Progress Report
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We have enjoyed a week of virtually no rain so progress has been quite good. So far I have sanded, faired and primed the topsides with just a little more work to do before they will be ready for the topcoat. I will be waiting for a couple of days of guaranteed sunshine before I attempt this. Work below the waterline has continued in between preparing the topsides, at the moment focussing on the waterline area. Inside I have completed a couple of jobs. Pulled all the chain out of the cable locker and inspected the steel work inside, all looks pretty good except the deckhead has quite a bit of surface corrosion but it is fairly superficial and can wait for another time. Working fore to aft I have also pulled half the V-berth apart to access the seacock for the head’s discharge. It had virtually seized up so I pulled it off, cleaned it up and reinstalled it. Here is my list for the rest of the minor refit: Paint topsides Bottom paint Fix a couple of rust spots on deck Fix pulpit side lights (will probably need to remove the pulpit) Preserve hull beneath the engine Remove steering chain (a few of the links are rusty), remove rust, inspect, renew links if necessary Remove a small rusty section of cockpit coaming and weld in a new section. Inspect cockpit sole and paint as required Seal leaks in cockpit inspection ports Repair/replace windvane rudder Replace mainsail halyard Varnish saloon sole Varnish cockpit seats Seal leak in one of the coach house windows Perhaps this won’t mean very much to many of my readers but I thought I would give you an idea of some of the work I need to do. I was hoping to have all this done in less than a month with a departure date set for early August but reckon at current rate of progress there are two chances of that (Buckley's and none). All is well. Bob Cat: An unprecedented period of calm and tranquillity. I have got some serious work done most days, sometimes realising a good 20 hours of sleep a day, though yesterday the skipper went mad for awhile (as opposed to going sane for awhile which in my view would be a more accurate representation of his usual mental state) and pulled my sleeping quarters apart. I had to pursue my vocation on the settee for a while. The heater has been on most nights; the food has been - well, OK; even the sun has been shining quite a bit making for some pleasant digressions on the patio, though finding a comfortable spot amongst all the clutter has been a challenge, but one I am well up to …. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. |