  Today I tried to do too much and struggled for too long among diesel fumes.  I will have to have another go in the morning when I have daylight and should be in a better mood.  I do not have to launch on Monday, I can give myself another few days.